Control panels
Control your stream from your phone with Qontrol
Qontrol controls your aq.chat overlays immediately through their generated panels. To control OBS Studio, Streamlabs Desktop, or Meld Studio, first connect your broadcasting app. Then use custom controls to switch scenes and adjust audio, or ask aq.chat to help configure your setup. In OBS and Streamlabs, it can also install scenes and browser sources.
A quick check
Before you start
- An aq.chat scene with its generated control panel. You can use it beneath the Studio preview or open its Panel link on a phone or another screen.
- A browser signed in as a member of the scene’s workspace. No separate phone app is required.
- For direct broadcasting-software control: OBS Studio, Streamlabs Desktop, or Meld Studio connected through the setup below. These commands and live Scene links require an active trial or subscription; using the panel to control your Studio preview does not.
Ask for the controls you actually use
aq.chat generates a control panel with each new scene and opens it beneath the Studio preview. Start with the controls built for your overlay, and ask for any additional buttons, fields, or settings you need. You can also create a separate panel for an existing scene.
If you also want buttons that operate your broadcasting software, ask for those actions and complete the connection setup below. For example, a button could switch your broadcasting app to its BRB scene and mute your microphone.
Build a phone-friendly control panel for my existing scene. Add a BRB button that switches my streaming app to its BRB scene and mutes my microphone, separate scene buttons, and a mic control. Check my linked device, identify whether I use OBS, Streamlabs, or Meld, and use my actual scene and audio-source names. Help me finish remote-control setup if needed.
Connect your broadcasting software
This extra setup is only needed to control the broadcasting software itself. If you only want to control your aq.chat overlay, you can skip to opening the Panel link on your phone.
Keep an aq.chat Scene link running in your streaming app. In aq.chat, select your avatar → Devices; the streaming device appears automatically once its source connects. Choose your app below to finish setup.
Keep passwords and API tokens in the device setup form. Do not paste them into prompts or publish them with a panel.
Choose your streaming app
How to connect OBS Studio to Qontrol
Choose your OBS device
Select your avatar → Devices in aq.chat. On the connected OBS device, use the power button labeled Set up OBS control.
Enable the OBS WebSocket server
In OBS, open Tools → WebSocket Server Settings. Enable the WebSocket server and apply the change. Use Show Connect Info to find the connection details.
Enable remote control for the device
In the aq.chat setup dialog, paste the OBS password into Server password. Leave Server address empty unless you changed the default port. Select Enable OBS control and wait for the connection check to succeed.
How to connect Streamlabs Desktop to Qontrol
Allow third-party connections
In Streamlabs Desktop, open Settings → Mobile. Under Third Party Connections, turn on Allow third party connections and copy the API Token it reveals.
Enable control in aq.chat
Select your avatar → Devices, then the power button labeled Set up Streamlabs control on your connected Streamlabs device. Paste the token into API token. Leave Server address empty unless your connection uses a different address, then select Enable Streamlabs control and wait for the check to succeed.
How to connect Meld Studio to Qontrol
Enable control for the Meld device
Select your avatar → Devices, then the power button labeled Set up Meld control on your connected Meld device. Meld does not need a password or API token in aq.chat. Leave Server address empty for the default connection, then select Enable Meld control.
Check the WebSocket server if needed
If the connection does not succeed, check Settings → Advanced → WebSocket Server in Meld. Keep Meld and an aq.chat Browser layer running while you use the panel.
Open the Panel link on your phone
Copy the Panel link
Sign in to your own aq.chat account, select the scene’s workspace, and open the scene in Studio. Select Panel in the bar between the preview and controls to copy the Panel link. The button changes to Copied. Teammates follow these same steps in the shared workspace. The arrow beside Panel opens the panel on its own page.
Sign in on your phone
In your phone’s browser, sign in with your own account, select the same workspace, and open the Panel link you copied. Use the Panel link for controls and the private Scene link for the overlay in your streaming app.
Try one action before broadcasting
Try one of your overlay’s controls and watch the Studio preview update. If you also connected your broadcasting software, check a scene switch or audio control there and verify the scene and source names.
For broadcasting-software controls, keep a browser source running
Commands to OBS, Streamlabs, or Meld reach the app through its running aq.chat browser source. Keep one active while using those controls, including after switching scenes.
Know which controls need live access
Panel access, changes to shared scene state, and simulated events are available to workspace members. OBS, Streamlabs, and Meld commands, Twitch actions, and live Scene links require an active trial or subscription.
Viewers see the deployed scene, not the panel. Keep the Panel link on your phone or another screen and use the Scene link in your streaming app.
Messages during device setup
These messages appear in the remote-control setup dialog in Devices. A connection that does not answer needs different checks from one that explicitly refuses the connection.
- “Connect a scene first”: open your streaming app and activate a scene containing an aq.chat browser source. Keep it loaded while you set up and test control.
- “OBS didn't answer”, “Streamlabs didn't answer” or “Meld didn't answer”: keep the app and its aq.chat browser source running. In OBS, check that the WebSocket server is enabled and the password matches. In Streamlabs, check that third-party connections are enabled and the API token matches. In Meld, check that its WebSocket server is enabled.
- “OBS refused the connection”, “Streamlabs refused the connection” or “Meld refused the connection”: the app answered the test but rejected the connection. Double-check the OBS password in Tools → WebSocket Server Settings, the Streamlabs API token, or Meld’s WebSocket server settings, then retry setup.
Other checks if your controls do not work
- Confirm that remote control is enabled for the device in Devices. If you removed it and saw “Control disabled”, complete setup again before sending commands.
- If controls stop after a scene switch, check that an aq.chat browser source remains running in the destination scene or your shared scene setup. Commands need that live connection to reach the app.
- If the Panel link asks you to sign in, use an account in the panel’s workspace. If you are already signed in, check that the correct workspace is active. Twitch moderator status alone does not grant panel access.
- Check your workspace’s live-deployment access. After a trial ends, panels and Studio previews still work, but streaming-app remote commands require an active subscription.