GoPro Live Stream (3 Ways) Creators Guide to Settings, Gear, Tips

Want to share your adventure live with your audience? In this post, you’ll learn how to GoPro live stream. I include the three ways to stream video live, plus tips and gear. By the end of this post, you’ll be ready to live stream your GoPro adventures.

GoPro Live Stream for Creators

Live streaming adds authenticity to your content that is hard to match. Share what you’re experiencing as you’re experiencing it.

Back in January 2016, Periscope announced that they had set up the integration for the Hero4 for live streaming to their iPhone app. This was pretty groundbreaking at the time.

They promoted this new integration by live-streaming underwater (while on a shark dive). Broadcasting a signal underwater presents its own set of challenges.

Since then, live streaming has been pretty standard.

What GoPro Models Can Live Stream?

In this post, we’re going to focus on 7 GoPro cameras:

1. Hero12 Black
2. Hero11 Black
3. Hero10 Black
4. Hero9 Black
5. GoPro MAX 360
6. Hero8 Black
7. Hero7 Black

In addition to one of these cameras, you’ll also need to download the GoPro App (for Android or iOS).

Learn more about the different GoPro models.

Where Can I Live Stream with GoPro? 9 Platforms

You can currently live stream to 9 different platforms. As you’ll notice, Instagram is absent. This is an obvious gap.

5 Compatible Platforms in the US

1. YouTube
2. Facebook
3. Workplace by Facebook
4. Twitch
5. Vimeo

4 Compatible Platforms in China

1. HUYA
2. Douyu
3. BILIBILI
4. INKE

4 Unsupported Platforms

At the time of publishing, GoPro streaming is not supported on the following platforms:

1. Instagram
2. YY
3. NOW
4. QQ

How to Live Stream with GoPro: 3 Ways

There are three ways to live stream with your camera.

• The first two are platform-specific (with YouTube and Facebook).
• The final method is via an RTMP URL which will allow you to connect to all the other supported platforms.

Here are the 3 ways to GoPro live stream:

1. Live Streaming to YouTube

This is the primary platform for most creators. And it’s one of the easiest ones to use.

To begin, you’ll need to enable your YouTube channel for live streaming.

Go to Features > Live Streaming. Click “Enable”. You can find these settings here: www.youtube.com/features

If your account shows Live streaming as “Eligible” you should see the following message: “Congratulations! You have been enabled for live streaming”

Also, you won’t be able to begin live streaming until tomorrow. It takes a full 24 hours to be activated.

“Ready in 24 hours: It takes 24 hours to activate your account for live streaming. Once activated, you can go live instantly.”

To see your Live Streaming Section in Creator Studio, go to www.youtube.com/live_dashboard

Now, to set up your first live stream, open the GoPro App.

1. Next, go to the GoPro app and choose “Live” in the preview mode
2. Select “YouTube” Platform
3. Tap Set Up Live
4. Connect to your YouTube channel and approve permissions
5. Connect to WiFi network (or a hotspot you control). In order to stream, your GoPro must be connected to either a WiFi network or a personal hotspot
6. Choose Public share setting
7. Name your stream and add a description
8. Choose location
9. Choose your resolution: 480p, 720p or 1080p. 1080p only available with Hero8 Black. Remember that the higher the resolution, the more data will be used
10. Choose where to save HD version of your stream on your SD memory card
11. Finally, tap “Go Live” (or press the shutter button) to begin your live stream

Don’t forget to have your camera orientated correctly before beginning the stream. If you rotate after the stream begins, it won’t auto-adjust, and the footage will be upside down.

Also, it’s worth considering framing the shot before beginning so it won’t be jarring to your viewers.

2. Live Streaming to Facebook

This is the second most popular platform for live streaming.

Here’s how to set up your GoPro stream on Facebook.

Live streaming on Facebook must be done with the GoPro app. This cannot be done directly through the camera.

1. Go to the GoPro app and choose “Live” in the preview mode
2. Select “Facebook” Platform
3. Tap Set Up Live
4. Connect to your Facebook account and approve permissions
5. Connect to WiFi network (or a hotspot you control). To stream, your GoPro must be connected to either a WiFi network or a personal hotspot
6. Choose share settings (Public, Friends, Only Me)
7. Name your stream and add a description
8. Choose location
9. Choose your resolution: 480p, 720p or 1080p. 1080p only available with Hero8 Black. Remember that the higher the resolution, the more data will be used
10. Choose where to save HD version of your stream on your SD memory card
11. Finally, tap “Go Live” (or press the shutter button) to begin your live stream
12. Switch to the Facebook app. From there you can see stats and check on the stream

Don’t forget to correctly orientate your camera before beginning the stream.

If the camera rotates after the stream begins, it won’t auto-adjust and the footage will be upside down.

Here’s what it looks like to connect via Live API.

Here is some of the info to include before going live:

3. Live Streaming with a RTMP URL

For other platforms, you can connect the GoPro App via an RTMP URL.

Some of these platforms include Twitch, Vimeo, HUYA, Douyu, BILIBILI, and INKE.

To set up your first live stream, open the GoPro App.

1. Visit the live-streaming platform
2. Follow their instructions to create an RTMP or RTMPS URL. This will have a combined stream name and key. Both components will be combined into one, separated by a forward-slash (“/”)
3. Next, go to the GoPro app and choose “Live” in the preview mode
4. Select “Other” Platform
5. Tap Set Up Live
6. Choose your resolution: 480p, 720p or 1080p. 1080p only available with Hero8 Black. Remember that the higher the resolution, the more data will be used
7. Choose where to save HD version of your stream on your SD memory card.
8. Finally, tap “Go Live” (or press the shutter button) to begin your live stream

Details like stream title/description, location, and visibility settings will be set inside your platform.

Some live streaming platforms allow for a persistent (static) key – allowing you to use the same URL every time you stream.

Check with your preferred streaming platform and avoid generating a new URL each time.

Please note: GoPro live streaming supports only RTMP and RTMPS URLs only. Other URLs (like RTSP, HLS) aren’t supported.

More Reading: 5 Ways to View GoPro Videos

---

How much data will live streaming consume?

Expect to consume roughly 600MB to 1.5GB of data for every hour of live streaming, depending on your video resolution.

What resolution will you shoot in? Aside from the Hero9 Black and Hero8 Black, you can only stream in 480p or 720p resolution with GoPro camera.

Here’s an overall chart for data consumption per hour for different resolutions:

• 480p: 562.5MB
• 720p: 900MB
• 1080p: 1.5GB (This is the max streaming resolution available with GoPro and is only available with the Hero8 Black and newer)
• 2K: 3GB
• 4K: 7.2GB

How do I fix a choppy live stream?

It’s preferable to film via a WiFi connection rather than a personal hotspot.

If you choose to shoot with a personal hotspot (on data), ensure you have a solid, consistent signal and a decent data plan.

Why won’t YouTube allow me to live stream?

It could be one of three problems.

1. First, you might not have enough subscribers. YouTube requires a minimum of 1000 subscribers to live stream via mobile. If you have fewer than 1000 subscribers, you can still live stream through desktop and webcam. This would be a great time to set up your GoPro as a webcam. Here’s how to do it.
2. Second, you might have a penalty with YouTube. Some reasons for having live stream turned off include: Community Guidelines strike, copyright takedown, global block of live stream, or duplicate copyrighted live stream. Read more here.
3. Third, you might not have waited the mandatory 24 hours after enabling the feature. This is the easiest fix. Just wait a few more hours and it’ll be allowed.

Can I live stream my GoPro footage with cell phone data?

Yes. This is one of two ways to configure the live stream. Either with a data hotspot or Wifi connection.

WiFi is preferable for live streaming because it is typically faster, more stable, and less expensive.

But it also tethers you to a specific area – if you want to live stream a trip, you’ll have to use data.

Gear for GoPro Live Streaming

While you don’t need much, having a few key pieces of gear will make your stream easier to watch – and more fun to shoot.

1. Hand Grip: You’ll need something to hold your camera steady – and keep your fingers away from the mic and lens. It could be as simple as the GoPro Shorty or Spivo flexible tripod.
2. External Mic: If your live stream includes speech, you should consider adding an external mic. For Hero5 through Hero8, you’ll need this mic adapter. With the adapter, you can add any 3.5mm jack.
3. Stabilizer: While not required (with the Hero7 or Hero8) it can serve two purposes – as a grip and a stabilizer.

One final thought for live streaming your GoPro stories. Don’t forget about powering your camera.

You will get a maximum of 1 hour from each battery while streaming. You’ll want to bring multiple batteries or power it directly with a power bank.

Of course, you could also keep your live streams to less than an hour…

Learn more about recording the best audio with an external GoPro microphone.

More reading: Guide to GoPro Passwords (How to Find and Reset)

Your Turn

Have a tip or question to share? Join me below. I would love to hear your experiences live streaming your GoPro footage.