What is latency, and why low latency matters
Latency is the delay between something happening in front of you and your viewers seeing it. Here is what it means, why keeping it low makes your stream feel live, and how to set it in Super Simple IRL.
What latency means
Latency is the delay between something happening in front of you and your viewers seeing it on their screens. It is sometimes called glass to glass, the time it takes to travel from your camera lens to the glass of a viewer’s display.
Low latency means a small delay, so what you do reaches your audience quickly. High latency means a longer wait before they catch up with the moment.
Why low latency matters for IRL
For IRL streaming, latency is what makes chat feel live. With low latency, you can read a comment and react to it in near real time, so the stream feels like a conversation rather than a broadcast.
When the delay is high, that back-and-forth gets awkward. You answer a question, but your viewers asked it many seconds ago, and by the time they see your reply the moment has passed. Keeping latency low keeps you and your chat in sync.
The latency tradeoff
SRT lets you set a latency window, which is a small buffer that gives the protocol time to recover lost packets before they are needed. That buffer is where the tradeoff lives.
- A bigger window is more resilient on shaky networks, because there is more time to resend anything that goes missing, but it adds delay.
- A tiny window feels instant, but it drops more easily on mobile, because there is barely any room to recover a lost packet.
There is no single right answer. It is a balance between staying stable and staying responsive.
Setting SRT latency in the app
In Super Simple IRL you can set the SRT latency to suit your connection. On mobile data, somewhere around 2 to 4 seconds is a good balance of resilience and responsiveness.
Raise it if your connection is rough, so the protocol has more room to recover. Lower it if your connection is rock solid, so chat stays as live as possible.
Frequently asked questions
What is stream latency?
Latency is the delay between something happening in front of your camera and your viewers seeing it on their screens. It is sometimes called glass to glass. Low latency means a small delay.
Why does low latency matter for IRL?
Low latency lets you read chat and react in near real time, so the stream feels like a conversation. When the delay is high, back-and-forth with viewers gets awkward and slow.
What SRT latency should I use?
On mobile data, somewhere around 2 to 4 seconds is a good balance of resilience and responsiveness. Raise it if your connection is rough, and lower it if it is rock solid.
Does lower latency mean more drops?
It can. A smaller latency window feels instant but gives the protocol less time to recover lost packets, so it drops more easily on shaky mobile networks. It is a balance.