StreamLive ProUse an iPhone as a camera for live streaming, no app needed
Turn an iPhone into a live camera with no app: scan a QR code from the studio, open it in Safari, confirm, and the iPhone becomes a tile you can take to air.
An iPhone becomes a camera for the browser studio with no app at all. In the studio on your computer you open Add input and choose Phone, pick landscape or portrait, and scan the QR code with the iPhone. The link opens in Safari, you confirm, and the iPhone's camera appears in the studio as a new tile, let in by itself. From there it is an angle like any other, sent with the rest of the show to every network.
There is no StreamLive Pro app for iPhone today, so this browser link is the way. It works the same in the podcast studio.
Before you start
- The studio is open on a computer. Choose Live stream, start a new live and pick Browser Studio. For a podcast, open Podcast and the podcast studio: A tour of the podcast studio in your browser.
- The iPhone is on Wi-Fi, charged or on power. A phone camera sends video the whole time, which uses battery and data.
- Safari. Open the link in Safari, not inside WhatsApp, Instagram or another app's built-in browser.
- A stand. A small tripod or a clamp keeps the shot steady.
Steps
- Open the phone camera window. In the bar under the picture open Add input and choose Phone, or click the Add Phone Cam tile in the inputs strip. In the podcast studio, use the phone tile among the inputs.
- Choose the link and QR code. The window Add smartphone camera first lists phones signed in to the StreamLive Pro app. Without the app there are none, so press Use a QR code or link instead.
- Pick the orientation. Landscape for a normal wide picture, Portrait for a vertical one. The QR code changes with your choice.
- Scan the code with the iPhone camera. Point the Camera app at the code and tap the link. If you cannot scan, the window also shows the link with a copy button; send it to the phone yourself.
- Confirm on the iPhone. The page asks Send this camera to this studio? Tap Confirm and send the camera, then allow the camera and microphone when Safari asks.
- Watch the status. On the computer the window goes from waiting for the scan to connected. You do not need to admit the phone; it is let in by itself.
- Find the tile. The iPhone appears as a new input. If something is already on air, it waits in Preview. Take it to Program when you want it: Preview, Program, Take and Cut explained.
- Keep the iPhone awake and in front. Leave Safari open on the camera page. If you switch apps or lock the phone, the camera pauses, and the studio holds its place until it is back: My phone camera dropped in the middle of a live.
On a Mac: Continuity Camera
On a Mac there is a second way. Apple's Continuity Camera turns a nearby iPhone into a camera that apps on the Mac can choose. Apple lists the requirements: iOS 16 or later on iPhone XR or newer, macOS Ventura or later, the same Apple Account on both, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on, and the iPhone locked, stable and with its rear cameras facing you (Apple: Continuity Camera, use iPhone as a webcam for Mac, checked 5 November 2026). When it is active, the iPhone shows up in the studio's camera window like a webcam: Add input, Camera, pick it in the list. It then behaves as a camera on the Mac, not as a phone input.
| Phone link (this page) | Continuity Camera | |
|---|---|---|
| Computer | Any computer with the studio | A Mac, per Apple's requirements |
| How it connects | Over the internet, through the studio | To the Mac, per Apple |
| How it appears | A phone input; holds its place if it drops | A camera in the camera list |
| Several iPhones | Yes, scan from each phone | One iPhone at a time, per Apple |
Getting a good picture
- Use the rear camera, which is usually sharper; the front one is for when you need to see the screen.
- Put the phone on power for anything longer than a few minutes, and on Wi-Fi, not mobile data. On a weak connection the phone lowers its picture quality and raises it again slowly, keeping its frame rate.
- Turn on Do Not Disturb, so a call or a notification does not pull Safari to the background.
- Several iPhones: open the phone camera window again and scan from each phone. Each one becomes its own input.
- If the phone's sound runs ahead of the lips, open Camera controls (the sliders button on the phone's tile) and use Audio sync in its Sound section: 0 to 500 ms, with a measured Suggested value you can Apply. It shows when the phone's own sound is in the mix.
What can go wrong
- Black page, or no camera request. The link opened inside another app. Open it in Safari.
- Stuck on waiting for the host. The studio is not open on the computer, or its tab is hidden.
- The phone is in the studio but not on air. It waits in Preview. Take it.
- The picture freezes and the tile says Reconnecting. The phone lost its connection or went to the background: My phone camera dropped in the middle of a live.
- Anything else: My phone does not connect as a camera.
To go live from the phone itself rather than use it as a camera, see Go live from your phone. More about phone cameras in general: Use your phone as an extra camera.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an app to use my iPhone as a camera?
No. The QR code opens the camera in Safari. There is no StreamLive Pro iPhone app today.
Can I use two iPhones?
Yes. Open the phone camera window and scan from each phone; each becomes its own input.
Does the iPhone's microphone work?
Yes, if you allow the microphone on the phone. You can also keep the sound from a microphone on the computer and use the iPhone for picture only.
Can I go live from the iPhone itself instead?
Yes, from the phone's browser. This page is about the iPhone as an extra camera for a studio on a computer.
Does Continuity Camera work on Windows?
Apple describes it for a Mac. On Windows, use the QR code or link.
Keep reading
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