How to Set Up 4K Video with DroidCam OBS

The short answer

Getting 4K from your phone into OBS through DroidCam OBS only works when every link in the chain supports it. Your phone's camera has to capture 4K, the DroidCam OBS app and the OBS plugin have to offer 4K as a resolution option, OBS has to be set to a 4K canvas and output, and the connection and computer have to keep up with the much larger video stream. If any one of these tops out at a lower resolution, the whole feed drops to that level, even when the other parts are set to 4K.

The single most decisive check is whether 4K appears as a selectable resolution in the DroidCam OBS source on your setup. If it is not listed, it is not available for your current combination of phone, app version and plan, and no OBS setting will add it. If it is listed but the picture still looks soft or stutters, the problem is further down the chain.

Conditions that change the answer

• Phone camera capability: if the phone cannot record 4K video in its own camera app, a webcam bridge cannot create 4K from it.
• App version and plan: which resolutions DroidCam OBS offers can depend on the app version and on whether certain features are part of a paid tier. No confirmed details on this were available for this guide, so check the current app listing and settings rather than assuming.
• Plugin and app versions matching: the phone app and the OBS plugin on the computer work as a pair, and an outdated side can limit options or prevent a connection.
• OBS video settings: OBS scales every source to its canvas and output resolution, so a 4K source in a 1080p canvas is shown and recorded at 1080p.
• Connection and computer performance: 4K video carries far more data than 1080p, so a weak Wi-Fi link or an overloaded computer can force lower quality, dropped frames or lag.

The order of checks

Work from the phone toward OBS. This way you rule out hard limits first and avoid adjusting OBS settings for a resolution the source can never deliver.

• 1. Confirm the phone records 4K: open the phone's built-in camera app and look for a 4K video option. If there is none, the target is not achievable on that phone, and 1080p is the practical ceiling.
• 2. Update both sides: install the current DroidCam OBS app on the phone and the current DroidCam OBS plugin in OBS on the computer, then restart OBS.
• 3. Check camera permission on the phone: the app needs permission to use the camera. If it was denied, the phone will show no camera feed or an error, which is a permission problem rather than a resolution problem.
• 4. Confirm OBS detects the phone: in OBS, add or open the DroidCam OBS source and make sure it finds and connects to your phone. Detection failing points to the connection or plugin, not to resolution.
• 5. Select the resolution in the source: open the DroidCam OBS source properties and choose 4K if it is offered. If it is missing, revisit steps 1 and 2 and check whether the app version or plan limits it.
• 6. Set OBS to 4K: in OBS, go to Settings, then Video, and set both the Base (Canvas) Resolution and the Output (Scaled) Resolution to 3840x2160. Then resize the DroidCam OBS source to fill the canvas.
• 7. Prefer a stable connection: if the image stutters or quality drops at 4K, try a USB connection if your setup supports it, or move to a stronger, less congested Wi-Fi network.
• 8. Check the computer's load: watch the OBS status bar for dropped or skipped frames. If they rise at 4K, the computer may be struggling to decode and encode the stream; closing other heavy programs or lowering the frame rate can help.

Video and audio are separate paths

Setting up 4K affects only the camera video. If you also want to use the phone's microphone, treat it as a separate audio input: the phone app needs microphone permission, and OBS needs the correct audio source selected and unmuted in the Audio Mixer. A working 4K picture with no sound, or sound with no picture, means one path is set up and the other is not, so check each on its own.

Recording versus streaming in 4K

A 4K canvas in OBS does not guarantee a 4K result everywhere. A local recording follows your OBS output and encoder settings. A live stream also depends on what the streaming platform accepts and on your upload speed. If your recording is 4K but the stream is not, the limit is in the streaming settings or the platform, not in DroidCam OBS.

What this guide could not confirm

No verified specifications were available for this guide. That includes which DroidCam OBS versions or plans unlock 4K, which phones are supported, and minimum connection or computer requirements. Treat the steps above as an order of checks, not as a guarantee of 4K on your hardware. The resolution list inside the DroidCam OBS source is the most reliable indicator of what your setup can actually deliver.