OBS SOFTWARE BY CTD
OBS Remote App: Run and Control OBS From Your iPhone or iPad
An OBS remote app turns the phone or tablet you already own into a wireless control surface for OBS Studio — switch scenes, ride a preview/program multiview, hit TAKE, and start or stop the stream from across the room. Modern OBS remote control runs over obs-websocket, built into OBS 28 and later, so there's no plugin to install and no capture card in the chain. Below we explain how it all works, what a great OBS remote control app should do, and why CTD Live Mobile is our recommended pick for iPhone and iPad.
What an OBS remote app actually is
An OBS remote app is a phone, tablet, or second-computer client that controls a running copy of OBS Studio over your network. It doesn't capture or encode anything itself — OBS still does all the heavy lifting on your streaming machine. The app just sends commands and reads state back: switch this scene, load that one into preview, take it to program, mute a source, start the stream, stop the recording. The payoff is that you don't have to sit hunched over the OBS computer. You can call the show from the couch, from behind the camera, or while you work the floor at a live event, with a real OBS remote control app in your hand instead of a keyboard you can't reach.
How OBS remote control works: obs-websocket, no plugin, no capture card
Every modern OBS remote app talks to OBS through obs-websocket — a control protocol that ships built into OBS Studio 28 and newer. You enable it once under Tools → WebSocket Server Settings (the default port is 4455), and OBS starts listening on your local network. The remote app connects to that server, authenticates with the password OBS generates, and from then on it can drive scenes, audio, transitions, streaming, and recording. Two things matter here: there is no OBS-side plugin to install, because the server is already inside OBS, and there is no capture card involved, because you're sending control commands over Wi-Fi, not piping video through hardware. That's why a good OBS remote works on the gear you already own.
What a great OBS remote app should do
Not all OBS remote apps are equal. The category baseline is scene switching and start/stop stream. The ones worth using go further. Look for: a live multiview so you can see every angle before you cut, not just a flat list of scene names; true Studio Mode with a preview-to-program TAKE button, so you stage a shot and then commit it cleanly rather than hard-cutting blind; audio control and on-air status so you always know what's hot; a tally indicator that pulses while you're live or recording; and ideally extra control surfaces like game-controller or MIDI bindings for eyes-up, tactile switching. Connection should be painless — QR pairing beats typing a host, port, and password by hand — and the app should respect your privacy by talking only to your own OBS server, with no account and no cloud middleman.
Our pick: CTD Live Mobile for iPhone and iPad
For iPhone and iPad, CTD Live Mobile is our recommended OBS remote app, and it hits every item on the checklist above. It speaks obs-websocket 5.x directly — no plugin, no capture card — and pairs in seconds by scanning the QR code under OBS's Show Connect Info. You get a true live multiview grid of hardware-decoded scene thumbnails (Metal plus VideoToolbox, zero-copy) instead of a list of names, a proper Studio Mode with a dedicated TAKE button, and hold-to-quick-cut to punch a focused angle straight to air and pop back when you release. Start and stop streaming and recording with live timecode, watch a pulsing stream/record tally so a glance tells you the show is rolling, and — the part most OBS remote apps skip entirely — drive the whole thing with an Xbox, PlayStation, or MFi game controller. It's free, with no account, no in-app purchases, no ads, and no trackers; it talks only to your OBS server and stores your password in the iOS Keychain. iPhone runs landscape for a held-sideways control-surface feel; iPad adds portrait and landscape with more on screen.
The wider OBS remote app category — an honest look
We're not pretending CTD Live Mobile is the only option, and the right pick depends on your platform and needs. OBS Blade is the well-known free, open-source obs-websocket remote, and it's a genuinely good choice: it runs on Android as well as iOS, surfaces stream stats, shows Twitch chat, and costs nothing — so if you're on Android today, OBS Blade has you covered and Live Mobile (iOS/iPadOS only) does not. Other names in the space include Switcher Pro, OBS Controller, ProducerPad, and UP Deck; several of these gate their best features behind a trial, subscription, or lifetime purchase. If you'd rather not use a phone at all, a physical Elgato Stream Deck gives you tactile, labeled buttons that a touchscreen can't match — at a hardware cost. Where CTD Live Mobile pulls ahead for iPhone and iPad users is the live production experience: a real multiview, a true Studio Mode TAKE flow, hold-to-quick-cut, and game-controller switching, all in a native iOS app that's free with no account. For a full side-by-side, see our OBS Blade alternative breakdown.
OBS remote for Mac and beyond
An OBS remote app for your phone is one piece of the picture. If your control position is a desk rather than a camera, CTD Live Studio is a native macOS OBS control room — a Metal-powered multiview with live program and preview, scene switching, an audio mixer with live meters, macros, and hotkey, MIDI, and game-controller bindings — running over the same obs-websocket connection with no plugin and no capture card. And if every camera operator just needs to know whether they're on air, CTD Tally turns the iPhone, Apple Watch, Android phone, or tablet on each camera into a wireless OBS tally light. Phone remote, Mac control room, and tally lights all speak to the same OBS server, so you can mix and match the parts of the CTD suite your production actually needs.
CTD Live Mobile vs OBS Blade
| Feature | CTD Live Mobile | OBS Blade |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — no account, no IAP, no ads | Free and open-source |
| Platforms | iPhone & iPad (iOS/iPadOS 26+) | iOS and Android |
| Connection | obs-websocket 5.x, QR pairing — no plugin | obs-websocket — manual or QR |
| Capture card / OBS plugin required | Neither | Neither |
| Live multiview of scenes | Yes — hardware-decoded thumbnail grid (Metal + VideoToolbox) | Flat scene list, no live multiview |
| Studio Mode preview-to-program TAKE | Yes — dedicated TAKE button | One-tap scene cuts |
| Hold-to-quick-cut | Yes | No |
| Start/stop stream & record with tally | Yes — pulsing on-air tally + timecode | Yes — start/stop stream & record |
| Game-controller switching (Xbox/PS/MFi) | Yes — focus ring + custom bindings | No |
| Stream stats & Twitch chat | On-air status & timecode (no chat) | Yes — stream stats and Twitch chat |
| Privacy | No account, no analytics, LAN-only, Keychain | No account; open-source |
FAQ
What is an OBS remote app and how does it work?
An OBS remote app is a phone, tablet, or second-computer client that controls a running copy of OBS Studio over your network. It connects through obs-websocket — a control server built into OBS 28 and later — and sends commands to switch scenes, load preview, hit TAKE, adjust audio, and start or stop streaming and recording. The app captures nothing itself; OBS does the work and the app commands it over Wi-Fi, with no capture card in the chain.
Do I need to install an OBS plugin or a capture card to use an OBS remote?
No. Modern OBS remote control uses obs-websocket 5.x, which is built into OBS Studio 28 and newer — there's no separate plugin to install. You just enable the server under Tools → WebSocket Server Settings (default port 4455). And because the app sends control commands rather than video, there's no capture card involved either. Your phone simply needs to reach your OBS computer on the same local network.
What's the best OBS remote app for iPhone and iPad?
Our recommended pick is CTD Live Mobile. It's a free, native iOS and iPadOS app that pairs with OBS by scanning a QR code and gives you a true live multiview, a Studio Mode TAKE button, hold-to-quick-cut, start/stop stream and record with a pulsing tally, and even Xbox, PlayStation, or MFi game-controller switching. It has no account, no in-app purchases, and no trackers. If you need an Android remote, OBS Blade is the better-known free option.
Is there a free OBS remote app?
Yes. CTD Live Mobile is completely free for iPhone and iPad with no in-app purchases, subscription, account, ads, or trackers. OBS Blade is another free, open-source choice that also runs on Android. Some other apps in the category — such as Switcher Pro and ProducerPad — gate their advanced features behind a trial, subscription, or one-time purchase, so check before you commit.
Can an OBS remote app switch scenes and start the stream?
Yes — those are the core jobs. A good OBS remote lets you switch scenes, load a scene into preview and TAKE it to program in Studio Mode, control audio, and start or stop both streaming and recording, all from your phone. CTD Live Mobile adds live stream and record timecode plus a pulsing on-air tally so a glance tells you exactly what's live.
Does an OBS remote app need to be on the same network as OBS?
In the typical setup, yes — your phone reaches OBS over your local network, which is why apps like CTD Live Mobile request Local Network permission. CTD Live Mobile can also connect to an off-LAN OBS host by IP and supports wss:// (TLS) when you enable it. Either way, the app talks only to the OBS server you configure — there's no cloud service in between.
Get CTD Live Mobile
No subscriptions, no accounts, no cloud — talks only to your own OBS over your network.