Go live from your mobile device

This feature requires an Advanced or Premium plan, or an Enterprise account with the Events feature added.

The Vimeo mobile app on iOS and Android includes the ability to stream live directly from your mobile device, and Enterprise members to quickly go live on the go. 

Make sure you have iOS 13 or higher or Android version 6 or higher installed on your device.

Please note: Because of variables outside of Vimeo's control, Vimeo cannot guarantee streaming stability at all times for users connecting their mobile device to 4G/5G mobile data or wifi connections. 

• Set up the app to stream
• Start and stop streaming from the app
• Adjust the streaming quality
• Troubleshooting: Event doesn't appear in the drop-down menu
• Some things to note

Set up the app to stream

Start by launching the app and make sure you are logged into your account. In the bottom navigation, tap the blue Add button in the center (Note: Some Android devices may see an Upload button instead).

Tap Live on the bottom right corner.

The first time you do this, you will need to allow the Vimeo app to access your camera and microphone; this is required in order for streaming from the app to work.

After allowing these permissions, your camera will open. You can keep your phone in portrait mode to shoot a video in 9:16, or turn your device sideways to stream in landscape (16:9); if you do the latter, be sure your device’s portrait orientation lock is set to off, or else the stream will appear sideways. Keep your device in the desired position (portrait or landscape) before going live to ensure you get the desired aspect.

Regardless of your video’s aspect ratio, you will see the option to enter an event title for a new event, or open the drop-down to choose an existing event. If you create a new event this way, keep in mind it will be a one-time event, not a recurring event.

Below the event title, you can choose your streaming destinations. Tap the drop-down arrow to choose which destinations. This is also where you can change your stream’s privacy settings on Vimeo by tapping Edit privacy. In addition, you can connect and add other simulcast destinations.

Near the red go-live icon are additional settings. Tap the camera settings icon to adjust the following:

• Sound: Mute and unmute your device’s microphone; it’s unmuted by default.
  • Note that the mobile app does not support external audio devices.

• Light: Off by default, enabling this will turn on your device’s flashlight which may be handy if you are in a dark environment.

• Grid: If you want to get your framing precise, you can turn on the grid to evaluate your subjects’ positioning in the shot. Note that the grid lines will not appear on the stream. This is turned off by default.

• Filter: You can choose among numerous camera filters to adjust the coloring of your shot. This is set to “Normal” by default.

You can also flip between the default front and rear cameras on your device by tapping the camera flip icon near the go-live button. Note that it's not possible to select specific lenses (e.g. wide-angle lens) that are included on some devices.

Start and stop streaming from the app

When you’re ready to start streaming from your device, make sure you are in the desired aspect ratio (landscape or portrait) before you go live.

Portrait example - controls on the bottom of the screen:

Landscape example - controls on the left side of the screen:

Then tap the red button to start streaming. The icon will spin for a moment, then disappear and show a red “LIVE” box in the upper right corner alongside a viewer count and a timer. The camera settings are still accessible during your stream.

⚠️Note: It is not possible to moderate or participate in your event's live chat or use other interactive tools while streaming from the mobile app. This should be done from a separate browser.

You will see warning messages at the top of the screen if there is an issue such as poor connectivity. Should this happen, check your connection or stop your stream and switch your connection type (e.g. 4G to Wi-Fi).

You can also check the simulcast menu while live to share the URLs of your stream on those destinations; it will also inform you if there is a problem with the stream going to that destination.

When your event is finished and you want to stop streaming, tap the red square icon. Your stream will then be archived as a video and you can access it directly from the app as well as the Library when you log into your account on a desktop browser. The app will also display some basic analytics from your stream upon ending.

Adjust the streaming quality

The quality of the stream will largely depend on the type of device you are using based on what resolution its camera and hardware can support. That being said you can adjust the default streaming quality that is available to your device in the app’s settings.

Navigate to Profile > Settings, where you can scroll down to find the Streaming settings menu.

The quality you’re choosing here will be the highest available quality for playback. All lower qualities will still be present per our transcoding process. For example, if you choose 720p, your stream will be available in 720p, 540p, and 360p, but not 1080p. This can be useful if you are using a connection with poor upload speed or you are trying to reduce your data usage on a 4G/LTE connection.

Troubleshooting: Event doesn't appear in the drop-down menu

When you first create an event in your Vimeo account on your desktop (one-time or recurring), you'll be brought to the event setup page. In there is a blue Next button in the upper right corner of the page.

If you click this, your event will not be available to select in the Vimeo app for 60 minutes. This is because clicking Next engages Vimeo's web-based production tool, which is active for 60 minutes before it times out. When it's active, Vimeo cannot accept a stream from any other source, including the Vimeo mobile app.

To get around this, create your Vimeo event and then do not click Next on the event setup page. 

This will allow your event to appear in the Vimeo app as a streaming destination immediately and you can go live from the app to that event right away. The event will remain available in the app as long as you don't select Next.

Alternatively, you can create a new event directly from the app by typing a title into the Event Title field as described above.

Some things to note

• If you navigate away from the Vimeo app while streaming live, the stream will end and be archived as a video.
• The same applies if you receive a phone call. Consider setting your device to Do Not Disturb to prevent your stream from being unexpectedly interrupted. 
• Streaming over a 4G/LTE connection will use data from your cellular provider’s data plan. Be mindful of how you connect your mobile device when going live.