A modern Android phone is already a capable camera and encoder, so the backpack full of gear is optional. What the phone cannot do alone is survive a walk across a city. That takes four things around it: a bonding app, more than one connection, a relay, and your own OBS.
1. Get a bonding app
The app matters. You want one that bonds multiple connections with SRTLA, so a single dead modem cannot end your stream. On Android that is IRL Pro, the go to IRL app. Larix can stream too, but it does not do SRTLA bonding, so it is single connection only.
2. Line up more than one connection
Bonding needs something to bond. Enable Wi-Fi and mobile data together, and add another SIM or modem if you have one. Two connections is the floor. More gives SRTLA somewhere to go when you switch towers or walk into a weak spot.
3. Point IRL Pro at a relay
IRL Pro sends your bonded stream to an SRTLA relay. The exact steps (protocol, server, port, stream id) are in connect IRL Pro to your relay. Pick a relay region near you for lower latency.
4. Broadcast from your own OBS
This is the step that keeps the stream alive. Your own OBS pulls the relay in as a media source, and OBS is what stays connected to Twitch or Kick. When the field connection wobbles, NOALBS switches OBS to a holding scene instead of ending the broadcast.
The phone is not the only piece
A common mistake is streaming straight from the phone to Twitch. That ties your whole broadcast to one connection. The relay plus your own OBS is what turns a phone into a stream that holds when you move. Full walk through in keep your stream live.
The iPhone version of this walkthrough uses Moblin in place of IRL Pro.
FAQ
- Can I IRL stream straight from the Android camera?
- Yes. With a bonding app like IRL Pro, your Android phone is the camera and encoder. You do not need a separate capture device for a basic mobile rig.
- Do I need OBS if I am streaming from a phone?
- For a reliable IRL stream, yes. The phone sends to a relay, and your own OBS pulls that in and broadcasts to Twitch or Kick, with NOALBS holding a scene when the feed drops. That OBS layer keeps the broadcast from ending.
- Why not just stream straight to Twitch from the phone?
- Because then the broadcast is tied to one connection. Lose it and Twitch ends the stream. Sending to a relay and broadcasting from OBS is what makes a mobile IRL stream hold together.