CTD Live Mobile app icon

SOFTWARE BY CTD · iPhone & iPad

Coming soon

Control OBS Studio from Your iPhone or iPad

CTD Live Mobile turns the iPhone or iPad you already own into a fast, tactile control surface for OBS Studio — a real OBS remote control app, not just a scene-switch toggle. Switch scenes, ride a live multiview, hit TAKE, quick-cut an angle to air, and start or stop streaming and recording, all over obs-websocket on your own network. It's free, needs no account, no in-app purchases, and no OBS-side plugin.

iOS 26.0 or later, iPadOS 26.0 or later

Where you'll get it

  • App StoreComing soon
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CTD Live Mobile OBS remote control deck on iPhone — switch OBS scenes from your phoneCTD Live Mobile broadcast controls on iPhone — start and stop OBS streaming and recording with an on-air tallyCTD Live Mobile OBS multiview monitor wall — live scene feeds at a glanceCTD Live Mobile QR-code pairing to connect to OBS over obs-websocket on the local network

A real control surface for OBS — not just a scene-switch toggle

CTD Live Mobile is a remote control surface for OBS Studio that runs on iPhone and iPad. It does nothing on its own: you point it at a Mac, PC, or Linux machine running OBS Studio 28 or newer with the built-in obs-websocket server enabled, and it drives the show from across the room. Because it speaks obs-websocket 5.x directly, there's no OBS-side plugin to install and no capture card in the chain — just your phone talking to your own OBS server. If you've been hunting for an OBS remote control app for iPhone and iPad that actually feels like a switcher, this is it.

Live multiview in your hands

See a grid of live thumbnails for every OBS scene right on your phone — true OBS multiview on iPhone and iPad, not a flat list of scene names. Frames are pulled over the socket and pushed through Metal with hardware JPEG decode (VideoToolbox, zero-copy into textures), so the grid stays smooth even on a busy multi-camera show. To be straight with you: obs-websocket sends screenshots rather than a live video feed, so the thumbnails are fast-refreshing stills, not a broadcast-quality stream — but they're more than enough to know exactly what's on which angle before you cut.

Studio Mode done right: TAKE and hold-to-quick-cut

This is the OBS studio mode TAKE button experience most remote apps skip. Tap an angle to load it into preview, line up your shot, then hit the dedicated TAKE button to send preview to program with your transition. Need a fast camera grab? Hold-to-quick-cut presses a focused angle straight to air and pops back when you release — perfect for catching a reaction or a wide. Tap-to-preview, TAKE, and hold-to-quick-cut give you a genuine preview-to-program switcher in your pocket, not just one-tap scene cuts.

Start and stop streaming and recording from your phone

Control the whole broadcast without touching the OBS computer. Start and stop streaming, start and stop recording, and watch live stream and record timecode with clear on-air status so you always know what's hot. The stream and record buttons pulse while live, so a glance at your iPhone tells you the show is rolling — ideal when the OBS machine is tucked away or you're working the floor at a live event.

Drive OBS with an Xbox, PlayStation, or MFi game controller

Full game-controller support is the feature most OBS remote apps lack entirely. Pair an Xbox, PlayStation, or MFi controller over Bluetooth and steer an on-screen yellow focus ring with the d-pad or stick, then preview, TAKE, or quick-cut with a button. The ring sweeps to red while a quick-cut arms, custom button bindings map controls to actions, and an in-app controller help map shows you every binding. It turns a gamepad into a tactile, eyes-up OBS scene switcher — a real game controller OBS switcher.

Automate scene playlists and trigger rules

Go beyond a plain remote with automation built in. Build scene playlists that run a sequence of scenes hands-free, and set trigger rules that fire actions automatically. Start and stop a playlist from the app, then work the room while the show runs itself — great for pre-roll loops, lower-third rotations, and unattended segments at events, services, and classrooms.

Connect in seconds with a QR code — no plugin required

Pairing is fast. In OBS, open Tools → WebSocket Server Settings → Show Connect Info and scan the QR code with your phone — host, port, and password fill in automatically. Prefer to type? Enter host, port, and password by hand over obsws://, ws://, or wss://. It uses OBS 28+'s built-in obs-websocket 5.x, so there's no OBS plugin to install on your streaming machine. Your phone just needs to reach your OBS server on the same local network.

Private by design, built for the device

CTD Live Mobile collects no data: no account, no sign-up, no ads, no analytics, no trackers. It talks only to the OBS server you configure, settings stay on your device, and OBS passwords are stored in the iOS Keychain. Camera access is used solely to scan the connect-info QR code, and Local Network access solely to reach OBS on your LAN. The iPhone runs landscape for a held-sideways, game-pad control-surface feel, while iPad adds portrait and landscape with more on screen — purpose-built for iOS and iPadOS 26 and later.

Who it's for

CTD Live Mobile is built for anyone running a multi-camera show in OBS: live streamers, AV and live-event operators, houses of worship and volunteer production teams, classrooms, esports operators and casters, and multicam podcasters. If you want a wireless OBS scene switcher and a Stream Deck alternative app that uses hardware you already own — instead of buying an Elgato Stream Deck or a dedicated controller — this is a free, no-subscription way to get studio-style control of OBS from your phone or tablet.

CTD Live Mobile vs OBS Blade

OBS Blade is the incumbent free, open-source obs-websocket remote, and it's a solid pick — it runs on Android as well as iOS, surfaces stream stats, and is genuinely free. Where CTD Live Mobile pulls ahead is the live production experience: a true OBS multiview grid with hardware-decoded thumbnails (Metal plus VideoToolbox, zero-copy) instead of a flat scene list, a proper Studio Mode with a dedicated TAKE button and hold-to-quick-cut, and full Xbox, PlayStation, and MFi game-controller switching with an on-screen focus ring — a switcher feature Blade and most rivals lack. Both are free with no account, but if you want a native iOS control surface that feels like a real switcher, Live Mobile is the studio-first OBS Blade alternative. If you need Android today, OBS Blade still has you covered — see our full comparison for an honest, feature-by-feature table.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CTD Live Mobile and what does it do?

CTD Live Mobile is a free OBS remote control app for iPhone and iPad. It turns your device into a live control surface for OBS Studio — switching scenes, running a live multiview, hitting TAKE in Studio Mode, quick-cutting angles to air, and starting or stopping streaming and recording — all over obs-websocket on your own network. It captures nothing itself; OBS does the work and the app commands it.

Do I need OBS Studio running for the app to work?

Yes. CTD Live Mobile is a client only and does nothing on its own. You need a Mac, PC, or Linux machine running OBS Studio 28 or newer with the built-in obs-websocket server enabled (Tools → WebSocket Server Settings), reachable on the same local network. Without a running OBS instance to connect to, there's nothing for the app to display or control.

Is CTD Live Mobile free, and does it have ads or in-app purchases?

It's completely free with no in-app purchases, no subscription, and no account. There are no ads, no analytics, and no trackers, and the App Privacy label is Data Not Collected. That makes it a genuinely free OBS remote app, in contrast to apps like ProducerPad and Switcher Pro that gate Pro features behind a trial, subscription, or lifetime purchase.

Which OBS version do I need, and do I have to install an OBS plugin?

You need OBS Studio 28 or newer, which ships with obs-websocket 5.x built in. There is no OBS-side plugin to install and no capture card required — just enable the WebSocket server under Tools → WebSocket Server Settings. The app connects straight to that built-in server over obsws://, ws://, or wss://.

Can I scan a QR code to connect instead of typing the host, port, and password?

Yes. In OBS, open Tools → WebSocket Server Settings → Show Connect Info and scan the QR code with your phone's camera — the host, port, and password fill in automatically. That's the only reason the app uses the camera. You can also enter host, port, and password manually if you prefer.

Does my phone need to be on the same network as my OBS computer?

In the typical setup, yes — your iPhone or iPad reaches OBS over your local network, which is why the app requests Local Network permission. It can also connect to an off-LAN OBS host by IP if you've set that up, and it supports wss:// (TLS) when you enable it. The app only ever talks to the OBS server you configure; there's no cloud service in between.

What's the difference between tap-to-preview, the TAKE button, and hold-to-quick-cut?

Tap-to-preview loads a scene into preview so you can line it up before it airs. The dedicated TAKE button then sends preview to program with your transition — the core of Studio Mode. Hold-to-quick-cut is different: press and hold a focused angle to cut it straight to air, then release to return. Together they give you a real preview-to-program switcher rather than tap-only scene cuts.

Does it support game controllers like Xbox, PlayStation, or MFi?

Yes — full game-controller support is built in via Apple's GameController framework. Pair an Xbox, PlayStation, or MFi controller over Bluetooth, steer an on-screen yellow focus ring with the d-pad or stick, and preview, TAKE, or quick-cut with a button. You get custom button bindings and an in-app controller help map, making it a true game-controller OBS switcher — a feature most OBS remote apps don't offer.

Is CTD Live Mobile a good free alternative to OBS Blade?

It's built to be a studio-first OBS Blade alternative. Both are free, but CTD Live Mobile adds a true live multiview grid with hardware-decoded thumbnails, a proper Studio Mode with a dedicated TAKE button, hold-to-quick-cut, and game-controller switching — where OBS Blade leans on a flatter scene list and stream stats. See our full OBS Blade alternative comparison for a fair, side-by-side breakdown.

Does the app collect any of my data or require an account?

No. There's no account or sign-in and the app collects no personal data of any kind — no analytics, no ads, no trackers. It communicates only with your own OBS server, your settings stay on your device, and your OBS passwords are stored securely in the iOS Keychain.

Which devices and iOS versions are supported, and why is iPhone landscape only?

CTD Live Mobile supports iPhone and iPad on iOS and iPadOS 26.0 or newer — a deliberate modern-devices-only floor. iPhone runs in landscape only for an immersive, held-sideways control-surface feel, like holding a game pad; iPad adds both portrait and landscape so you can fit more on screen at once.

Launching soon.

CTD Live Mobile is on the way. Want it the moment it drops? Tell us what you'd run it on and we'll get you on the list. Local-first — no accounts, no cloud. Read the privacy policy.

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