TiviMate Backup and Restore: Move Devices

Setting TiviMate up properly takes time: hiding groups, ordering favourites, matching guide data, tuning options. All of that lives on the device, and a factory reset or a replacement stick wipes it. A backup turns an evening’s work into a two-minute restore. TiviMate is a third-party player by Armobsoft FZE.

What a Backup Contains

Because the file contains your provider login, treat it as you would a password. Do not post it in a forum or share it with anyone you would not give the login to.

How to Back Up TiviMate

1. Open Settings → General.
2. Select Backup data.
3. Choose where to save the file. Internal storage works, but a USB drive is better because it survives a reset of the device.
4. Confirm. The app writes a single backup file named with the date.

If the app asks for permission to access storage, allow it; without that it cannot write the file. Menu wording varies slightly between versions.

Getting the File Off the Device

A backup stored only on the device it protects is lost along with it. Ways to keep a copy elsewhere:

• USB drive. Save directly to it, or copy the file across with a file manager app. On a Fire TV stick this needs an OTG adapter.
• Cloud storage. A file manager that connects to cloud accounts can upload the file from the device.
• Network transfer. Apps that send files between a phone and a television over Wi-Fi move it without any cable.

How to Restore TiviMate on a New or Reset Device

1. Install the app — the TiviMate install guide covers each device.
2. Skip or cancel the add-playlist prompt.
3. Sign in to your TiviMate account from the settings so Premium is active on this device.
4. Copy the backup file to the device, or plug in the USB drive that holds it.
5. Open Settings → General → Restore data and select the file.
6. Let the app restart. Playlists and the guide reload from the provider, which can take a few minutes.

Moving Between Different Kinds of Device

The same file restores across Fire TV, Android TV, Google TV and NVIDIA Shield. Two things do not carry over cleanly. Storage paths differ between devices, so set the recordings folder again after restoring. And settings that depend on hardware — auto frame rate, decoder choice — may need changing if the new device behaves differently.

If Restore Fails

• The restore option is locked. Premium is not active. Sign in first, and if the account is at its device limit, remove an old device.
• The file does not appear in the picker. It is in a folder the app cannot see, or was renamed. Move it to the top level of internal storage or the USB drive and keep its original name.
• Channels are missing after restoring. The backup restored your setup, but the subscription in it may have expired or changed address. Update the playlist; see add a playlist to TiviMate.
• The guide is empty. Guide data is downloaded again rather than restored. Give it a few minutes, then see TiviMate EPG not updating.

Without Premium

On the free version, keep your provider’s details somewhere safe and re-enter them after a reset. With a single playlist and no custom groups, that takes only a few minutes. The value of backup rises with how much arranging you have done, which is why it sits with the other organising features in TiviMate Premium.

For the options worth configuring before you take that first backup, see the TiviMate settings guide.