Blurry or blotchy live video almost always comes down to your connection's upload strength dropping during the stream, not your device or the app. It is possible to be genuinely connected to WiFi and still have an unstable upload.
Streams need a steady upload of around 1500 kbps. A healthy connection holds close to that the whole time. An unhealthy one dips far below it, which is what shows up on screen as blur or blockiness.
What usually causes it
The most common causes, in order:
Cause | Why it happens |
Weak or congested WiFi signal | Streaming from far away from the router, through walls, or on a crowded network. Signal strength drops faster than most people expect. |
Other devices sharing the network | A backup running, another device streaming video, or a syncing app in the background can eat the bandwidth your live needs. |
Silent fallback to mobile data | When WiFi signal is poor, phones can quietly switch to cellular mid-stream without you noticing, often the least stable option of the three. |
Before you go live
Check your WiFi signal strength right before starting.
Avoid other heavy uploads or downloads on the same network while streaming (backups, big file transfers, other video calls).
Run a quick speed test (below) to confirm your upload speed is comfortably above what streaming needs.
Speed test
Ookla Speedtest: https://www.speedtest.net
It checks your upload speed specifically, which is what matters most for outgoing live video (many tools only headline download speed).
|
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Stream needs | 1.5 Mbps (1500 kbps) upload, steady |
Aim for | 3 to 4 Mbps upload, for comfortable headroom |
When to test | Right before going live, on the same network and device you will stream from |
If it happens again
Let us know the exact date and time of the affected stream, and we will take a closer look at that specific session with you.