Streamlabs Controller lets you use your phone to control a stream running in Streamlabs Desktop. For the usual setup, connect the phone and computer to the same local network, show the QR code in Desktop’s Remote Control settings, then scan it from the Controller app.
This is different from Streamlabs Mobile, which is for broadcasting directly from a phone. If the QR pairing does not work, check local network access and the computer’s firewall before considering Streamlabs’ more advanced manual connection method.
What the Controller app does
Streamlabs Controller is a companion app for a phone or tablet that connects to Streamlabs Desktop. It gives you a way to operate parts of the Desktop broadcast without sitting at the computer. Streamlabs’ support documentation describes actions including going live, starting a recording, changing scenes and toggling sources. It also describes viewing chat and recent events. App names and available controls can change, so check the current app interface rather than assuming every control will appear exactly as shown in older instructions.
That remote access is useful when you have a reason to leave the desk: perhaps your camera is across the room, or you want to move between scenes while presenting. It does not replace the computer running Desktop. The computer still has to run the broadcast and remain connected to the stream; the phone is a control surface, not the broadcast source.
A remote control also cannot correct a scene or stream configuration that is already wrong. Before going live, check the Desktop preview, audio levels, sources and YouTube destination on the computer. For a prerecorded playlist setup, for instance, first confirm that the media source behaves as intended; this guide to fixing an OBS media source that stops after one loop addresses a different issue, but illustrates why checking the underlying playback matters independently of phone control.
Controller and Streamlabs Mobile are different
The similar names can make it easy to install the wrong app for the task. Controller is intended to operate Streamlabs Desktop from a phone. Streamlabs Mobile is a separate app for producing and broadcasting from the phone itself, such as a camera or mobile-game stream. Its setup covers mobile scenes, streaming settings and platform selection; it is not the QR-based Desktop remote-control workflow.
| If you want to… | Use… | What remains responsible for the broadcast |
|---|---|---|
| Change scenes or control parts of a stream already running in Streamlabs Desktop | Streamlabs Controller paired with Desktop | The computer running Streamlabs Desktop |
| Broadcast a phone camera or mobile gameplay directly from the phone | Streamlabs Mobile | The phone and its mobile streaming setup |
Streamlabs explains the distinction in its Controller remote-control instructions and its separate Mobile live-streaming guide. Those are different workflows, even if both involve a Streamlabs app on a phone. If your goal is to keep a computer-based broadcast running while you make occasional changes from elsewhere in the room, use Controller. If the phone itself is the camera and streaming device, follow the Mobile guide instead.
Prepare your phone and computer
Before pairing, install or update Streamlabs Controller on the phone. Streamlabs’ Controller support article lists Android 5.1 or newer and iOS 12 or newer, and says to use the latest version of the app. The article was last updated on 25 April 2025; requirements and store listings may have changed since then, so confirm current compatibility in the relevant app store before relying on those listed versions.
Next, connect the phone and the computer running Streamlabs Desktop to the same local network. This is the recommended starting point because discovery is designed around local access. If the computer is connected by Ethernet and the phone by Wi-Fi, that can still be the same local network, provided the router allows devices on those connections to communicate.
Keep Streamlabs Desktop open on the computer and make sure the stream is configured there. The phone app does not import a stream or create the Desktop scenes for you. If you are still preparing the broadcast itself, a guide to keeping a prerecorded YouTube playlist streaming overnight on macOS may help with the separate playback and computer setup. Do not treat successful phone pairing as proof that the stream will stay live or that its media will loop correctly.
The other preparation is network access. A computer firewall can block Desktop from being reached by another device, even when both devices are on the same Wi-Fi. Be ready to allow Streamlabs Desktop through the firewall for the network profile you are using. The precise screens vary between operating systems and firewall products, so use the operating system’s own instructions if you need to add an app exception.
Open Remote Control in Desktop
In Streamlabs Desktop, open Settings, then Remote Control. Use SHOW to reveal the QR code. Streamlabs may obscure the code until you request it; that is a privacy measure, not an indication that pairing has already happened. Leave this settings page open while you use the phone.
On the phone, open Streamlabs Controller and go to its Remote Control area. The wording or layout may differ with app updates, but choose the route for connecting to Desktop rather than a mobile broadcast setup. Point the phone at the QR code displayed by Desktop and scan it from inside the app.
If prompted, allow the app to use the camera so it can read the code. Keep the code visible and avoid scanning a screenshot or an image sent through a messaging app when the Desktop display is available. The QR method is the documented straightforward pairing route; it avoids typing a connection address and key by hand.
Once the connection is established, check that the phone shows the Desktop connection before relying on it during a live broadcast. Try a low-risk control, such as changing to a test scene while monitoring the Desktop preview. Then restore the intended scene and confirm the stream output. Avoid using an unfamiliar button during an important moment until you know its effect; controls that change sources or scenes can affect what viewers see.
Pair by QR code, then test the controls
The QR code links the phone app to the Desktop instance you intend to control. It is worth checking that the right computer is open if you have more than one machine running Streamlabs Desktop. Scan the code shown by that machine, not a code from an old screenshot or a different setup. If the app does not recognise it, return to Remote Control settings and reveal the current code again.
After connecting, explore the controls before you need them. Streamlabs’ phone-control documentation describes actions such as going live, recording, switching scenes and toggling sources, as well as access to chat and recent events. It refers to a Streamlabs Stream Deck app experience and was last updated on 25 April 2025. Treat these as documented capabilities, not a promise that every control is available under the same label in every current Controller release. The Streamlabs phone-control article is useful for understanding the kinds of actions the phone interface has offered.
A sensible test is to use a private or otherwise low-stakes stream setup, if available, and verify the precise action you intend to use. Confirm that a scene change appears in the Desktop preview and that toggling a source does what you expect. For a real live broadcast, make sure you know how to return to the main scene and how to stop an accidental action from the computer as well as the phone.
For an always-on channel, phone control is most useful for occasional intervention rather than as the only plan for keeping the broadcast running. A change to the phone’s Wi-Fi or a closed app should not be mistaken for a change in what Desktop is broadcasting. Conversely, a phone that still displays a control panel does not guarantee the stream is healthy. Check the stream itself through the platform and keep a way to reach the computer if you need to diagnose a broadcast problem.
Check network and discovery issues
If the phone cannot find Desktop, first confirm both devices are on the same local network. A guest Wi-Fi network may deliberately prevent connected devices from seeing one another. Some routers also have a setting called AP isolation or client isolation, which can block communication between devices on the same wireless network. Check the router or network administrator’s settings; do not assume that two devices sharing the same Wi-Fi name can necessarily communicate.
Then check the computer firewall. Make sure Streamlabs Desktop is permitted on the network profile in use. If the computer recently changed networks, its firewall may now classify the connection differently and apply different rules. Avoid turning off the firewall as a general fix. If you need to test whether it is the cause, make the narrowest temporary change you can, restore protection afterwards, and follow the operating system’s current guidance for allowing a specific app.
If your router offers both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi, Streamlabs’ troubleshooting article suggests trying a different band. This is a diagnostic step, not a guaranteed fix: the important condition remains that the phone and computer can communicate on the local network. You can also close and reopen the app, refresh the Remote Control screen in Desktop and generate a fresh QR code before trying again.
Streamlabs documents a further reset sequence if the basic checks do not help: in Desktop’s Settings > Remote Control, reveal the blurred QR code, open Show Details, generate a new API key, reboot the computer and scan again. These are vendor-documented troubleshooting suggestions rather than assurances that a particular network problem will be resolved. Make the new key only within the Desktop settings and use the newly displayed pairing information.
The same article describes an internet connection route for advanced users: pair locally first, forward router port 59650 to the computer, then use Remote > Manual Connection in the phone app and enter the public IP address, with an alternate port if you configured one. Streamlabs notes that this may require advanced networking knowledge and that a dynamic public IP can change, requiring an update. This is not the default beginner route, and the documentation does not amount to a security assessment of your router configuration. Do not open a router port unless you understand the exposure and can follow current security guidance for the router and computer.
If you are setting up a stream that must continue through a computer restart, remember that a phone remote is not the same thing as automatic recovery. Review the separate steps in starting an OBS YouTube playlist stream after a Windows restart; that concerns a different software setup, but it helps distinguish stream startup and recovery from remote control.
Check the listed device requirements
Streamlabs’ Controller support article lists Android 5.1+ and iOS 12+ for the Controller app, and says the latest app version is required. Since the page’s last update is 25 April 2025, use these as the requirements documented there rather than a guarantee that a particular old phone can install today’s release. Check the current store listing on your own device before troubleshooting a pairing failure that may begin with app availability or compatibility.
Do not apply Streamlabs Mobile’s requirements to Controller. The Mobile product page gives separate requirements for the app used to broadcast from a phone; those are not the Controller requirements. A phone might meet one app’s requirements and not the other’s, and the two apps serve different jobs. For Controller, consult the official support article and the current listing for the app you intend to use.
There is no need to buy a new phone before checking the one you have. Confirm that you can install the latest Controller app and that its camera can scan a QR code in adequate light. If it cannot, use the support article’s documented troubleshooting routes rather than assuming that the Mobile app will provide an equivalent Desktop remote. A different device is worth considering only if your existing phone cannot run the required app or is impractical for the way you need to control the stream.
If your wider project is a continuous prerecorded YouTube channel rather than a stream you operate live scene by scene, keep the control question separate from playout design. Guidance on looping prerecorded videos on YouTube Live covers the distinct question of how a continuous video programme is delivered. A phone controller can make selected changes easier; it does not remove the need to test playback, audio and recovery on the computer or broadcast system that is actually producing the stream.
When the computer itself is the part you cannot reliably keep available, the operating model may need to change rather than the remote-control app. StreamNeo is for turning an uploaded video into a YouTube live stream that runs without leaving your own computer switched on, which addresses that specific always-on computer burden rather than replacing Streamlabs Controller for a Desktop workflow.
Before committing, compare the operating options on the pricing page. When the file and channel are ready, start free — 24-hour trial, no card.
FAQ
Can I control Streamlabs Desktop from a different network?
Streamlabs documents a manual internet connection method after local pairing, involving router port forwarding and entering the public IP address in the phone app. It is an advanced route, not a promise that pairing across networks will work in every setup. Public IP addresses can change, and you should understand the network and security implications before changing router settings.
Does Streamlabs Mobile control a Desktop stream?
No. Streamlabs Mobile is for broadcasting directly from a phone, while Streamlabs Controller is the phone-side remote for Streamlabs Desktop. Follow the Controller QR pairing workflow when the broadcast is running in Desktop.
What should I check first if the QR code will not pair?
Confirm that the phone and computer share a local network, that guest-network or AP-isolation settings do not block device discovery, and that the computer firewall permits Streamlabs Desktop. Then refresh the code and retry; Streamlabs also documents generating a new API key and rebooting as troubleshooting steps, not guaranteed fixes.
Which phone versions does Controller require?
Streamlabs’ Controller support article lists Android 5.1 or newer and iOS 12 or newer, and specifies the latest app. The page was last updated on 25 April 2025, so check the current app-store listing before depending on those listed versions.