Does the volunteer need to install an app?

No. A browser and one QR scan. An iPhone on the Remote route needs an authenticator app once, to enrol.

Can iPhones and Androids be cameras in the same service?

Yes. Androids take the Local code, iPhones the Remote code, and they all show up as tiles in the same Studio.

Won't a phone over Wi-Fi lag or drop out?

On a network you control, with the cameras near the router, it holds. A crowded or guest network is the usual cause when it doesn't.

Why does an iPhone need an authenticator app?

The Remote route comes in over the internet, so each phone proves who it is once. Phones on the Local route never ask.

Why phones instead of proper cameras?

The phones already in your volunteers' pockets shoot better than most cameras a small church can afford to wire in, and they need no cables.

How many phones can I run at once?

One on the free plan, three on PRO and five on MAX.

Can I mix in a USB or HDMI camera?

Yes. The same tile offers USB for a capture device, on every plan.

How to turn your volunteers' phones into cameras

Time: about 10 minutes for the first phone · Plan: Free (1 camera), PRO (3), MAX (5) · You'll need: phones with a browser, the same Wi-Fi as the laptop, a tripod or clamp per phone

Pick an empty tile in the Camera tab, choose Phone and let the volunteer scan the code. Android phones on your Wi-Fi use the Local route and trust a certificate once; iPhones use the Remote route and enrol once with an authenticator app. After that it's tap a tile to warn its operator, tap again to put it on air.

Step 1: Choose Phone on an empty tile

Open the Camera tab. Every empty tile says Choose source with three options: Phone, USB and NDI. Press Phone on the tile you want this camera to be.

The Camera tab: five empty tiles each offering Phone, USB and NDI, with Phone on Camera 1 ringed

Step 2: Let the volunteer scan the code

The tile turns into a QR code. This is the Local route: it works for any phone on the same Wi-Fi as the laptop, and it's the one to use for Android. The volunteer scans it with the phone's camera and the phone opens Broadcasteer in its browser.

Camera 1 showing the code the volunteer scans, ringed

Step 3: Android, trust the certificate once

The first time a new phone joins, the Studio shows New device detected with its own QR code. On the phone, scan that one and install the certificate (on Android, open the download and tap Install), then scan the camera's code again. A phone that has done this once goes straight to the camera next time.

The New device detected card with instructions for installing the certificate on Android and iPhone — The card also lists the iPhone steps... but iPhones have an easier way, next.

Step 4: iPhone, switch on Remote

Open Settings › System & Network and set Remote Sources to Remote. With Remote on, the tile's code card offers a Remote code as well. The iPhone scans that one, enrols once with an authenticator app (an invite, a six-digit code, done for about three months) and never needs a certificate.

Settings, System and Network, Remote Sources with Remote selected and its explanation

If your volunteers are all on Android, you can leave this on Local Only.

Step 5: Check the phone says Standby

Once it's connected, the phone shows its own picture with the camera's name and Standby at the bottom. The screen stays awake while it's a camera, so plug it in if the service is long.

The volunteer phone showing the camera picture with Camera 1 and Standby at the bottom

Step 6: Tap once to cue, tap again to take

Tap the tile once and the phone buzzes with the amber STAND BY banner, so the volunteer keeps the shot steady. Tap again a moment later and that camera is on air, with a LIVE badge on the tile.

The warning gives your volunteer a second to settle.

The phone held sideways showing the amber STAND BY, YOU ARE NEXT banner

Step 7: Name each camera

Click the tile's name (hover and it says Click to rename) and type something your team will understand when you call it out: Wide, Pulpit, Keys.

The Camera 1 tile renamed to Wide, with its name ringed

Step 8: One tap instead of two, if you like

Settings › Video › Auto-take on cue turns the two taps into one. The phone still buzzes to warn its operator, and the Studio switches by itself the moment that camera's picture arrives. If a cued camera never comes up within 5 seconds, it's left for you to take by hand.

Settings, Video: the Auto-take on cue, one tap switch and what it does

I'd leave it off until your team is used to the warning tap. It's a good habit to keep.

Step 9: Know your plan's limit

The free plan runs one phone camera at a time, PRO three and MAX five. On the free plan the second tile's Phone option is greyed out, while USB and NDI are still there.

Camera 2 on the free plan with its Phone option greyed out while USB and NDI stay available

If it doesn't work

The phone can't connect. It's on mobile data, a guest network or a different Wi-Fi name. Put it on the same Wi-Fi as the laptop.
Android keeps asking for the certificate. A new router or network means trusting it once more. Follow the New device detected card again.
An iPhone asks to download a configuration profile. It scanned the Local code. Switch Remote on and scan the Remote code instead.
The invite has expired. Remote invites last ten minutes and work once. Make a fresh one.
A camera keeps dropping out. Move it closer to the router and give the cameras their own 5 GHz network. The what you need tutorial explains why.