04 / Frequently asked questions

A question before
you go live?

Chat in your video, stream keys, sound, heat and home OBS. Find an answer here, with links to the full setup guides.

25 practical answers

Starting and destinations

What goes in Stream URL? Is my stream key enough?

Enter the complete streaming destination. A key alone has no server for Roam to contact. If your service gives you an RTMP or RTMPS server and key separately, join them with one slash at the boundary. For example, rtmps://ingest.example.com/app plus YOUR_STREAM_KEY becomes rtmps://ingest.example.com/app/YOUR_STREAM_KEY.

That address is an illustration. Use your own server and key. If you already have a combined URL, paste it unchanged without adding another key. See the full URL examples.

Why does Roam stay on Connecting?

An accepted URL only means its format can be used. It does not prove that the server is reachable or that the key is correct. Check ordinary internet access, compare the full destination with the platform dashboard, and make sure the receiving input or scheduled broadcast is ready.

If you send through a relay or home computer, check that receiver too. Keep a working key unless it is invalid or exposed; a temporary connection failure does not by itself require a new one. Connection checks

Do I have to use RTMPS or encrypted SRT?

Roam accepts compatible RTMP, RTMPS and SRT destinations, including SRT without a passphrase. Use the address your service supplies. RTMPS encrypts the connection. Passphrase-protected SRT encrypts video and audio.

Do not add an s or invent a passphrase for a server that has not been configured for it. For YouTube RTMPS, copy the full address from Live Control Room because the hostname also changes. YouTube RTMPS instructions

How do I start, stop or change where the stream goes?

Hold the Go Live control on Main to start. Tap Stop to end Roam's stream, including while it is connecting or reconnecting. Check the platform or relay's broadcast status afterwards, since it may keep its output running.

Stop before changing the active destination. In Settings > Stream, use Save current URL to keep a named destination you can select later.

Can I sign in to Twitch, change my title or see viewer count in Roam?

Roam uses a Stream URL and does not include platform login, title editing or viewer counts. Set your title and category in the platform's dashboard and use its stream manager for audience information.

The channel fields in Settings > Chat choose which public chat to read. They do not sign you into that account. You do not need a separate Roam account to stream.

Can I stream to several platforms at once?

Yes. Send Roam's feed to a restreaming service or to OBS at home, then distribute it to your platforms from there.

Roam deliberately sends to one destination. We believe restreaming belongs off the phone. Uploading the same feed to several places multiplies the mobile bandwidth it needs. Keeping one upload leaves more room on your connection and keeps the extra distribution work off your phone.

For example, sending a 4 Mbps feed to three destinations separately needs about 12 Mbps of upload, before network overhead. Sending it once to a service that distributes it still needs about 4 Mbps from the phone.

Use a restreaming service

This is the simplest route if you do not need a home computer for scenes or overlays. Connect your platform accounts to the service, then use its incoming stream address in Roam.

  • Restream: a good starting point for two channels. Its free plan accepts streaming software such as Roam over RTMP or RTMPS and sends to two supported channels at once. Three or more channels, Facebook Pages and Groups, and custom RTMP output destinations need a paid plan. Free streams can include Restream branding in platform descriptions. Free-plan details
  • Livepush: its free-plan guide lists three destinations and 20 streaming hours per month, with one channel per platform type. Twitch and YouTube are supported on the free plan; Kick, Facebook and custom RTMP outputs need a paid plan. Free allowance and current platform limits.
  • Streamrun: another option if you use its IRL streaming service. It is a paid service with a trial, rather than an ongoing free plan. Plans and output setup.

Plan details checked September 2026. Check the linked limits for the platforms you want before setting up.

Example: Roam to Restream

  1. In Restream, add your platform accounts under Channels.
  2. Choose New Stream > Encoder | RTMP and enable the channels you want to broadcast to, within your plan's limit.
  3. Copy the server URL and stream key. Join them with one slash and paste the complete address into Roam Settings > Stream > Stream URL. The URL example shows how.
  4. When you are ready to broadcast, hold Go Live in Roam. Check that each platform is receiving picture and sound. When finished, stop Roam and confirm every platform has ended its broadcast.

Use Restream's streaming-software instructions for this route. You can also choose RTMPS on the free plan.

Use OBS at home

Follow the home OBS guide, then choose a restreaming service as OBS's destination or use the free Multiple RTMP outputs plugin. The plugin sends a separate upload from your computer to each platform, so your home connection needs enough upload capacity for all of them.

The phone still sends one feed to OBS. See the OBS multistreaming steps, including how to set up the plugin's start and stop sync for Roam's remote controls.

My stream key appeared in a screenshot. What should I do?

Reset the exposed key through your platform, then replace it in Roam's active and saved destinations and any other app or relay that uses it. If a private SRT URL was exposed, replace the affected credentials through the issuing service.

Keep the complete destination out of screenshots and public support posts. Kick's help explains its reset control and the need to update streaming software afterwards. Kick stream-key help

Chat and overlays

Does the chat I see on my phone appear in the broadcast?

The panel under Settings > Chat is for you on the phone. It is not included in the outgoing video. Enter a public Twitch or Kick channel name, or a YouTube channel handle, then enable Show chat panel.

You can change its text size, width and side. To show chat inside the video viewers receive, use a web overlay such as the StreamElements example below.

How do I put Twitch chat into the video?

You can use any site or program that creates a web overlay Roam can load. This walkthrough uses StreamElements, where you can arrange the chat on a full video canvas before adding it to Roam.

  1. Open StreamElements for your Twitch channel and create a new overlay with a 1920 × 1080 canvas.
  2. Add Stream Tools > Your Stream's Chat. Resize and position the chat box to suit your layout. Use StreamElements' settings to choose the font, text size, colours and other details you prefer.
  3. Save the overlay and copy its overlay URL using the link button. StreamElements chat-widget instructions
  4. In Roam, open Settings > Overlays > Overlay editor, choose Web > Add web overlay, and paste the HTTPS overlay URL into URL.
  5. Keep the layer visible, press Save, and return to Main. Send a test chat message and check that it appears in the received video.

Roam's editor shows a placeholder for web overlays, not the live webpage. Arrange the widget within StreamElements: Roam displays its page across the full video frame. Test the actual widget before relying on it during a broadcast.

Web overlays use more phone resources than text or image layers. If you already produce your stream in OBS, you can add the overlay there as a Browser source instead. StreamElements in OBS

Keep the overlay URL private; it can contain an access token. StreamElements overlay privacy note

Will viewers hear sound from a web overlay or alert?

Roam does not directly mix webpage sound into its outgoing audio. A web overlay may play sound on the phone, and the microphone may pick up the speaker, but that is not a reliable alert-audio setup.

Check received audio rather than assuming sound you hear on the phone is included. If OBS produces your final broadcast, add and configure the alert's audio there.

Why is the chat panel empty or missing messages?

Check that Show chat panel is enabled and that the channel name or YouTube handle is correct. Confirm there are new messages in that channel and that the phone has internet access. YouTube needs an active live chat.

Roam reads external chat services, so outages and service changes can affect messages independently of the camera stream. YouTube chat uses an unofficial interface and may stop working when YouTube changes its site. A working phone chat panel also does not prove a separate StreamElements overlay is connected.

Picture, sound and heat

Which video quality should I choose?

Recommended is Roam's default: 720p at 30 fps with a 2,500 kbps video target. Data saver uses 480p at 1,200 kbps. Sharp uses 1080p at 4,500 kbps. All three run at 30 fps.

Use a quality your connection and receiving service can sustain. Auto bitrate can lower the video target when the connection weakens and raise it again as it recovers. Heat protection can also lower bitrate. Stop the stream before changing the quality preset.

Why is my phone hot, or why did an extra camera turn off?

Capturing, encoding and uploading video uses power. Dual camera, web overlays, a bright screen and charging can add to the load. Shade the phone and reduce optional work if it gets hot.

Roam responds to Android's thermal status. It can lower bitrate, turn off PiP or torch, pause web overlays, and stop the stream at critical heat levels. A thermal warning can therefore explain a feature turning off. Let the phone cool before trying to restore it. The status is Android's heat assessment, not an exact temperature reading.

Can I use front and rear cameras together?

On supported phones, enable Dual camera in Settings > Camera, then use its Main control. You can choose the PiP size and corner and mirror the front-camera inset.

Concurrent camera support depends on the phone. It also adds heat and battery use, so test the phone under the conditions you plan to stream in. Thermal protection may turn the second camera off.

Can I use a wired, USB or Bluetooth microphone?

Connect the microphone, open Settings > Audio and select the available input. If it is missing, leave this category and return to refresh the list. Watch its meter and listen to a received test. The Main MIC control also gives access to microphone selection and input gain when enabled.

Bluetooth microphones use a phone-call voice mode and may sound different from wired or USB inputs. Select and test a Bluetooth microphone before starting; switching routes during a stream may need a restart. Raise input gain cautiously: louder audio can clip.

What is the difference between BRB and Stealth?

BRB changes what viewers receive. The phone-side BRB screen shows your message or image with audio muted. When a connected OBS BRB scene is configured, the control switches that scene instead; Mute mic and camera during OBS BRB controls protection of the phone feed.

Stealth dims and blacks out your phone display while streaming continues. It keeps phone chat and controls out of sight when the display faces other people. Hold the screen for about two seconds to return. It does not hide overlays already included in the broadcast.

Recording and reliability

Can I leave Roam or turn the screen off while streaming?

Roam uses a foreground streaming service to keep an active stream running when you go to another app or turn the screen off. Its notification provides a way to stop.

Android and phone-vendor battery restrictions can still interrupt background work. In Settings > Reliability > Keep streams running, open the battery settings and allow Roam to work in the background. Test this on your own phone before a long stream.

What happens when mobile data drops out?

Roam retries a dropped stream for the period selected under Settings > Reliability: 1, 5 or 15 minutes, or Forever. Auto bitrate can help when a connection weakens, but it cannot send video with no usable connection.

The platform or relay decides what viewers see during the gap and whether its broadcast stays open. Local recording can continue while Roam reconnects. Tap Stop if you want to end the attempt rather than keep retrying.

Can I keep a recording on the phone?

Enable Settings > Reliability > Record to phone while streaming. Roam records a local copy while streaming and publishes the completed file to Movies/Roam after recording stops. The recording continues during network reconnection attempts.

Recording needs at least 2 GB free to start and stops if free space falls below 500 MB. This stops the recording, not the network stream. Recording uses additional storage and power.

I stopped recording. Where is the file?

Look in Movies/Roam using your phone's Files or gallery app. Roam copies the finished recording there after it stops, so a long recording may take time to appear.

If it remains missing, check available storage and open Roam again so pending recordings can be retried. Keep Roam's app data while seeking help, since an unpublished recording may still be stored with the app. A failed publication does not guarantee that the file is recoverable. Get recording help

Using OBS

Why do OBS video and OBS remote controls have separate settings?

The Stream URL sends the phone's video and audio to an OBS receiver. Settings > OBS connects to OBS WebSocket for scene changes and broadcast controls. They are two separate connections.

A connected OBS control does not prove the phone's video has arrived, and received video does not prove remote control is connected. Check both using the phone-to-OBS guide.

Does starting Roam also start OBS broadcasting?

Only if you enable Sync OBS streaming with Roam and OBS is connected and configured. With sync off, Roam sends its feed while you control OBS broadcasting separately.

With sync enabled, Roam only stops an OBS broadcast it started. Do not assume stopping the phone ends a broadcast that was already running in OBS. For a receive-only test, leave sync off and confirm OBS's own output remains stopped.

Does hiding the OBS button disconnect OBS?

No. Show OBS control on main screen changes the visibility of the Main control. It does not disconnect OBS or disable the configured connection behavior.

Use Disconnect in OBS settings to disconnect the remote-control session. Manage the phone's stream and OBS's own broadcast separately.

Settings and updates

How do I move my setup to another phone?

Stop streaming, open Settings > Help & about, and export a password-protected backup. Transfer it privately, then import it through Help & about on the other phone. Import replaces that phone's Roam setup.

A complete backup includes settings, overlays and connection credentials. Keep the backup and its password private. Roam cannot recover a forgotten backup password. Recheck camera and microphone choices on the new phone because its hardware may differ.

Should I update through Google Play or Roam's update check?

Google Play manages updates for Play installations. Roam's in-app update check is for installations made from an APK.

Use the same installation source for updates. A differently signed APK cannot update a Play installation in place. Check the version in Settings > Help & about when comparing instructions or reporting a problem.

Need something else?

Choose another guide