How to Set Up IPTV on Google TV, Android TV and Android Phones (2026)

Which devices does this guide cover?

Any TV, box or stick with Google Play on it, plus Android phones and tablets. Two versions of the TV software exist. Google TV is the newer one, with a “For you” home screen. Android TV is the older look, still found on the Nvidia Shield and older sets. The apps are the same; only a few menu names differ.

Not every Hisense runs Google TV: many run VIDAA instead. If your Hisense home screen doesn’t say Google TV, use the Hisense VIDAA steps. An Amazon Fire TV has its own Fire TV Stick setup guide.

What do you need before you start?

• Your device, signed in to a Google account, with system updates installed (on Google TV: Settings > System > About > System update).
• Your IPTV Rich login: username, password and server URL.
• Internet at the TV of about 5 Mbps per HD stream, 10 Mbps for Full HD or 25 Mbps for 4K.
• Ten minutes. A phone helps: you can read the login on it while you type.

How do you install TiviMate on Google TV or Android TV?

TiviMate is built for TV screens and remotes, which makes it our first pick here. Google’s own help explains how to install apps on Google TV; these are the same steps with TiviMate.

1. Search for the app. On the home screen select Search, or press the Assistant button on the remote, and say or type TiviMate.
2. Install it. Select TiviMate IPTV Player in the results, then Install. On Android TV, open the Google Play Store app and search there.
3. Add your playlist. Open TiviMate, choose Add playlist, then Xtream Codes.
4. Enter your login. Type the server URL, username and password exactly as sent, then Next. TiviMate shows how many channels and movies it found.
5. Name it and finish. Call the playlist IPTV Rich and select Done. The TV guide fills in over a minute or two.
6. Add favourites. Long-press OK on a channel such as TSN 1 or CTV and add it to Favourites, so your evening channels sit at the top.

The free version plays live channels. TiviMate Premium, bought through the TiviMate Companion app on an Android phone, adds extras such as catch-up, recording and multi-view. Try the free version during your trial first.

Which other apps work on Google TV?

IPTV Smarters Pro or XCIPTV

1. Install from Google Play. Search for the app and check the developer name matches the official app’s website before you install.
2. Choose the Xtream login. In Smarters, pick Login with Xtream Codes API. Other apps call it Xtream Codes or XC.
3. Enter your details and load. Any name, then username, password and server URL. Open Live TV and wait for the first load.

IBO Player

IBO Player shows a MAC address and device key on the TV, and you add the playlist on its website. Its activation fee after the trial goes to the app maker. The steps are in our MAC activation section.

How do you sideload an app that isn’t in Google Play?

You rarely need to. If a player you want isn’t in Play for your device, Downloader (in Google Play) can install it. Rules for apps from outside Google Play are getting stricter on Android, so if you can do everything from Play, do.

1. Install Downloader from Google Play. Search for Downloader and install the app by AFTVnews.
2. Turn on developer options. Go to Settings > System > About, scroll to Android TV OS build and press select on it seven times.
3. Allow Downloader. On Google TV, go to Settings > Apps > Security & restrictions > Unknown sources and switch Downloader on. On older Android TV, it’s under Settings > Device Preferences > Security & restrictions.
4. Download from the official site. Type the player’s official download address in Downloader, install, then delete the installer file.

Menu names vary a little by brand: Sony and TCL sometimes move Security under a different heading. If you can’t find it, message us with the TV model.

How do you set up IPTV on an Android phone or tablet?

1. Open the Play Store. Search for IPTV Smarters or another player that supports an Xtream Codes login, and install it.
2. Paste your login. Copy the username, password and server URL from your login email and paste each one. Pasting avoids most typos.
3. Load and test. Open Live TV, wait for the first load, then play a channel.
4. Watch your data. On mobile data, HD uses about 1.5 to 2 GB an hour, so a three-hour hockey game can use around 5 GB. Pick SD in the app, or stay on Wi-Fi.

Want it on the big TV? Installing the player on the TV itself plays better than casting from a phone, which sends the stream over Wi-Fi twice.

What are the best settings for IPTV on Google TV?

How do you free up storage on Google TV?

A Chromecast with Google TV has 8 GB of storage, and a full device gets slow and drops apps from memory mid-game. The Google TV Streamer has 32 GB and rarely runs short.

1. Clear the player’s cache. Go to Settings > Apps, select your player and choose Clear cache. Don’t choose Clear data unless you’re ready to add your playlist and favourites again.
2. Uninstall what you don’t use. In Settings > Apps, open apps you haven’t touched in months and select Uninstall. Games take the most space.
3. Delete installer files. If you sideloaded anything, open Downloader and delete old downloads from its file list.
4. Restart. Settings > System > Restart clears memory and finishes any pending clean-up.

What if IPTV won’t play on Google TV or Android?

No channels after logging in

Check the server URL: it needs http:// and the port number exactly as sent. Edit the playlist and refresh it.

“Invalid login” or error 401

Re-add the login by copy and paste. Capitals matter. See IPTV error codes explained for 403 and 509 errors.

Buffering, freezing or a slow menu

Restart first: Settings > System > Restart. Then force-stop apps you aren’t using under Settings > Apps, and update apps in Google Play. Google’s fix a slow Google TV page lists the same steps. If streams still stall, follow the IPTV buffering fixes and try a different DNS: see the best DNS for streaming in Canada.

Empty or wrong TV guide

Force a guide update in the player’s settings. If times are off by an hour or more, check the device’s time zone. More in EPG not updating.

Still stuck? Send the device model and a photo of the error in live chat. The other device guides are on the IPTV installation guide page. To compare 1, 2 and 3-screen options, see an IPTV subscription paid by Interac, or start from our best IPTV Canada overview.