How to go live on Kick from your iPhone
Updated · 4 min read · By Suhail Saqan
Quick answer
Get Swae, tap SET UP on the camera and pick Kick. Tap Sign in with Kick and log in on Kick's own page: Swae gets your stream key from Kick, with nothing to copy. When it says "stream key ready", choose how you'll hold your phone and tap Done. Then tap GO LIVE, pick your Kick category, and tap GO LIVE again.
What you need
- A Kick account.
- An iPhone with iOS 18 or later, and Swae (free).
- A good upload: Wi‑Fi, or 5G or LTE with a few bars. Swae adjusts the quality to your connection.
Go live on Kick, step by step
- Open Swae and tap SET UP. On the camera, tap the round SET UP button and pick Kick under "Where do you want to go live?"
- Sign in with Kick. Tap Sign in with Kick. Kick's own login opens; type your Kick username and password there. Swae stays signed in for you, but it doesn't keep your password.
- Wait for the key. Swae asks Kick for your stream key. In a moment it says "Signed in · stream key ready" and moves on by itself.
- Choose how you'll hold your phone. Upright fills a phone screen, sideways fills a computer or TV. Upright is recommended.
- Tap Done. Or Practice first to try it with nothing going out.
- Go live. Tap GO LIVE, set your title and Kick category in the review, and tap GO LIVE again. After a 3-2-1 countdown you're live, with your Kick chat in Swae.
Kick didn't hand over your stream key? Tap Try again. Or tap Paste the key instead: in Kick's dashboard, open Channel, then Stream URL and Key (dashboard.kick.com/channel/stream), and copy the Stream URL and the Stream Key into Swae.
Change your title and category
Set them in the Going live review, or while you're live from the drawer with Title & category. Going live on Twitch too? Choose Use one title on both, or give each its own.
Settings that work on Kick
| Setting | Use |
|---|---|
| Quality | Automatic. Swae lowers the bitrate when your network slows and raises it again: up to 6 Mbps at 1080p and 30 fps, 7 at 60 fps. |
| Resolution | 1080p: sharp on phones, computers and TVs. Kick may show a new channel at 720p until it reaches Kick's engagement threshold. |
| Frame rate | 30 suits most streams; 60 is smoother for fast action but needs more upload. |
| Orientation | Upright for IRL and phone viewers; sideways for viewers on TVs and computers. |
Kick takes up to 8,000 kbps, with a keyframe every 2 seconds (its streaming guide). Swae's automatic quality stays under that.
Swae or Kick's own app?
Kick's Go Live app streams from your phone too, and you don't need to be an Affiliate or Partner to use it; in it you can read chat, but not reply. Swae is built for the whole show: scenes you switch between live, chat and alerts drawn on the stream, effects, other cameras like a GoPro or Meta glasses, Twitch and YouTube at the same time, and Swae Relay for dead zones.
Kick and dead zones
When your phone loses signal, Kick has nothing to show but a stalled player, and viewers drift away. Swae Relay fixes that on Kick: it bonds Wi‑Fi and cellular, and when the signal still drops, your viewers see your own Reconnecting screen with your Kick chat on it. Turn on Moderators run the screens from chat, and your Kick moderators can put up Be right back with !brb. How it works.
If something goes wrong
- "Sign in to Kick again": open Settings › Accounts › Kick and sign in.
- The picture freezes on cellular: leave quality on Automatic, and turn on "Alert me if my stream drops" in the review. For streams on the move, use Swae Relay.
- Viewers see you a few seconds late: that's normal for live streaming.
Questions
Do I need a stream key to stream to Kick from my iPhone?
Not with Swae. Sign in with Kick and Swae gets the stream key from Kick for you. You only paste one if Kick doesn't hand it over.
Can I show Kick chat and alerts on my stream?
Yes. Your first Kick stream in Swae gets chat and alerts on screen automatically. You can moderate from the camera too: tap a message to delete it, time someone out, or ban them.
Can I stream to Kick and Twitch at the same time?
Yes. Add both before you go live and they start together. If you're a Kick Partner, Kick asks you to turn on its multistreaming switch, and pays half for that session. How to multistream.
Does Kick need 1080p to be unlocked?
Kick may show new channels at 720p and turn on 1080p once a channel reaches its engagement threshold. Stream at 1080p anyway: Kick shows the best it allows for your channel.
Is it free?
Yes. Swae is free. Swae Relay, for streams that mustn't drop, is optional, with 5 hours free to try.