How to Show UPI Donation Alerts on YouTube Live (2026)

Why UPI Donations Instead of Super Chat?

YouTube Super Chat is the default way viewers support streamers on YouTube Live. But there's a massive problem for Indian creators — YouTube takes a 30% cut of every Super Chat. That means if a viewer sends you ₹1,000, you only receive ₹700.

With direct UPI donations through Stream Alert, you keep 100% of every donation. That same ₹1,000 goes straight to your bank account. No middleman, no fees, no waiting for YouTube's payment cycle.

Here's a quick comparison of what you earn over a month:

As you can see, the more you earn, the more you lose to Super Chat fees. At ₹1 lakh per month in donations, you're losing ₹30,000 to YouTube — that's a significant chunk of your income.

What You Need Before Starting

Before you set up UPI donation alerts for your YouTube Live stream, make sure you have:

• An Android phone — Stream Alert currently works on Android devices
• A UPI app installed — Google Pay, PhonePe, Paytm, or BharatPe
• OBS Studio (or Streamlabs) installed on your PC
• A YouTube channel with Live Streaming enabled
• A stable internet connection on both phone and PC

If you don't have YouTube Live Streaming enabled yet, go to YouTube Studio → Settings → Channel → Feature eligibility and enable it. Note that new channels may need to wait 24 hours after enabling.

Step 1: Install Stream Alert

Stream Alert is a free Android app built specifically for Indian streamers. It reads UPI payment notifications on your phone and instantly displays them as beautiful alerts on your live stream.

How to Install

1. Open the Google Play Store on your Android phone
2. Search for "Stream Alert" or visit the direct Play Store link
3. Tap "Install" and wait for the download to complete
4. Open the app once installation finishes

The app is lightweight (under 20MB) and works on Android 8.0 and above. It does not require root access.

Step 2: Connect Your UPI App

Stream Alert works by reading payment notifications from your UPI apps. When someone sends you money via GPay, PhonePe, or Paytm, the notification is captured and converted into an on-screen alert.

Grant Notification Access

1. Open Stream Alert and go to Settings
2. Tap "Notification Access"
3. You'll be redirected to Android's Notification Access settings
4. Find "Stream Alert" in the list and toggle it ON
5. Confirm the permission dialog

Why is notification access needed? Stream Alert reads the text of UPI payment notifications to extract the donor's name and amount. It does not read any other notifications or store personal data. The app works entirely on your device — no data is sent to any server.

Select Your UPI Apps

In the Stream Alert settings, select which UPI apps you want to monitor for donations:

• Google Pay (GPay) — Personal and Business accounts supported
• PhonePe — Personal and Business accounts supported
• Paytm — Personal, UPI, and Business (Paytm for Business) supported
• BharatPe — Merchant payments supported

You can select multiple apps. If a viewer sends money to your GPay while another sends to PhonePe, both donations will trigger on-screen alerts.

Step 3: Get Your Alert URL

Stream Alert generates a unique browser source URL that you add to OBS. This URL displays the donation alerts on your stream.

1. In the Stream Alert app, go to the main dashboard
2. You'll see your unique alert URL (looks like https://streamalert.in/alert/your-unique-id)
3. Tap "Copy URL" to copy it to your clipboard
4. Send this URL to your PC (via WhatsApp, email, or any method)

Important: Keep this URL private. Anyone with this URL can see your donation alerts. If you accidentally share it publicly, you can regenerate a new URL in the app settings.

Step 4: Add Browser Source in OBS

Now we'll add the donation alert overlay to OBS Studio so alerts appear on your YouTube Live stream.

Adding the Browser Source

1. Open OBS Studio on your PC
2. In the Sources panel at the bottom, click the + button
3. Select Browser from the list
4. Name it something like "UPI Donation Alerts" and click OK
5. In the URL field, paste your Stream Alert URL
6. Set Width to 800 and Height to 600
7. Check the "Refresh browser when scene becomes active" checkbox
8. Click OK to save

Positioning the Alert

After adding the browser source, position it where you want alerts to appear:

• Top center — Most common placement, doesn't block gameplay
• Top right — Works well if you have a webcam in the top-left
• Bottom center — Less common but keeps the top clean

Drag the source to your preferred position and resize it by dragging the corners. Make sure the alert area doesn't overlap with your webcam or important gameplay elements.

Step 5: Test Your Alerts

Before going live, always test your alerts to make sure everything works correctly.

1. Open the Stream Alert app on your phone
2. Tap the "Test Alert" button
3. Watch your OBS preview — a test donation alert should appear
4. Check that the alert is visible, properly positioned, and not cut off
5. If you have TTS (Text-to-Speech) enabled, confirm the audio plays through OBS

If the test alert doesn't appear, check the troubleshooting section below.

Pro tip: Ask a friend to send you ₹1 via UPI while you're testing. This confirms the entire flow — from real UPI payment to on-screen alert — works end to end.

Step 6: Go Live on YouTube

With everything set up, you're ready to go live on YouTube with UPI donation alerts.

1. In OBS, go to Settings → Stream
2. Select YouTube - RTMPS as the service
3. Click "Connect Account" or paste your Stream Key from YouTube Studio
4. Go back to the main OBS window and click "Start Streaming"
5. In YouTube Studio, set your title, description, and thumbnail
6. Make sure the Stream Alert app is running on your phone with the screen on (or battery optimization disabled)

Share Your UPI ID with Viewers

To receive donations, viewers need your UPI ID or a QR code. Here are the best ways to share it:

• Add it to your stream overlay — Create a panel showing your UPI ID
• Pin it in YouTube chat — Pin a message with your UPI ID and a note like "Donations appear on screen!"
• Add it to your video description — Include your UPI ID in the live stream description
• Use a QR code overlay — Display a small QR code that viewers can scan

When a viewer sends money to your UPI ID, the donation alert will automatically appear on your YouTube Live stream within seconds.

Supported UPI Apps for YouTube Live Streaming

Stream Alert supports all major UPI apps used in India. Here's what works for YouTube streamers:

Recommendation: If you're just starting out, use your existing personal GPay or PhonePe account. Once you start receiving more than 30-50 donations per stream, consider switching to a Business account to avoid transaction limits and potential bank flags.

Super Chat vs UPI Donations: Detailed Comparison

Let's break down exactly how Super Chat and direct UPI donations compare for YouTube streamers in India:

The biggest advantage of UPI donations is that any channel can accept them — you don't need 1,000 subscribers or YouTube Partner Program membership. Even brand new streamers can start earning from day one.

Advanced Tips for YouTube Streamers

1. Use Both Super Chat and UPI Together

You don't have to choose one or the other. Keep Super Chat enabled for viewers who prefer it, and add UPI as an additional option. Many successful Indian streamers offer both. International viewers can use Super Chat while Indian viewers use UPI.

2. Set Up Donation Goals

Create a donation goal overlay in OBS (using a progress bar widget) that fills up as donations come in. This gamifies the donation experience and encourages more viewers to contribute. For example: "Goal: ₹5,000 for new microphone!"

3. Acknowledge Every Donation

When a donation alert pops up, always thank the donor by name. This makes them feel valued and encourages others to donate too. Even a simple "Dhanyavaad, [name] bhai! ₹100 aaya!" goes a long way.

4. Enable Text-to-Speech (TTS)

Stream Alert supports TTS in Hindi, English, Tamil, Telugu, and more. When enabled, the donation amount and donor name are read aloud on your stream. This is hugely popular in Indian streaming — viewers love hearing their name spoken during a live stream.

5. Use a Business UPI Account

If you're receiving many donations per stream, switch to a Google Pay Business or Paytm Business account. This gives you higher transaction limits, keeps your personal phone number private, and reduces the risk of your bank account being flagged for unusual activity.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Alerts Not Showing in OBS

• Make sure the Stream Alert app is running on your phone (not killed by battery optimization)
• Check that notification access is enabled for Stream Alert
• Verify the browser source URL in OBS matches the one in the app
• Right-click the browser source in OBS → Properties → click "Refresh cache of current page"
• Ensure your phone and PC are connected to the internet

Alerts Appear Delayed

• Disable battery optimization for the Stream Alert app (Settings → Apps → Stream Alert → Battery → Unrestricted)
• Make sure your phone's Do Not Disturb mode is off
• Check your internet speed — a slow connection can cause delays
• Close unnecessary apps on your phone to free up resources

Browser Source Shows Black Screen

• Update OBS Studio to the latest version
• Delete the browser source and re-add it with a fresh URL
• Disable hardware acceleration in OBS (Settings → Advanced → uncheck "Enable Browser Source Hardware Acceleration")

Some Donations Not Detected

• Ensure the UPI app's notifications are enabled in Android settings
• Check that the specific UPI app is selected in Stream Alert settings
• Some custom ROMs or phone brands (Xiaomi, Realme, Oppo) aggressively kill background apps — add Stream Alert to the "autostart" list

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Stream Alert free to use?

Yes, Stream Alert is free to download and use. There are no hidden charges or commission on your donations. You keep 100% of every UPI payment you receive.

Do I need YouTube Partner Program to accept UPI donations?

No! That's one of the biggest advantages. Super Chat requires YouTube Partner Program (1,000 subscribers + 4,000 watch hours), but UPI donations through Stream Alert work on any channel, regardless of size.

Will my YouTube account get banned for using UPI donations?

No. Accepting UPI donations is completely independent of YouTube. You're simply sharing your UPI ID with your audience. YouTube does not prohibit this, and thousands of Indian streamers do it every day.

Can I use Stream Alert on iPhone?

Currently, Stream Alert is available only on Android. iOS does not allow apps to read notifications from other apps due to Apple's strict privacy policies. An iOS version is being explored for the future.

What if someone sends a fake payment screenshot?

Stream Alert only triggers alerts from actual UPI payment notifications delivered by your bank or UPI app. Fake screenshots or manually created notifications cannot trigger alerts. The app verifies the notification source.

Can I customize the alert design?

Yes! Stream Alert offers multiple alert themes, custom colors, sound effects, and animation styles. You can match the alerts to your stream's branding and aesthetic.

Does it work with YouTube Shorts Live?

If you're streaming YouTube Shorts via OBS (using the vertical format), yes — the browser source will work the same way. Just adjust the positioning for the vertical layout.

How many donations can it handle per minute?

Stream Alert can handle a high volume of donations. Alerts are queued and displayed one by one, so even if 10 donations come in within a minute, each one will be shown on screen in sequence.