Your tablet is a stream deck

Dedicated stream decks are great hardware - but they answer "which button did I map that to?" A tablet running OBS Blade answers the questions you actually have mid-stream: which scene is live? Is my mic muted? Am I dropping frames? What is chat saying? And it switches everything, too. If you have a tablet in a drawer, you already own the better device.

Why a tablet beats a button box

• It shows real state, not just buttons. A hardware key has a tiny icon. OBS Blade shows which scene is program, live volume meters on every input, your bitrate and dropped frames, and a preview of what viewers see - while you control it.
• It's a screen you already own. No purchase, no USB cable, no desk real estate for a single-purpose box. (If you're weighing the options, the full comparison covers where dedicated hardware still wins.)
• It does chat properly. Twitch, YouTube, Kick and Owncast chat live next to your controls - readable at a glance, answerable without a browser. Native, combined multi-platform chat with moderation is part of Pro.
• It adapts. Reorder the dashboard, hide what you don't use, and the layout rearranges itself - no printing new key icons.

The tablet dashboard

OBS Blade treats tablets as a first-class form factor, not a stretched phone app. On a wide screen the dashboard goes side-by-side: scenes and the live preview next to the audio mixer, stream stats and chat in view at the same time. One glance tells you the state of the whole production - the thing a grid of buttons fundamentally can't do.

Everything from the phone app is there: scene switching with studio mode, show/hide for every source, per-input faders with live meters, stream/record/replay buffer/virtual camera controls, profiles, scene collections and hotkeys.

Setting it up

1. Connect the tablet to OBS.

   Same as the phone: enable the WebSocket server in OBS (Tools → WebSocket Server Settings), put the tablet on the same Wi-Fi, and connect. The phone setup guide has the full walkthrough and troubleshooting - it's identical for tablets.

2. Turn on Wake Lock.

   In OBS Blade's settings, enable Wake Lock so the screen stays on while you stream. It's off by default to save battery - on a desk, plugged in, you want it on.

3. Check the layout - or force it.

   Wide tablets get the side-by-side dashboard automatically. If you're using a smaller tablet in portrait, or you simply prefer the big layout everywhere, enable Force Tablet Mode in the settings and the app will always use the wide composition.

4. Arrange your dashboard.

   Reorder the dashboard sections so the controls you touch most sit where your hand rests, and switch off the features you never use. It's your cockpit - two minutes here pays off every stream.

Desk setup tips

• Stand it next to your main monitor, at the same height. Eye-line matters: you want to glance, not look down. A cheap tablet stand at monitor height beats an expensive one on the desk.
• Keep it plugged in. Wake Lock plus a live preview and chat will drain a battery over a long stream. Route the charging cable behind the stand.
• Silence it. Enable Do Not Disturb (or the equivalent focus mode) while streaming - a notification banner over your scene buttons at the wrong moment is exactly the distraction you're trying to remove.
• Landscape, usually. The side-by-side layout shines in landscape. Portrait works, and Force Tablet Mode covers the cases where the automatic pick isn't what you want.
• Old tablets are fine. OBS Blade doesn't need much horsepower. The slow tablet from 2019 that's gathering dust is a perfect candidate.

Want the same control away from your desk - or away from home? The remote access guide shows how to reach OBS safely from anywhere.