On a TV box
- You navigate with a D-pad, not a finger
- The guide is the interface — the app opens on it
- The remote's back button is how you leave a channel
- Hardware decoding is often the problem when the picture is black
Installation
Mom IPTV on Android
On an Android phone, an Android tablet or an Android TV box, install TiviMate from the Play Store and sign in with your Xtream Codes — it takes about five minutes. On a TV box, pick a player that works with the remote; on a phone, any of them will do.
Your apps on Android
All of these are in the Google Play Store.
| App | Login type | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| TiviMate | M3U, Xtream Codes, Stalker portal | Free, with a paid premium tier | The best guide, and it also runs on Android TV boxes with a remote |
| IPTV Smarters Pro | M3U, JSON and Xtream Codes | Free | The simplest setup, and it runs on a phone and a TV box alike |
| OTT Navigator | M3U and Xtream Codes | Free, with a paid premium option | For people who want to change every setting |
| XCIPTV | Xtream Codes, EZServer and M3U | Free, with a paid version — varies | Records to internal or external storage |
| Perfect Player | M3U (other formats vary) | Free | Also plays other playlist formats |
| GSE Smart IPTV | Xtream Codes and M3U | Free | Runs on Android as well as on Apple devices |
The player comparison has the full list, and the setup guide covers the sign-in steps.
Android TV box, step by step
- 1
Open the Play Store on the box
Some cheap boxes ask you to sign in to a Google account first. Any account works — it is only so the store lets you install things.
[screenshot: the Play Store on the Android TV box]Alt: the Play Store on the Android TV box. - 2
Install a player that suits a remote
TiviMate is the safest choice because it was built to be driven with a D-pad. XCIPTV is the other one to try.
- 3
Add your subscription
Choose Xtream Codes — or M3U if that is what we sent — and enter the server, username and password.
[screenshot: the login form on the box]Alt: the login form on the box. - 4
Set the time zone
Set it to your own local zone — America/New_York,America/Chicago, America/Denver orAmerica/Los_Angeles depending on where you are.
- 5
Wait for the guide
A box has less memory than a phone, so the first guide build takes longer — up to a minute. Then open a channel and leave it running for a minute.
Android phone or tablet, step by step
- 1
Install from the Play Store
Open the Play Store on the phone and search for the player. Tap install, then open the app.
[screenshot: the player in the phone's Play Store]Alt: the player in the phone's Play Store. - 2
Add your subscription
Enter the server, username and password, or paste the M3U link. Set the time zone to your own local zone.
- 3
Turn the phone sideways for the guide
The guide is built for a wide screen. On a phone, landscape gives you the full grid and the now-and-next column.
- 4
Allow picture-in-picture if you want it
Android asks the app for permission the first time you use picture-in-picture. Allow it, and the video keeps playing when you switch apps.
- 5
Stop the phone sleeping over it
In Android Settings → Apps → your player → Battery, set it to unrestricted. Otherwise the screen can dim and the stream can stop mid-film.
[screenshot: the Android battery setting for the player]Alt: the Android battery setting for the player.
Phone or TV box? They are not the same
The same app behaves differently on the two, and most frustration on an Android box comes from treating it like a phone.
On a phone
- Turn the screen sideways for the guide
- Picture-in-picture keeps it playing when you switch apps
- Battery optimisation can stop a stream mid-film
- Casting comes from the phone, not from the app
The decoder setting that fixes a black screen
Lots of cheap Android boxes claim to decode 4K but cannot, and the result is a picture that stays black while the sound plays. It is nearly always the decoder, not the stream.
Open the player settings and look for Hardware decoding orDecoder. Turn hardware decoding off and let the app decode in software instead. It uses more processor and a little more power, but it works on hardware the manufacturer never really supported. If the picture is still black after that, try the other player from the table above.
One more thing worth knowing: on some boxes the streaming app is not a Play Store app at all. If the Play Store refuses to install anything, the box is locked down by whoever sold it to you, and the fix is to use the Google TV app and sign in with your phone.
What does not work on Android
- Samsung and LG televisions. They are a different platform — see the smart TV guide.
- Downloading an install file. We do not publish install files, and a file from anywhere else is a risk on a device that is usually connected to your TV.
- Casting from the box to a Chromecast. Android TV boxes generally cannot cast their app. Cast from your phone instead.
- Very old Android versions. Anything below Android 5 will not run the current players.
- Recording on every box. XCIPTV records to storage, but the box has to have some to spare.
If it does not work on a TV box: problem, cause, fix
| Problem | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| The picture is black but the sound plays | The box is decoding the stream badly | In the player settings, switch between hardware and software decoding. |
| Playback stops after a few seconds | The connection is dropping, or the buffer is too small | Raise the buffer size in the player settings, and use a wired connection if the box has one. |
| The guide is empty on the TV but works on the phone | The time zone on the TV is different from the one on the phone | Set the time zone on the TV to the same local zone you set on the phone. |
| "App not installed" on a cheap box | The box is locked to a single app store, or the file came from somewhere else | Install from the box's own Play Store instead. We do not publish download files. |
| The remote does nothing in the player | The app was not built for a TV remote | Use a player that is designed for a remote — TiviMate or XCIPTV — or install the Google TV app and sign in with a phone. |
On a phone instead
| Problem | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| The video plays small in a corner | The app is in picture-in-picture mode | Tap the expand icon, or turn off picture-in-picture in the app's settings. |
| It stops when the screen locks | Android is putting the app to sleep | In Android settings, set the app's battery use to unrestricted and turn off battery optimisation for it. |
| Casting does not find the TV | The phone and the TV are not on the same network, or the app does not support casting | Put both on the same Wi-Fi, and cast from the phone's screen rather than from the app. |
The troubleshooting page covers the problems that are not specific to Android, and thesetup guide covers the sign-in.
Setting up something else?
The same steps work on any device, but the app store and the settings are not the same.
Ready to watch?
Pick a plan, tap Buy Now, and we will send you a secure payment link in the chat with the login to put into the player.