IPTV for Android TV

What counts as Android TV

More devices than people expect:

• Televisions with Android or Google TV built in — Sony, Philips, TCL, Hisense and others.
• Streaming dongles such as Chromecast with Google TV.
• Set-top boxes, from budget Android boxes up to the Nvidia Shield.
• Fire TV devices, which run a fork of Android — covered separately under IPTV for Firestick because the install route differs.

If your television is a Samsung or an LG, it is not Android, and the app choice is narrower.

Which player to use

This is where the platform earns its reputation. TiviMate is widely considered the best live-TV experience on the platform: a proper channel grid, a fast guide and a layout designed around a remote. IPTV Smarters Pro is the better all-rounder if you also want movies and series in the same place. XCIPTV copes well with very large channel lists.

All three are compared in the best IPTV players guide.

Installing from the Play Store

1. Open the Google Play Store on your Android TV device.
2. Search for your chosen player and install it. Several IPTV players are available directly, which avoids sideloading entirely.
3. Open the player and add a new playlist or user.
4. Enter your Xtream Codes login or M3U URL exactly as we sent it.
5. Let the channel list and EPG download fully before browsing.

If a player you want is not in the Play Store for your region, it can be sideloaded the same way as on a Firestick.

Making it comfortable on a remote

A few settings are worth changing once and then forgetting:

• Set up channel groups or favourites so the list you actually watch is short.
• Turn on the channel grid or guide as the default screen if live TV is your main use.
• Enable auto-start if the device is only used for television.
• On boxes with an Ethernet port, use it — it is the single biggest improvement for live sport.

Frequently asked questions

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