FAQ

Is there a free trial?

Yes, in supported regions: the US, Canada, the UK and Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, Western Europe, the Gulf states, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Israel. There, every free account gets one 24 hour live trial with no card required. Starting it unlocks uploads: you get 7 days to upload your videos and set up your playlist, and the 24 hours only start when you first go live. During the trial your loop plays a short Loopcast ad once per pass, and we email you a few hours before it ends. Upgrade any time to remove the ad and keep streaming. Everywhere else, uploading and going live start with a plan, from $11/month, cancel anytime. Scheduling a broadcast for later requires Creator or Pro.

Do I need to connect my YouTube account?

No — you can always paste a stream key manually (find it in YouTube Studio → Go Live → Stream) instead. Connecting your YouTube account is free either way, and means Loopcast creates the broadcast automatically (title, description, privacy, scheduling), no stream key to copy. Real-time stream stats and AI title/description suggestions are Creator or Pro extras on top of that; custom thumbnails are free once connected.

What video formats work best?

MP4 (H.264) works most reliably, but you don't need to convert anything yourself — whatever you upload gets automatically converted to one consistent format in the background before it can join your live loop. That's not just for compatibility: your loop plays back-to-back clips without re-encoding on the fly, which is what keeps a 24/7 stream cheap and stable, but it only works if every clip in the playlist shares the exact same format. Converting everything up front means playback never stutters or drops when the loop switches from one video to the next, no matter what you originally uploaded. We accept MP4, MOV, AVI, MKV, WEBM, and WMV, along with most other common formats — very large or unusual files may just take longer to process, and if a file already matches our target format exactly, Loopcast skips re-encoding it and just does a quick pass-through instead.

My stream won't go live

Double-check your stream key is current — YouTube rotates it if you regenerate it in Studio. Also confirm you have at least one video uploaded and finished processing, and that you have an active Creator or Pro plan — Go Live is blocked without one.

The preview on my dashboard says “Video unavailable”, but my stream is live. Is something wrong?

No, your stream is fine. That message means the YouTube channel is set to not allow its videos to play on other websites, and the dashboard preview counts as another website. Viewers on YouTube aren't affected. To turn the preview back on, open YouTube Studio, go to Settings > Upload defaults > Advanced settings and tick Allow embedding, which covers future broadcasts. For the one that's live right now, open it in Studio, go to Details > Show more and tick Allow embedding there too.

My stream was live, then just stopped — what happened?

Two different things can cause this, and they look identical from your dashboard. If Loopcast's own infrastructure has a problem, we detect it and email you right away. But YouTube can also end a broadcast entirely on its own — most commonly a copyright claim or a policy strike on the video content itself — and there's no way for Loopcast to detect, prevent, or override that; it happens entirely on YouTube's side, often without any warning to us. You're responsible for only streaming video you own or otherwise have the right to broadcast. If a stream stops and you didn't get a Loopcast alert about it, check YouTube Studio's Copyright/Community Guidelines pages on the affected channel first.

Can I change the playlist while live?

Yes — add, remove, reorder, or trim a video and Loopcast picks it up automatically at the end of whichever clip is currently playing. No need to Stop and Go Live again.

Can I add the same clip to a playlist more than once?

Yes — hit the duplicate icon next to any playlist item to add another copy, no re-upload needed. Handy for weighting a clip to play more often.

Can I trim my videos?

Yes — click the play icon on any video in your library to open a preview with a drag-handle timeline scrubber. Set a new start/end point, save, and it re-processes in the background. If that video is already in your live playlist, the trimmed version takes over automatically at the next clip boundary.

Can I schedule a broadcast for later?

Yes, on Creator or Pro, once your YouTube account is connected — pick a date/time instead of hitting Go Live, and Loopcast creates the actual YouTube broadcast the moment that time arrives (nothing is created early). You'll get an email when it goes live, and you can cancel the schedule any time before then.

Can I set a custom thumbnail?

Yes, free on every plan once your YouTube account is connected — upload an image from the Broadcast details card and it applies to your current or next broadcast.

Does Loopcast add anything to my YouTube description?

Only one short line at the very end: “🔴 Live 24/7, powered by loopcast.cloud” with a link. It's always on during the free trial. On Creator it's on by default and you can turn it off any time in Settings; on Pro it's off unless you turn it on. Your own description text is never changed, and the setting applies to new broadcasts and every auto restart part.

Why does YouTube only keep 12 hours of my stream, and how do I keep every hour?

YouTube automatically saves a live stream as a replay only when it runs under 12 hours. Past that, its own help page warns the stream may not be captured at all, so a 24/7 loop keeps at most its first 12 hours. That matters because live watch time only counts toward the YouTube Partner Program's 4,000 public watch hours from a saved, public replay. Turn on Auto restart for replays (Creator and Pro, right under Go Live and Schedule) and Loopcast ends the broadcast and starts a fresh one every 6, 8 or 11 hours, so every part is saved and its hours count. Your video keeps playing; viewers see about 10 seconds of switchover. Keep the stream Public, since only public replays count.

Does auto restart guarantee my channel gets monetized?

No. It makes sure the watch time you earn is saved and counted, which you need before you can apply. YouTube still reviews every channel for repetitious and reused content before approving it, so varying your playlist, titles and thumbnails over time helps. Also worth knowing: live chat and the viewer count reset with each new part, and your channel's /live link always points at the current one. Auto restart works with a connected YouTube account, not a pasted stream key.

Is my stream key safe?

Yes — it's stored so only you can read or change it. We never display it back to you once saved; if you need to update it, just paste a new one.

Can I run more than one loop at once?

Yes, on Pro — your dashboard shows each stream as its own tab (rename them to keep track), and every stream gets its own independent playlist. Your uploaded videos stay in one shared library for the whole account, so the same video can appear in more than one stream's playlist at the same time. Creator is limited to one stream.

Do all my streams share one playlist?

No — each stream tab has its own playlist, so you can loop completely different content on each one. The video library itself is shared across your whole account: upload once, then add that video to any stream's playlist (or several at once).

Can I connect more than one YouTube channel?

Yes, on Creator and Pro. Both plans connect up to 3 YouTube channels (Pro gets one more for each extra stream slot you add). Use "Add another channel" under your YouTube account on the dashboard, then pick each stream's channel in its "Send to" menu while the stream is stopped. Creator runs one stream at a time, so you choose which channel it goes live on. Pro runs up to 3 streams at once, each on its own channel. Every connected channel gets the full treatment: Loopcast creates the broadcast, sets the thumbnail, shows stats and runs auto restart, separately per channel.

Can I stream to a different YouTube channel than my connected one?

Yes — each stream has its own YouTube / Manual key toggle. Leave it on YouTube to use a connected channel, or switch a stream to Manual key and paste a stream key from any channel's Studio, including one you don't manage yourself. Handy for a client's channel when you don't have their Google login; for channels you own, Creator and Pro can connect them directly instead.

Can I loop my playlist to Twitch, Facebook, or another platform instead of YouTube?

Yes — switch a stream to Manual key mode and paste a full RTMP URL (ingest address + stream key) instead of a bare YouTube key. Twitch and Facebook Live both work this way, as does any self-hosted RTMP server. Auto-created broadcasts, custom thumbnails, and analytics stay YouTube-connect-only, so a non-YouTube stream is otherwise identical: same 24/7 looping, same playlist editing, same reliability. Instagram and TikTok don't currently offer public RTMP access, so they're not reachable this way regardless of the tool.

Can I stream the same loop to YouTube and Twitch at the same time?

Not from a single stream — each stream slot has one destination at a time (YouTube-connected or one Manual key). If you want the same content live on two platforms simultaneously, run two separate stream slots (Pro supports multiple), each pointed at a different destination, with the same videos in both playlists.

How does pricing work?

Creator is $11/mo, Pro is $33/mo, both with an annual option at roughly 17% off. Pro's first month is $22 if you sign up on your own, or free for your first 14 days if you came through someone's referral link.

What happens if I cancel my subscription?

You can cancel anytime — your plan stays fully active (including any live stream) until the end of the period you already paid for, then your account drops back to the free/no-plan state. Your videos, playlists, and YouTube connection are all kept. Uploading new videos, Go Live and Schedule need a plan again until you subscribe.

Can I manage what emails I get?

Yes — head to Settings to toggle stream alerts and product update emails individually. Billing notices (receipts, failed payments, cancellations) always send, the same way every other subscription service handles account-of-record emails.

How do referrals work?

Your referral link is on the Settings page once you're a paying subscriber. Anyone who subscribes to Pro through it gets their first 14 days completely free (a payment method is still required at signup). Once they actually subscribe (not just sign up), you get a free month credited toward your own next bill.

Can I add more than 3 streams on Pro?

Yes — Pro accounts can buy extra stream slots for $7/mo each (up to 5 extra), from the Plan card in your dashboard. It takes effect immediately — no waiting on an email or a page refresh — and adjusts your existing subscription rather than starting a new one. Lower the count anytime; if you're using more streams than your new total allows, we stop the newest one(s) gracefully and email you which ones, while everything else keeps running.

Why doesn't my storage usage match the file size I uploaded?

Your storage bar reflects the converted file actually stored on our servers, not your original upload — see the format question above for why every video gets automatically converted to one consistent format. That conversion can make a file smaller or larger than what you uploaded, depending on how it was originally compressed, so don't expect the two numbers to match. The original file itself isn't kept once the converted version is ready.

I saw a Loopcast-powered stream using content that isn't theirs — how do I report it?

Use our Report Content page — no Loopcast account needed. Paste the YouTube link and describe the issue, and we'll investigate. See our Terms of Service for what happens to an account found in violation.

What happens if my account is found violating copyright or the Terms of Service?

We can suspend the account immediately: any live stream is force-stopped right away, any active subscription is canceled with no refund, and the account is blocked from streaming or uploading again until reinstated. You must own the rights to, or have permission to use, everything you upload — see our Terms of Service for the full policy.