Canon launches an iOS app for multicam streaming with iPhones and iPads

That Canon is interested in video and streaming features is logical and even obvious. All the latest Canon bodies (like EOS R1 or EOS R5 Mark II) allow, for example, to recover the live video stream via USB-C (to be seen as a webcam by a computer in a way) and it is possible to send this stream to streaming solutions like OBS Studio or even directly to a broadcast platform like YouTube or Twitch.

The manufacturer even has video product categories dedicated in part to this use, we naturally think of their range of motorized PTZ cameras.

But today, Canon is innovating and surprising with the launch of a free application that allows you to manage multicam streaming (with several cameras, therefore) compatible only with iPhones and iPads, at least for the moment!

The app Live Switcher Mobile offered by Canon can therefore wirelessly retrieve up to 3 video streams from iPhone and/or iPad running iOS (16, 17 or 18) and offers content creators the possibility of being able to dress up and personalize these streams video, to switch (go) live from one stream to another and to send the final stream to broadcast platforms.

It allows, roughly speaking, to do wirelessly what a BlackMagic Atem Mini or a RodeCaster Video (in HDMI) or even an advanced configuration of OBS Studio (in USB-C) can achieve.

Live Switcher Mobile is offered for free, but there is a paid subscription version which opens the door to certain features, such as image overlays, the disappearance of watermarks and advertisements or even support for FHD. This monthly subscription is priced at 19.99 euros.

It's hard to believe that Canon only developed this technology for users of Apple smartphones and tablets. It is a safe bet that, in the near future, this application will also become directly compatible with Canon mirrorless cameras. We will probably know more at CP+ (the Japanese photo fair) in a few weeks.