StreamLive ProGo live in portrait or landscape from your phone
Vertical or horizontal live from the phone with the StreamLive Pro app: from version 1.2.0 hold the phone as you want before Go live; the orientation is kept on air.
In the StreamLive Pro app you choose portrait or landscape by how you hold the phone when you go live: from version 1.2.0 the phone turns freely before the live, and the orientation you start in is kept until you end, so the picture never flips in the middle. The current Android download (before 1.2.0) broadcasts upright only. The app is not in the App Store or Google Play yet; version 1.2.0 is in store review.
Which one to choose
| You want | Choose | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Viewers on phones, a talk to camera, a Shorts-style feel | Portrait (upright) | Fills a phone screen held upright |
| Viewers on computers and TVs, a stage, a class with a board | Landscape (sideways) | Fills a wide player and shows more of the room |
| Both kinds of viewers | The one most of your viewers use | Run a private test and look at it on a phone and on a computer |
| Shorts from the live afterwards | Either | Shorts are cropped to vertical and follow the speaker |
YouTube treats a vertical live in a special way: "When your live stream is vertical (more tall than wide), viewers on mobile will now enter a full screen viewing experience", and viewers "can also find these live streams when browsing YouTube Shorts" (YouTube Help: Get started with live streaming, checked 5 November 2026). How other networks show a tall picture is up to each network's player, so run a private test first.
How the app handles orientation
- Everywhere except the go-live screen, the app stays upright on phones.
- On the go-live screen, before you go live, the phone may turn: the preview and the buttons follow it. This is from version 1.2.0.
- The moment you tap Go live, the app keeps the orientation you are holding until the end. Turning the phone during the live does not flip the picture between wide and tall.
- When you leave the go-live screen, the app goes back to upright.
- Tablets (iPad and large Android tablets, from 1.2.0) turn freely everywhere, and on air they also keep the orientation you started in.
- Versions before 1.2.0 are upright everywhere, so a live from them is always portrait.
Steps
- Check the version. Open Account and look at the version at the bottom. Landscape needs 1.2.0 or later.
- Unlock rotation on the phone. If the screen does not turn, switch off the phone's rotation lock in Control Center (iPhone) or quick settings (Android).
- Open the Live tab and tap Go live. The camera preview opens.
- Hold the phone the way you want. Upright for portrait, sideways for landscape. The preview and buttons turn with it.
- Fix the phone in place. Put it on a tripod or a stand in that orientation, so you do not have to hold it.
- Run a private test. Leave every network unticked and go live for a minute to your own watch link. Look at it on another device.
- Go live for real. Tick the networks, write the title in "What's this broadcast about?" and tap Go live. The orientation is now kept until End.
In the phone browser
On an iPhone, where the app is not public yet, you go live from streamlivepro.io in Safari (Go live from your phone). There the browser decides how the page turns. Hold the phone the way you want before you tap Go live, use a stand, and do not turn it during the live.
Shorts from a landscape live
Shorts are always vertical. When StreamLive Pro cuts Shorts from a wide broadcast, it crops each one to 9:16 and follows the speaker, so keep the speaker near the middle of the frame and leave room above the head. More: Safe-zone guides for vertical and square viewers and Make Shorts from a video on your phone.
What can go wrong
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| The screen does not turn on the go-live screen | Rotation lock is on, or the app is older than 1.2.0 | Switch off the rotation lock; check the version under Account |
| The live is upright though you held it sideways | You turned the phone after tapping Go live | End, hold it sideways first, then go live |
| The picture stays wide after you turned the phone upright on air | The app keeps the starting orientation on purpose | Start a new broadcast held upright if you need portrait |
| A tall picture leaves empty space at the sides on a computer | The player there is wide | Use landscape for that audience; test on your watch link first |
Frequently asked questions
Can I change from portrait to landscape in the middle of a live?
No. The app keeps the orientation you started in until you end, so viewers never see the picture flip. To change it, end and start a new broadcast.
Why does my live come out vertical even when I hold the phone sideways?
Your app is older than version 1.2.0, which broadcasts upright only, or you turned the phone after tapping Go live.
Is a vertical live good for YouTube?
YouTube shows vertical lives full screen to mobile viewers and can show them while people browse Shorts. Look at your test on a computer too before you decide.
Can I go live in landscape from an iPhone?
Not in the app yet, because the iPhone app is not in the App Store. In Safari, hold the phone sideways before you go live and keep it that way.
Do Shorts from a landscape live come out vertical?
Yes. Every Short is cropped to vertical and follows the speaker.
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