01 / Quick start

Go live from your phone

Follow these four steps to stream from Roam Live to one destination.

1. Get your stream address

Your stream address tells Roam where to send your video and audio. Your platform or receiver may supply a server URL and stream key separately, or one combined URL. Find these in its streaming dashboard. Choose your title and audience settings there too.

What goes in Stream URL

Roam uses one Stream URL field. For ordinary RTMP or RTMPS destinations with separate server and key fields, join them with one slash at the boundary.

Server URLrtmps://ingest.example.com/app
+
Your stream keyYOUR_STREAM_KEY
Complete URL to enter in Roam
rtmps://ingest.example.com/app/YOUR_STREAM_KEY

This is an illustration. example.com is not a streaming server, and YOUR_STREAM_KEY must be replaced with your key.

Keep the server's full path. If it already ends in /, do not add another slash. Keep any prefix or slash that belongs inside the key.

If the service offers a combined URL, copy it unchanged. It may already include the key or private Stream ID. Keep its port and all parameters after ?; do not append another key.

Your public channel page is different. An address beginning with https://www.twitch.tv/ opens a webpage; it is not the streaming destination.

Find your platform

Twitch

You can skip these steps if you sign in to Twitch in Roam, under Settings > Twitch. Roam then fills in your stream address for you. See Sign in with Twitch.

To set it up by hand:

  1. Open Creator Dashboard > Settings > Stream and copy your stream key. Twitch dashboard help
  2. Replace YOUR_TWITCH_STREAM_KEY in the example below with your complete key.
rtmp://ingest.global-contribute.live-video.net/app/YOUR_TWITCH_STREAM_KEY

This is Twitch's published default RTMP destination. Regional alternatives are listed on its ingest recommendation page.

YouTube
  1. Open YouTube Studio > Create > Go Live. Create or select your broadcast and choose its visibility.
  2. Copy Stream URL and Stream key from Live Control Room. Join them with one slash to get your complete stream address.

For RTMPS, use the lock beside Stream URL to obtain YouTube's encrypted destination. Copy the entire address: its hostname changes as well as the protocol. YouTube RTMPS setup

rtmp://a.rtmp.youtube.com/live2/YOUR_YOUTUBE_STREAM_KEY
rtmps://a.rtmps.youtube.com/live2/YOUR_YOUTUBE_STREAM_KEY

These show the usual shapes. Use the server supplied by your own Live Control Room if it differs.

Kick
  1. Open Kick's Creator Dashboard and find Stream URL and Key. Copy both values.
  2. Set your title and category using Edit Stream Info. Kick streaming setup
  3. Join the server URL and key with one slash to get your complete stream address.
rtmps://fa723fc1b171.global-contribute.live-video.net:443/app/YOUR_KICK_STREAM_KEY

Kick currently documents this RTMPS server. Use your dashboard's server if it differs. Kick's documented destination

Streamrun
  1. Configure a Horizontal Input Stream in Streamrun.
  2. Open Stream URL & Key, choose SRT, then Show combined URL.
  3. Copy that entire combined URL. Keep its Stream ID, port and other parameters intact. Streamrun Input Stream guide

Example shape only:

srt://ingest.streamrun.io:8890?streamid=publish:YOUR_INPUT_ID/YOUR_PRIVATE_KEY&pkt_size=1316&latency=500000

Copy your own combined URL instead of reconstructing this example. RTMP is another input choice: combine its supplied server and key if they are separate. Choose RTMP or SRT for Roam.

Another platform, relay or receiver

Use the complete compatible RTMP, RTMPS or SRT destination supplied by the service. Preserve its path, key, port and parameters. Some services put the key inside the URL; others give you two fields to combine.

Roam accepts RTMP and SRT without encryption as well as RTMPS and passphrase-protected SRT. RTMPS encrypts the connection; passphrase-protected SRT encrypts video and audio. Adding an s to an RTMP URL does not by itself create a working RTMPS destination.

For your own home computer, follow the phone-to-OBS guide.

2. Enter it in Roam

Tap the Settings gear > Stream and paste your complete address into Stream URL.

Before you go live

Streaming works a phone hard on its own. To give it the best chance, close other apps before you start and avoid running anything else over Roam while you are live. Start with a cool phone and keep it where air can reach it. If it gets too hot, Roam lowers the picture quality and can end the stream to protect the phone.

3. Hold to go live

Return to the main camera screen. The pill at the top left reads Hold to go live. Press and hold it for about a second to start your stream. A fill sweeps across it while you hold. If you let go early, nothing happens.

To stop, tap the pill, then tap Stop to confirm.

4. Confirm you are live

The pill turns red and reads LIVE when Roam connects. It also shows your elapsed stream time and current bitrate, for example LIVE 0:12:03 2480 kbps. CONNECTING means the connection is being established. RECONNECTING means Roam is getting the stream back after a drop, and a banner under the pill shows the attempt. If a start fails, the pill goes back to Hold to go live and a banner says why. Tap the banner to dismiss it.

Confirm the picture and sound in your platform or receiver too. For a scheduled YouTube broadcast, wait for its preview in Live Control Room and press Go live there if required. YouTube encoder setup

If you use Streamrun, its output destination must also be configured to send the received video onward to viewers. Streamrun output destinations

When you are finished, tap the pill, then Stop. The pill reads Hold to go live again. Check that your platform or relay has ended its broadcast too.

That is the whole setup. Everything below this point is optional.

Optional: test before a public broadcast

You do not need any of this to go live. Use it if you want to check the connection or your audience settings before viewers can see you.

Twitch bandwidth test

Before starting a test, append ?bandwidthtest=true after the key in your Twitch stream address:

rtmp://ingest.global-contribute.live-video.net/app/YOUR_TWITCH_STREAM_KEY?bandwidthtest=true

Enter the complete test address in Roam and start the stream. Twitch documents this parameter as disabling live viewing while you check the connection in Twitch Inspector. Inspector checks connection health; it is not a viewer playback test. Stop the stream and remove the parameter before your normal broadcast. Twitch broadcasting guide

This checks the connection only. Nothing is shown on your channel, and you will not see your video anywhere. Inspector shows the bitrate and whether the stream holds steady.

Audience settings and playback

  • YouTube: choose Private for you and invited viewers, or Unlisted for anyone with the link. Check visibility before starting. YouTube visibility settings
  • Kick or a relay: confirm the actual audience and output controls in its dashboard before sending video.

For a playback test, move something in front of the camera and speak. Watch and listen at the receiving end. A connection indicator or audio meter alone cannot show whether the final picture and sound are usable. Use headphones for playback or keep it away from the streaming microphone to avoid echo.

If it does not connect

  1. Check the whole destination. Include its protocol, server, path and key. Remove accidental spaces and line breaks. Keep the service's parameters.
  2. Check internet access. Confirm an ordinary website loads on the phone. Check the receiving service or home computer is available too.
  3. Check the dashboard. Compare the current server and key, and make sure the selected broadcast or input is ready to receive video.

A failed connection alone is not a reason to reset a working key. If a key was exposed, reset it with the provider and update every saved destination or relay that uses it. Keep complete destinations out of screenshots and public support posts.

For chat inside the video, see the Roam Chat instructions. For other controls, see Using Roam, or open Support if you are stuck.

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