How to Set Up UPI Alerts on Your Live Stream (Complete Guide 2026)

What Are UPI Alerts on a Live Stream?

UPI alerts are on-screen notifications that appear on your live stream whenever a viewer sends you money through a UPI app like Google Pay, PhonePe, or Paytm. They typically show the donor's name, the amount they sent, and an animated graphic with a sound effect — making the donation feel special and encouraging others to donate too.

Here's how the flow works:

1. A viewer sends money to your UPI ID using any UPI app
2. Your phone receives the payment notification
3. Stream Alert reads the notification and extracts the donor name and amount
4. The donation data is sent to your streaming software in real time
5. A beautiful animated alert pops up on your live stream for everyone to see

Unlike platform-specific monetisation features like YouTube Super Chat or Twitch Bits, UPI alerts let you accept donations directly into your bank account with zero platform fees. The money is yours instantly.

What You Need Before Starting

Before you set up UPI alerts, make sure you have the following:

That's it. You don't need any special hardware, capture cards, or paid subscriptions to get started. Stream Alert's free plan supports UPI donation alerts out of the box.

Step 1: Create a Stream Alert Account

Your Stream Alert account is the hub that connects your phone (which receives UPI payments) to your streaming software (which displays alerts).

1. Visit streamalert.in on your PC or phone
2. Click "Sign Up" in the top right corner
3. Enter your email address and create a password
4. Verify your email address
5. Log in to your new dashboard

Once logged in, you'll see your dashboard with your unique alert URL. This URL is what you'll add to your streaming software later. It looks like:

Keep this URL private. Anyone with this URL can see your donation alerts. If it gets shared accidentally, you can regenerate it from your dashboard settings.

Step 2: Download the Android App & Connect

The Stream Alert Android app runs on your phone and listens for UPI payment notifications. It's the bridge between your UPI payments and your stream overlay.

1. Open the Google Play Store on your Android phone
2. Search for "Stream Alert" or visit the direct Play Store link
3. Install and open the app
4. Log in with the same account you created on the website
5. The app will prompt you to grant Notification Access — this is required

Granting Notification Access

When the app asks for notification access, it will take you to your phone's system settings:

1. Find "Stream Alert" in the notification access list
2. Toggle it ON
3. A warning dialog will appear — tap "Allow"
4. Return to the Stream Alert app

Why is this safe? Stream Alert only reads the text of payment notifications from UPI apps you select. It does not access your bank account, UPI PIN, transaction history, or any other sensitive data. Everything is processed locally on your phone.

Step 3: Set Up Your UPI Payment Details

Now tell Stream Alert which UPI apps to listen to. You can enable one or all of them — Stream Alert supports all major UPI apps simultaneously.

1. In the Stream Alert app, go to Settings → UPI Apps
2. Enable the UPI apps you want to use for receiving donations
3. Make sure notifications are turned ON for each app in your Android settings

Google Pay Setup

• Enable "Google Pay" in Stream Alert's UPI Apps settings
• Your viewers will send money to your GPay UPI ID (e.g., yourname@okaxis)
• For high-volume streams, consider using GPay Business for better privacy and higher limits
• Read our full guide: Google Pay Donation Alerts for Streaming

PhonePe Setup

• Enable "PhonePe" in Stream Alert's UPI Apps settings
• Viewers send to your PhonePe UPI ID (e.g., yourphone@ybl)
• Make sure PhonePe notifications are fully enabled in Android settings

Paytm Setup

• Enable "Paytm" in Stream Alert's UPI Apps settings
• Viewers send to your Paytm UPI ID (e.g., yourphone@paytm)
• Paytm notifications must be enabled — check Settings → Apps → Paytm → Notifications

Pro tip: Enable all three UPI apps to give your viewers the most choices. The more payment options you offer, the more donations you'll receive. Share your UPI IDs on screen or in your stream description so viewers know where to send.

Step 4: Add the Alert Widget to Your Streaming Software

This is where the magic happens. You'll add your Stream Alert URL as a browser source in your streaming software. The process is similar across OBS Studio, Streamlabs Desktop, and StreamElements OBS.Live.

First, copy your alert URL from the Stream Alert app or your web dashboard. Send it to your PC via WhatsApp, Telegram, email, or any method you prefer.

Adding to OBS Studio

1. Open OBS Studio on your PC
2. In the Sources panel, click the + button
3. Select "Browser"
4. Name it "UPI Donation Alerts" and click OK
5. Paste your Stream Alert URL in the URL field
6. Set Width to 800 and Height to 600
7. Check "Control audio via OBS"
8. Check "Refresh browser when scene becomes active"
9. Click OK

For detailed OBS configuration including positioning, audio routing, and multi-scene setup, read our complete OBS UPI donation alerts guide.

Adding to Streamlabs Desktop

1. Open Streamlabs Desktop on your PC
2. In the Sources section, click the + button
3. Choose "Browser Source"
4. Click "Add New Source" and name it "UPI Donation Alerts"
5. Paste your Stream Alert URL
6. Set Width to 800 and Height to 600
7. Click "Done"

Streamlabs Desktop handles browser sources the same way as OBS. The alert URL works identically in both applications.

Adding to StreamElements OBS.Live

1. Open OBS Studio with the StreamElements OBS.Live plugin installed
2. In the Sources panel, click + → "Browser"
3. Name it "UPI Donation Alerts"
4. Paste your Stream Alert URL
5. Set dimensions to 800x600
6. Enable audio control and scene refresh options
7. Click OK

Since StreamElements OBS.Live is a plugin for OBS Studio, the browser source setup is identical to regular OBS.

Step 5: Customize Your Alerts

Default alerts work great, but customizing them makes your stream stand out and feel unique. You can change everything from the alert image to the sound to the text-to-speech voice.

Alert Image / GIF

• Log in to your Stream Alert dashboard at streamalert.in
• Go to Widget Settings → Alert Box
• Upload a custom GIF or image that plays when a donation comes in
• Popular choices: coins dropping, party confetti, your channel logo animating, or gaming-themed GIFs
• Recommended GIF size: under 2MB for smooth playback

Alert Sound

• Upload a custom sound effect that plays with each donation alert
• Keep it short (2-5 seconds) so it doesn't overlap with rapid donations
• Supported formats: MP3, WAV, OGG
• Adjust the volume from your dashboard so it doesn't overpower your stream audio

Text-to-Speech (TTS)

• Enable TTS to have donation details read aloud on stream
• Supports Hindi and English voices
• Configure what gets read: donor name, amount, or both
• Adjust TTS volume independently from alert sounds
• Great for gameplay streams where you can't look at the screen to see alerts

Alert Text & Formatting

• Customize the message template (e.g., "{name} donated ₹{amount}!")
• Change font size, color, and style to match your stream theme
• Set the alert duration (how long it stays on screen)
• Configure minimum donation amount to trigger alerts

Step 6: Test Your Setup

Never go live without testing first. Here's a complete testing checklist:

Quick Test (Test Alert Button)

1. Open the Stream Alert app on your phone
2. Tap the "Test Alert" button
3. Watch your OBS/Streamlabs preview — the alert should appear within 1-3 seconds
4. Confirm the animation, sound, and text all display correctly

Full Test (Real UPI Payment)

1. Ask a friend to send ₹1 to your UPI ID via GPay, PhonePe, or Paytm
2. The payment notification should trigger a real alert in your streaming software
3. Verify the donor's name and amount display correctly
4. If TTS is enabled, confirm the audio plays through OBS
5. Check the alert doesn't overlap with your webcam, game UI, or other overlays

Recording Test

Start a test recording in OBS and trigger a test alert. Play back the recording to see exactly what your viewers will experience. Pay attention to:

• Is the alert text readable at your stream resolution?
• Is the sound effect volume balanced with your other audio?
• Does the alert position look good?
• Is there any visual glitch or black border around the alert?

Platform-Specific Tips

UPI alerts via Stream Alert work on every streaming platform because they run through your streaming software, not through the platform itself. That said, each platform has some quirks to keep in mind.

YouTube Live

• YouTube is the most popular platform for Indian streamers, and UPI alerts work perfectly alongside Super Chat
• Position alerts in the top-center to avoid the chat and info bar at the bottom
• You can share your UPI ID in the live chat description or as a pinned comment
• YouTube supports high bitrates (6000-8000 Kbps at 1080p), so alert animations look crisp
• Full guide: UPI Donation Alerts on YouTube Live

Twitch

• UPI alerts work alongside Twitch's built-in Bits and Subs — just position them separately
• Avoid the bottom area where Twitch overlays its mobile chat on the video player
• Add your UPI ID to your Twitch panels below the stream or use a chat command (!upi)
• Indian viewers on Twitch often prefer UPI over Bits because there are no fees
• Full guide: UPI Donation Alerts on Twitch

Instagram Live

• Instagram Live requires a vertical canvas (1080x1920) if streaming via RTMP through OBS
• Place alerts in the top 50% of the screen — Instagram's UI covers the bottom with comments and hearts
• Use a smaller browser source (600x400) to avoid overwhelming the vertical layout
• Share your UPI ID in your Instagram bio and story before going live

Kick

• Kick is growing fast in India and supports RTMP streaming through OBS
• Alert setup is identical to any other platform — add the browser source to OBS and stream to Kick
• Position alerts in the top-center or top-right to avoid Kick's UI elements
• Since Kick doesn't have a built-in donation system for India, UPI alerts through Stream Alert are the best option

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Alerts Not Showing in OBS

• Check the URL: Make sure you pasted the full Stream Alert URL correctly, with no extra spaces
• Source order: The browser source must be above your game/camera source in the OBS Sources list (higher = renders on top)
• Visibility: Confirm the eye icon next to the source is enabled
• Notification access: Open Stream Alert on your phone and verify notification access is still granted
• Refresh the source: Right-click the browser source → select "Refresh" or "Refresh cache of current page"

Alert Delay (More Than 5 Seconds)

• Phone internet: Make sure your phone has a stable Wi-Fi or 4G/5G connection
• Battery optimization: Disable battery optimization for both Stream Alert and your UPI apps (Settings → Apps → Battery → Unrestricted)
• DND mode: Turn off Do Not Disturb on your phone, or add UPI apps as exceptions
• Background restrictions: On Xiaomi/MIUI, Samsung, or Realme phones, check for additional background app restrictions and disable them for Stream Alert
• PC internet: Ensure your PC's internet connection is stable — high latency can delay alerts

Sound Not Playing

• OBS audio control: Make sure "Control audio via OBS" is checked in the browser source properties
• Audio mixer: Check the OBS Audio Mixer — make sure the browser source is not muted and the volume slider is up
• Audio monitoring: To hear alerts in your headphones, right-click the audio source → Advanced Audio Properties → set monitoring to "Monitor and Output"
• Monitoring device: In OBS Settings → Audio, verify the monitoring device matches your headphones
• Browser interaction: Some browsers require a user interaction before playing audio. Click "Interact" on the browser source once after adding it

Alerts Stop Working Mid-Stream

• Phone killed the app: This is the most common cause. Disable battery optimization and pin Stream Alert in recent apps
• Phone screen off: Keep your phone plugged in and the screen on during streams, or set a long screen timeout
• Wi-Fi disconnect: If your phone switches between Wi-Fi and mobile data, alerts may temporarily stop. Use a stable connection
• Refresh the source: In OBS, right-click the browser source and click "Refresh" to reconnect

Alert Shows Black Background Instead of Transparent

• This usually happens with older versions of OBS. Update to OBS Studio 28 or later
• Try toggling "Enable Browser Source Hardware Acceleration" in OBS Settings → Advanced
• Update your GPU drivers to the latest version

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is Stream Alert free to use?

Yes. Stream Alert offers a free plan that includes UPI donation alerts with all the core features — custom images, sounds, TTS, and browser source integration. There are no fees on donations. Premium plans add advanced customization and priority features.

Q: Does Stream Alert take a cut of my donations?

No. Stream Alert never touches your money. UPI payments go directly from your viewer's bank account to yours. Stream Alert only reads the notification to display it on your stream. There are zero fees, zero commissions, and zero deductions.

Q: Can I use multiple UPI apps at the same time?

Absolutely. You can enable Google Pay, PhonePe, Paytm, and other supported UPI apps simultaneously. Stream Alert will detect donations from all enabled apps and display them through the same alert widget. Your viewers can use whichever UPI app they prefer.

Q: Does it work on iPhone / iOS?

Currently, Stream Alert requires an Android phone because it relies on Android's Notification Listener API to read UPI payment notifications. iOS does not provide the same level of notification access to third-party apps. An iOS version is being explored for the future.

Q: Will my bank account get flagged for receiving too many UPI payments?

Personal UPI accounts receiving a very high volume of payments can sometimes trigger bank scrutiny. If you regularly receive more than 50 donations per stream, consider switching to a UPI Business account (Google Pay for Business, PhonePe Business, or Paytm Business) which are designed for high-volume transactions. This significantly reduces the risk of account flags.

Q: Can I use this without OBS? What about mobile-only streaming?

The browser source widget requires a desktop streaming application like OBS Studio, Streamlabs Desktop, or StreamElements OBS.Live. If you stream directly from your phone (e.g., using the YouTube or Instagram app), you cannot add browser source overlays. However, you can still use Stream Alert to track donations — just without the on-screen alert for your viewers.