A live stream is a popular way to broadcast your services and events, and you can bring that live stream straight into your infoodle App. You do this by adding an app menu item that links to your YouTube channel's live stream, so your community can watch live from inside the app. Unlike a single recorded clip (see Adding a Youtube Video), a live stream uses one permanent link tied to your channel, so you do not have to send out a new link every time you go live. This article shows you how to find that permanent link and add it to your app menu.
Before you start
Role Permissions
- Update System information: lets you open the Phone App settings under Administration and add or change app menu items.
See People Roles and Permissions for what this role permission means and how an administrator turns it on under Settings, Roles.
You will also need:
- The infoodle App enabled for your site. If you have not done this yet, see Enabling the infoodle App. The Menu Sections and Homepage Items settings only appear once the app is enabled.
- A YouTube channel that broadcasts your live streams, and its Channel ID. The Channel ID is a string that starts with UC and looks like UCC3kjpFOUh64-0Og52YLzAQ. You will use it to build a permanent live stream link in Step 1.
Step 1: Build your permanent live stream link
A live stream link built from your Channel ID stays the same for every broadcast, so you set it up once and reuse it.
To find your Channel ID, use either of these:
- In YouTube Studio: open Settings, then Channel, then Advanced settings. Your Channel ID is shown there and starts with UC.
- From your channel address: open your channel on YouTube and look at the web address. If it contains /channel/, the string after it that starts with UC is your Channel ID, for example UCC3kjpFOUh64-0Og52YLzAQ.
Once you have your Channel ID, build the link in one of these two forms:
- Full page link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/YOUR_CHANNEL_ID/live . Note the /live on the end. This opens the whole YouTube page for your live stream, including the comments and related content.
- Video-only link (recommended for the app): https://www.youtube.com/embed/live_stream?channel=YOUR_CHANNEL_ID . This shows just the video stream, which is a cleaner experience on a phone.
Replace YOUR_CHANNEL_ID with your own Channel ID in whichever form you choose. Both link forms already use https://, which is what opens correctly on a phone.
Step 2: Open Menu Sections in the Phone App settings
- Click the administration cog in the top right hand corner to open Administration.
- Open Phone App.
- Click Menu Sections.
- Open the menu section you want the live stream to sit in, or add a new section for it.
Step 3: Add a new menu item
Inside the menu section, add a new menu item. This opens the Add a Menu Item form, where you choose what the item links to and how it appears in the app.
Step 4: Fill in the live stream details
On the Add a Menu Item form, set the following:
- Type: choose Link to Webpage Within App. This opens the live stream inside your app so users stay in infoodle. Choose Link to Webpage Outside the App instead if you would rather the stream open in the phone's own web browser.
- Display as: choose how the item looks in the menu. The options are:
- Single Line Title Text: a single line of text, using the Label you enter.
- Multiline Standard Text: a longer plain text label.
- Image on a Card Background: shows an image inside a card.
- Image with no Background: shows an image on its own.
- Label: the text shown for the item, for example Watch Live. When you choose an image display, an Image URL field appears so you can point to the picture you want to show.
- Content URL: paste the permanent live stream link you built in Step 1, for example https://www.youtube.com/embed/live_stream?channel=YOUR_CHANNEL_ID . Use the https:// address so it opens on a phone.
Step 5: Set who can see it and save
Under Access, choose who sees the live stream in the app:
- Authenticated Users: people who are logged in to your app.
- Public: people using the app without logging in.
Tick both if you want everyone to see it. Then click Save. The live stream now appears in that menu section in the app.
What your app users see
When someone taps the live stream item, your current broadcast plays inside the app. If you used the video-only link, they see just the video stream. The full page link opens the whole YouTube live page inside the app instead. A live stream link plays only while you are actually broadcasting: during a live event the item shows your stream, and when you are not currently live there is no broadcast to show, so the item plays your stream again as soon as you go live.
Common questions
What is the difference between this and Adding a Youtube Video?
A YouTube live stream is your live broadcast, and it uses one permanent link tied to your channel that works for every broadcast. A YouTube video is a single recorded clip with its own link. Use a live stream for services and events you broadcast live, and a video for a recording you want people to watch any time. See Adding a Youtube Video.
Which link form should I use, /live or embed?
The embed link, https://www.youtube.com/embed/live_stream?channel=YOUR_CHANNEL_ID , shows just the video, which works best on a phone. The /live link, https://www.youtube.com/channel/YOUR_CHANNEL_ID/live , opens the full YouTube page with comments and related content. Pick the embed link for the cleanest in-app experience.
Do I need to update the link every time we go live?
No. A link built from your Channel ID stays the same for every broadcast, so you set it up once and your community uses the same menu item each time you stream.
Can I add the live stream to the app home page instead of a menu?
Yes. Open Homepage Items under the Phone App settings and add an item the same way, choosing the same Type, Display as and Content URL. See Configuring Your Home Page.
Why should the live stream link start with https://?
A YouTube link already starts with https://, so a link copied straight from YouTube will work. An http:// address will not open inside the app on a phone, so use the https:// form.
Next steps
Once the live stream is in place, you can add other online resources to your app the same way, such as a recorded sermon video or a link to the Bible. You can also reorder your menu items so the live stream sits where your community will find it.