Getting Started with PocketRoar: Your First Mobile Livestream
What you need before you start
PocketRoar turns your phone into a portable live studio. Before your first stream, make sure you have:
- An iPhone or Android phone with a cellular data connection
- A supported camera: DJI Pocket 3, DJI Pocket 4-series, or a Sony camera with USB streaming
- A destination account on YouTube, Twitch, Kick, or a custom RTMP server URL and stream key
No laptop, no capture card, and no cloud relay account is required. Your phone handles the encoding, and the video goes directly from your phone to your streaming destination.
Step 1: Connect your camera
Open PocketRoar and tap the Camera picker on the home screen.
For DJI Pocket cameras: Tap "DJI Pocket" and follow the pairing flow. The app scans for nearby cameras over Bluetooth. Once found, tap to connect and confirm the pairing on the camera's screen. After pairing, PocketRoar negotiates the camera's Wi-Fi access point for the preview and media feed.
For Sony cameras: Connect your Sony camera to your phone with a USB cable. PocketRoar detects the camera through the USB connection and begins the streaming handshake automatically.
For the phone camera: Select "Phone Camera" to use your phone's built-in camera as the source. This is useful for testing your streaming setup before connecting an external camera.
The camera status indicator turns green when the connection is established and preview frames are rendering.
Step 2: Choose your destination
Tap the destination picker and select where you want your stream to go:
- YouTube — authorize PocketRoar with your Google account, then select or create a broadcast. PocketRoar handles stream creation, binding, and transition through the broadcast lifecycle.
- Twitch — sign in through the system browser OAuth flow. Your stream key is retrieved securely and never appears in logs or exported reports.
- Kick — connect through the Kick OAuth flow. PocketRoar manages token refresh automatically so your stream stays authenticated.
- Custom RTMP — enter your server URL and stream key manually. The stream key is stored in platform-protected secure storage and redacted from all diagnostics.
Step 3: Run the preflight check
Before going live, PocketRoar runs a preflight gate that verifies:
- Camera preview is rendering frames
- Network path to the ingest server is reachable over cellular
- Microphone permission is granted and audio capture is active
- Encoder health — hardware H.264 video and AAC audio encoders are initialized
- Battery and thermal levels are within acceptable thresholds
Any failed check blocks the Go Live action. Warnings (like a low battery advisory) require acknowledgment but don't block. This ensures you never start a stream that isn't actually ready.
Step 4: Go live
Tap Go Live. PocketRoar begins encoding and publishing. The dashboard shows:
- Bitrate — current upload bitrate and adaptive targets
- Frame drops — if your connection weakens, the adaptive bitrate controller downshifts
- Thermal status — your phone's temperature and any throttling warnings
- Stream duration — elapsed time since going live
- Destination health — whether the ingest server is acknowledging the stream
While streaming, the camera preview remains visible. You can mute audio, check chat (or use the Apple Watch companion), and monitor health without interrupting the broadcast.
Step 5: End the stream
Tap End Stream when you're done. PocketRoar performs a clean shutdown: it stops encoding, sends the final frames, disconnects from the ingest server, and saves a session summary.
The session summary includes duration, average bitrate, and a record of any recoveries or warnings. It contains no stream keys, tokens, or credentials — you can share or export it safely.
What's next
Once you're comfortable with the basics:
- Multi-camera switching — prepare a second camera source and switch during a live session
- Apple Watch companion — monitor and respond to chat from your wrist while filming
- Custom RTMP setups — stream to any RTMP/RTMPS server, including self-hosted solutions
- Pump.fun integration — go live directly to your Pump.fun coin
FAQ
Does PocketRoar see my video? No. PocketRoar has no cloud media relay. Your video is encoded on your phone and sent directly to your chosen streaming destination. No PocketRoar server ever sees your stream content.
Can I stream over Wi-Fi? Yes. The preflight check validates whichever network path you're using. For mobile use, cellular is recommended because it stays available while your camera occupies the phone's Wi-Fi connection.
What resolution can I stream at? The current beta target is 720p at 30 frames per second. Higher resolutions are in development and depend on hardware certification per device model.
Is PocketRoar free? Yes. PocketRoar is free and has no subscription or in-app purchases. You only pay for your own cellular data and any costs from your streaming platform.