GoPro Tips
Dec 17, 2020

Going live isn’t just for the social influencers, news broadcasters and famous people of the world. It’s for anyone and everyone looking to share their experiences in real time in a fun, collaborative way. And now that it’s a feature on GoPro cameras, you can go live in scenarios and from POVs that you wouldn’t dare expose a smartphone or other streaming device to.

Race cars, mountain bikes, skydives, jetpacks, wild animal parks—these are just a few of our favorite use cases so far. But that’s not to say live streaming from a GoPro isn’t perfect for studio scenarios and sharing streams from around the house too. It’s a compact, high-quality powerhouse that’s ready to share your life, from your POV, with as little as the GoPro app paired to a camera that fits in the palm of your hand.

Using the GoPro app, GoPro Subscribers can live stream to an audience of their choosing via a private link. You can also live stream direct to Twitch, YouTube™ and Facebook as well as to sites that accept RTMP URLs, which we’ll discuss later. YouTube and Facebook require initial setup steps (listed below) for the first time you go live, so plan accordingly.

All-in GoPro live streaming is compatible with the platforms below:

  • Direct Streaming:
  • Streaming Via RTMP URL:
  • Streaming in China:
    • HUYA
    • Douyu
    • BILIBILI
    • INKE

Unfortunately, we cannot live stream to Instagram as the platform has not yet enabled GoPro live streaming capabilities.

Step-By-Step Guide to Live Streaming

To go live, you need to have the GoPro app downloaded to your smartphone and pair to one of the following:

Live Stream to GoPro with a GoPro Subscription

If you are a GoPro subscriber, you can now create a private link to your live stream. This link can be shared to anyone you feel comfortable viewing.

To get started on Facebook:

You have two live streaming options on Facebook:

  • Facebook profile
  • Facebook Page

You can choose between live streaming to a Facebook profile or page during the Set Up Live Stream process (Step 9 outlined below).

To get started, you’ll need to be an admin of the profile, Page or group you plan to stream to. This will give you access to the “Live API” URL Facebook provides, which you'll need to set up initial connectivity with the GoPro app. You access this URL by selecting “Live Video” on the homepage and copy/pasting the Server URL + Stream Key as one RTMP URL it into the GoPro app.

Example of Facebook Live API URL to live stream on GoPro action cameras

1. Open the GoPro app and tap the camera icon in the bottom left corner of the screen.  

2. Now tap the blue button in the center of the screen: Control Your GoPro. 

3. Scroll through the icons on the bottom of the screen and tap on Live.

4. That icon will become a blue button that says Set Up Live. Underneath it you should see Facebook is listed. This lets you know which platform you’ll be streaming on.

5. Now tap on Set Up Live.

6. Allow permissions and connect your Facebook account.

how to go live to facebook on gopro

7. A new screen will appear. Tap the blue button: Set Up Live Stream.

8. Another screen will appear to set up your live stream. At the top, choose to connect to a Wi-Fi network or your personal hotspot.

9. Choose your sharing settings from the dropdown menu.

PRO TIP: This is where you can choose to stream on a Facebook profile (Public, Friends, Only Me) or the Facebook group(s) or Page(s) that you are an admin of (which will be featured at the bottom of the dropdown menu).

how to go live on facebook with gopro

10. Give your stream a title and a short description. 

11. Choose the resolution you want: 480p, 720p or 1080p (1080p is available on HERO8 Black + MAX).

PRO TIP: If the signal strength of your data connection weakens, the video stream bit rate will automatically lower the selected resolution.

12. Choose your save settings to save a high-res version of your stream to your SD card. 

13. Tap Go Live or press the Shutter button to start live streaming.

14. Switch over to the Facebook app to see your stats and check your stream.

how to go live on facebook with gopro

To get started on Twitch:

Using the latest GoPro app update on iOS, you can now live stream direct to Twitch. Android capabilities are on their way!

1. Open the GoPro app and tap on the camera icon in the bottom left corner of the screen.

2. Now tap on the blue button in the center of the screen: Control Your GoPro.

3. Scroll through the icons on the bottom of the screen, and tap on Live. That icon is now a blue button that says Set Up Live. Underneath it you should see which platform is listed for streaming; it may list Facebook or YouTube. To change which platform you’ll be streaming to, tap on the option to reveal a list of all platforms. Tap on Twitch.

4. Now tap on the blue Set Up Live button.

5. Allow permissions and log in to your Twitch account.

How to live stream from GoPro to Twitch
6. In the next screen, choose to connect a Wi-Fi network or your personal hotspot.

7. Give your stream a title and a short description.

8. Choose the resolution you want: 480p, 720p or 1080p (1080p is available on HERO8 Black + MAX). 

9. Choose your save settings (you can save a high-res version of your stream to your SD card). 

10. Switch over to Twitch to see your stats and check your stream.

To get started on YouTube:

For YouTube, there are a few restrictions to be aware of. Most importantly, you have to verify and set up your account before streaming, which can take up to 24 hours. And you must have at least 1,000 subscribers to live stream from mobile.

1. Open the GoPro app and tap the camera icon in the bottom left corner of the screen.

2. Now tap the blue button in the center of the screen: Control Your GoPro. 

3. Scroll through the icons on the bottom of the screen and tap Live.

4. That icon will become a blue button: Set Up Live. Underneath it you can see which platform is listed for streaming; it may list Facebook. To change which platform you’ll be streaming on, tap Facebook. A list of other platforms will appear. Tap YouTube.

how to live stream on youtube with gopro

5. Now tap on Set Up Live.

6. Allow permissions and connect your YouTube account.

7. On the next screen, choose to connect to a Wi-Fi network or your personal hotspot.

8. Choose your sharing settings (Friends/Public).

9. Give your stream a title and a short description.

10. Choose your location.

how to live stream to youtube wit gopro

11. Choose the resolution you want: 480p, 720p or 1080p (1080p is available on HERO8 Black + MAX). 

12. Choose your save settings to save a high-res version of your stream to your SD card. 

13. Tap Go Live or press the Shutter button to start live streaming.

PRO TIP: Experiment with different mounts and angles, then frame your shot before you go live. Make sure your camera is upright before streaming. If you turn your camera upside down, your live stream footage will appear upside down.

To get started with an RTMP:

You can choose to live stream to compatible video platforms using an RTMP URL. Live streaming currently supports RTMP and RTMPS URLs only. RTSP, HLS and other URLs are not supported.

1. Visit your live streaming platform. 

2. Follow their instructions to create an RTMP or RTMPS URL combined with your stream name/key (click the reveal option to see this). You will need to have both lines combined into one with a "/" in the middle. 

*Live streaming currently supports RTMP and RTMPS URLs only. RTSP, HLS and other URLs are not supported.

3. Now open the GoPro app and tap on the camera icon in the bottom left corner of the screen. 

4. Tap on the blue button in the center of the screen: Control Your GoPro. 

5. Scroll through the icons on the bottom of the screen and tap on Live.

6. That icon will become a blue button: Set Up Live. Underneath it you can see which platform is listed for streaming; it may list Facebook. To change which platform you’ll be streaming to, tap Facebook. A list of other platforms will appear. Tap RTMP.

how to live stream to an rtmp site with gopro

7. Now tap on the blue Set Up Live button.

8. Enter or paste your URL in the required field. 

how to live stream to an rtmp site with gopro

9. Choose the resolution you want: 480p, 720p or 1080p (1080p is available on HERO8 Black + MAX). 

10. Choose your save settings (you can save a high-res version of your stream to your SD card). 

11. Tap Go Live or press the Shutter button to start streaming.

 

For more helpful tips and troubleshooting FAQs, visit the GoPro Support page + discussion forums.