Add a Playlist to TiviMate: M3U & Xtream

TiviMate plays channels but does not supply them. Everything you see in the app comes from a playlist issued by an IPTV provider, so adding one is the first thing the app asks for after installing. This guide covers each of the three methods and the handful of mistakes behind nearly every failed login. TiviMate is a third-party player by Armobsoft FZE.

What Your Provider Should Have Sent You

After you subscribe, a provider sends one or both of the following:

• Xtream Codes details — a server address beginning with http:// or https://, often ending in a port number such as :8080, plus a username and a password.
• An M3U link — one long web address that contains the same username and password inside it.

A few providers use a Stalker portal instead, which pairs a portal address with a device identifier. If you are unsure which you have, the Xtream Codes versus M3U comparison shows how to recognise each.

Method 1: Add a Playlist with Xtream Codes

1. Open TiviMate. On a fresh install, choose Add playlist; otherwise open Settings → Playlists → Add playlist.
2. Select Xtream Codes.
3. Enter the server address in full, including http:// and the port number if one was given.
4. Enter the username and password. Both are case-sensitive.
5. Leave the option to include on-demand content switched on if you want films and series.
6. Select Next. TiviMate checks the login, then processes the channel list.
7. Give the playlist a name and select Done.

With this method the programme guide address is filled in for you. The background on how the login works is in the Xtream Codes API explainer.

Method 2: Add an M3U Playlist

1. Open Settings → Playlists → Add playlist and select M3U playlist.
2. Enter the full M3U link. Typing a long address with a remote is slow; the companion method below is easier.
3. Select Next and wait for the list to load.
4. If the app asks for an EPG address, enter the guide link your provider supplied. Some M3U files carry it already.
5. Name the playlist and finish.

You can also load an M3U file from local storage rather than a web address, but a local file never updates, so channels that move will stop working until you replace it.

Method 3: Stalker Portal

Choose Stalker Portal, enter the portal address, and note the device identifier TiviMate displays. Your provider has to register that identifier against your account before channels appear. This method is mostly used by services built around MAG set-top boxes.

Easier Typing: Paste from a Phone

Long server addresses are where mistakes happen. Two ways to avoid typing them with a remote:

• On Fire TV and Google TV, the manufacturer’s phone remote app lets you type or paste into any text field on the television.
• A Bluetooth or USB keyboard connected to the box works in every field.

Why a Playlist Fails to Load

After the Playlist Loads

• Hide what you do not watch. A playlist with tens of thousands of entries is slow to browse. In the playlist’s settings, switch off the groups for countries and categories you will never open.
• Build favourites. Hold the select button on a channel to add it to a favourites group.
• Set the update interval. A daily automatic update keeps channel changes from catching you out.
• Back it up. Once everything is arranged, back up TiviMate so a reset does not cost you the work.