Account Questions
How do I start a free trial?
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Head to this page, fill out the form and you’ll be on your way!
What is included in the free trial?
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The trial experience has all the same features as our paid options, with the following exceptions:
- Limited to 20 hours of Remote Guests via video chat during the trial. Subscriptions and passes include unlimited time to host Remote Guests
- Limited to 20 Switcher Cloud assets
- Switcher Studio watermark. This will be removed once you purchase a pass or subscription
- You’re limited to 2 Multistreaming destinations
- With the trial, your three most recent Multistreams are saved on the Dashboard to download and share
Can I skip the free trial?
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Sure! Create your account, verify your email, download the app, and select Choose Pricing.
Now you’ll be able to choose your desired subscription or pass from the Dashboard. Click Select on your preferred plan, enter your payment information, and click Subscribe (for subscriptions) or Buy Now (for passes) to complete your purchase.
You can also upgrade to a subscription or pass at any time during your free trial. Once you purchase a subscription or pass, your free trial will end and your pass or subscription will start immediately.
Can I pause my subscription?
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Currently, we do not offer a way to pause subscriptions.
How do I unsubscribe/cancel my subscription?
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All subscriptions are automatically renewed unless you cancel at least 24 hours before the end of your current billing cycle. Payments for a previous period are nonrefundable.
TO CANCEL YOUR SUBSCRIPTION:
- Log into your Switcher Studio Dashboard using the same email and password you use for the app.
- Click Subscription in the main menu.
- Under the Overview section, click Cancel.
- To confirm the cancellation, click Confirm.
You will be able to continue using Switcher Studio until the end of your billing cycle.
What’s the difference between a subscription and a pass?
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Subscriptions are auto-renewing and can be paid monthly or annually. Our pass is non-recurring and can be purchased for a 7-day duration. Our 7-day pass offers the same set of features as our Switcher Studio subscription.
Functionality Questions
Can I record without going live?
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Yes, totally, lots of people use Switcher this way! Even if you don’t want to livestream, Switcher lets you record multiple angles without having to edit footage together in post-production.
You can record now and livestream it later or you can take pre-recoreded videos and repurpose them on social media.
Can I use Switcher on a Desktop?
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Nope, BUT you can bring your computer’s webcam (Mac) or screen (Map or PC) into the videos that you stream or record with Switcher.
This is done with a complimentary app call Switcher Cast Can I use Switcher on an Android?
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Nope, we’re iOS only at the moment. Remote guests can join from any devices though, including an Android.
What gear do Remote Guests need in order to join via video chat?
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Just a smartphone or a computer! Guests can join from nearly any device with a browser and a camera — you simply send them a URL, which they open to join your video chat. Guests don’t need a Switcher Studio account, and they don’t need to download the Switcher app.
Why can’t I stream to Instagram?
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The only way to stream to Instagram is to use the native Instagram app. As soon as Instagram opens an API that will enable us to build an integration, we’ll get on it!
How do I contact Support?
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The best way to contact the Support team is through the messaging tool inside the Switcher Studio app or on the Dashboard.
Can I access my video after my broadcast?
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Yes, after a stream, your video is stored in the Switcher app on your main device. If you’d like to store it somewhere else, check out our Help Center article on moving or copying your Switcher Studio recordings. Additionally, if you’re using Switcher’s Multistreaming feature, your most recent Multistream recordings are saved to the Switcher Cloud and accessible from your Dashboard when the stream ends.
Pricing
What if I need more viewed minutes for the Switcher Player?
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No problem! It's just $25 for 500 additional viewed minutes — or you can upgrade to add even more minutes to your regular subscription. Just contact our Sales Team to purchase additional minutes.
Can I cancel my Switcher subscription at any time?
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You can cancel up to 24 hours before the end of your current billing cycle, and you can continue using Switcher Studio until the end of your billing cycle.
What are "viewed minutes" on the Switcher Player, and how many do I need?
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Usage of the Switcher Player is measured in “viewed minutes.” This is calculated by the number of viewers you have times the number of minutes they watch. Easy, right? For example, if you do one 45-minute livestream each week, each stream with about 100 viewers, you’ll use just about 18,000 minutes each month.
I need something else (more Multistreaming destinations, additional cloud storage, multiple licenses, etc.)
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We love a challenge, and our Enterprise solutions can be customized to suit your needs — whatever they are. Contact our Sales Team to start building the perfect solution.
Does Switcher Studio have bandwidth limitations?
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Switcher doesn’t have bandwidth limitations, but since Switcher relies on your Wi-Fi network, your stream performance is determined by your internet speed. You can check out our stream quality settings and required upload speeds support document to understand how your internet impacts Switcher’s performance.
Are there sales fees for gated content?
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Yes, but Switcher's gated content fees are simple: just $.99. That means $.99 per transaction for one-time passes. For subscriptions, it’s $.99 per subscriber per month.
Stripe charges additional payment processing fees — you can see a full breakdown of all gated content fees in our Help Center.
What is included in the free trial?
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The trial experience has all the same features as our paid options, with the following exceptions:
- Limited to 20 hours of Remote Guests via video chat during the trial. Subscriptions and passes include unlimited time to host Remote Guests
- Limited to 20 Switcher Cloud assets
- Switcher Studio watermark. This will be removed once you purchase a pass or subscription
- You’re limited to 2 Multistreaming destinations
- With the trial, your three most recent Multistreams are saved on the Dashboard to download and share
Multistreaming
Does Switcher Studio’s Multistreaming feature require additional bandwidth?
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Nope! Multistreaming with Switcher uses exactly the same amount of bandwidth as streaming to a single destination. Whether you’re streaming just to the Switcher Player, or to 30 different platforms, your viewers’ experience is consistent.
What platforms can I use for Multistreaming with Switcher Studio?
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Switcher has direct integrations with four major streaming destinations: Facebook, YouTube, Twitch, and Microsoft Stream. On Facebook, you can stream to profiles, groups, and pages. In addition to these major integrations, you can use Custom RTMP to stream to almost any other destination. You can also multistream to your own website (or a unique URL) by using the Switcher Player.
How many destinations can I multistream to with Switcher Studio?
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Switcher subscribers at the Studio level can stream to two different destinations at once. At the Business tier, subscribers can reach 20 destinations. Merchant subscribers can multistream to 30 destinations at once. If you need even more Multistreaming destinations, contact our Sales Team about creating a custom solution.
Note: If you’re Multistreaming to Facebook Live, Crossposting to multiple Facebook pages doesn’t count against your Multistreaming destinations.
Switcher Player
What if I need more viewed minutes for the Switcher Player?
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No problem! It's just $25 for 500 additional viewed minutes — or you can upgrade to add even more minutes to your regular subscription. Just contact our Sales Team to purchase additional minutes.
Can I use the Switcher Player if I don't have a website?
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You don’t need a website to use the Switcher Player! We provide a unique Switcher Player URL, so you can still send viewers directly to your content without using a platform with ads or recommendations for other creators.
If I use the Switcher Player to sell my Shopify products, does Switcher take a percentage of my sales?
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No — Switcher doesn’t take any sales fee for Shopify sales made while using the Switcher Player.
What are "viewed minutes" on the Switcher Player, and how many do I need?
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Usage of the Switcher Player is measured in “viewed minutes.” This is calculated by the number of viewers you have times the number of minutes they watch. Easy, right? For example, if you do one 45-minute livestream each week, each stream with about 100 viewers, you’ll use just about 18,000 minutes each month.
Can I embed the Switcher Player on any website?
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The Switcher Player is an HTML5 video player and can be embedded anywhere you can edit the HTML. If your website builder doesn’t allow JavaScript embeds, we have a simple iFrame version of the Switcher Player's embed code.
How do I embed the Switcher Player on my website?
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We have detailed instructions for embedding the Switcher Player into standard HTML, plus specific website builders like Wix, Squarespace, and Shopify.
Gated Content
How are gated content sales processed?
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All gated content pass and subscription purchases are processed securely through our partner, Stripe. It takes just a few minutes to set up and connect a Stripe account. Then, you can view and manage your payouts on the Switcher dashboard. Your bank account information is kept secure and private, and you can count on timely payouts.
You can see a breakdown of Stripe's fees here.
What is gated content?
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The gated content feature lets users put their Switcher Player videos and livestreams behind a paywall. That means earning directly from viewers and supporters without sending them to other platforms.
There are two ways to use gated content with Switcher:
- Passes. Passes let you bundle and sell video content for a one-time purchase. Purchasing a pass gives your viewers unlimited access to any video or collection you want to include (even new livestream content).
- Subscriptions. Creators can bundle videos or livestreams into packages that renew monthly or annually. Customize subscriptions to earn recurring revenue from your video content.
Are there sales fees for gated content?
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Yes, but Switcher's gated content fees are simple: just $.99. That means $.99 per transaction for one-time passes. For subscriptions, it’s $.99 per subscriber per month.
Stripe charges additional payment processing fees — you can see a full breakdown of all gated content fees in our Help Center.
Do you have additional questions not answered above? We’d love to chat with you!
Existing user with a specific question? Head to the Help Center and we’ve got you covered!