Short answer: TiviMate's TV guide (EPG) is controlled from two places: the guide sources attached to each playlist, and the TV guide section of Settings, where you set how often it updates, how many past days it keeps and any time offset. Get four settings right (one source per playlist, a 24-hour update interval, one past day kept, and per-source time shift instead of changing the clock) and most guide problems disappear. The catch: an empty guide row is almost never TiviMate's fault. It means the channel's ID in your playlist doesn't match any entry in the guide file, and the fix is a manual match, not a reinstall.
At a glance
TiviMate's TV guide in brief
| Where it lives | Settings → TV guide / EPG, and per playlist |
| Update interval | Every 24 hours is plenty |
| Past days to keep | 1 (more only if you use catch-up) |
| Wrong times | Per-source time shift, not the TV clock |
| Empty rows | Match the channel to a guide entry manually |
| Free vs Premium | Premium extends the guide and allows more sources |
How TiviMate builds its guide
"TiviMate guide" can mean two things: a guide to the app, or the app's TV guide itself. This article is the second. For first-time installation, see our TiviMate setup guide; for a tour of every screen, our TiviMate user guide.
TiviMate doesn't produce programme listings. It downloads an XMLTV file, a large list of channels and their programmes, and matches each channel in your playlist to a channel in that file using an ID. Three things therefore decide whether your guide looks right:
- The source. Xtream-style logins usually include a guide automatically. M3U playlists may point to one inside the file, or your provider may give you a separate guide address.
- The match. Each playlist channel carries an ID (often called tvg-id). If it matches an ID in the XMLTV file, listings appear. If not, the row is empty.
- The timing. XMLTV times include a time zone. If the provider gets it wrong, programmes appear an hour or more out.
Our EPG explainer covers the XMLTV format in more depth.
Adding and ordering guide sources
In recent versions, guide sources are managed per playlist: open Settings → Playlists, pick the playlist and look for its EPG or TV guide entry, or use the TV guide section of Settings, depending on your version. Menu labels have shifted between releases, so look for "EPG" or "TV guide" if the wording differs.
Use the provider's own guide first. It was built for that playlist, so IDs match. Only add a second source to fill gaps.
More sources isn't better. Every source is downloaded and parsed in full. Two overlapping 100 MB guide files on a Fire TV Stick make start-up slow and memory tight, and when both list a channel, the one TiviMate prefers may not be the one you want. Premium allows several sources; keep it to two at most.
Use the right URL. Guide addresses usually end in .xml or .xml.gz. If your provider's instructions mention a "url-tvg" in the playlist, TiviMate can pick that up automatically. Our EPG URL guide explains where providers hide it.
The update settings worth changing
These live in the TV guide (EPG) section of Settings. Defaults are reasonable, but these values suit most households better:
| Setting | Suggested value | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Update interval | 24 hours | Listings rarely change more often; frequent updates slow cheap devices |
| Update on app start | Off | Stops a long download every time you open the app |
| Update on playlist change | On | Keeps guide and channel list in step after edits |
| Past days to keep | 1 | Saves memory; raise it only if you use catch-up from the guide |
| Time shift (per source) | Only if times are wrong | Fixes offset listings without touching the TV clock |
Those are also the values several long-running setup guides recommend, and they're a good baseline. If you watch catch-up regularly, set past days to match how far back your provider archives, usually three to seven days.
After changing sources, use the option to update the guide now rather than waiting for the next scheduled refresh.
Fixing empty rows: manual matching
An empty row with "No information" means the channel didn't match. Before blaming the provider, check whether it's a handful of channels or all of them.
A handful empty: long-press OK on the channel to open its options and look for the EPG or guide-matching entry. You can search the guide file for the right listing (for example "BBC One" rather than "BBC 1 HD") and attach it. TiviMate remembers the match for that channel.
All empty: the guide source isn't loading. Check the address, then force an update. If a browser on your phone can't open the URL either, the problem is at the provider.
Same channel, several versions: HD, SD and backup feeds can all be matched to one guide entry. Do it once on each.
For a full diagnostic of guides that won't load at all, see EPG not loading.
Wrong times and time zones
If every programme is exactly one hour out, it's almost always daylight saving time handled badly by the guide file, or a file built for another time zone.
Use the source's time shift. TiviMate lets you offset a guide source by whole or half hours. Apply it to that source only, so other sources stay correct.
Don't change the TV's clock or time zone. It will fix the guide and break everything else, including recordings, reminders and catch-up.
Check after the clocks change. In the US, daylight saving ends on the first Sunday of November. A shift that was correct in October can be an hour wrong the next week if the provider then fixes its file.
Making the guide look the way you want
The guide's appearance is set mostly under Settings → Appearance, with some options in the guide itself.
Grid or list. TiviMate offers the classic grid guide and a channel list with the current and next programme. Many people browse with the list and switch to the grid only to plan an evening.
Channel numbers and logos. Showing channel numbers makes it feel like cable and lets you jump by number. Logos can come from the playlist or the guide file; if they look mismatched, switch which source has priority.
Trim what the guide has to draw. Hidden groups disappear from the guide too. A guide of 150 channels you actually watch scrolls smoothly on any device; 8,000 channels don't.
Start in the guide. If you prefer, set TiviMate to open on the guide or a favourites group rather than the last channel. It's under the general start-up settings.
Using the guide: reminders, recording and catch-up
Reminders. Highlight a future programme and long-press OK to set a reminder. TiviMate shows a pop-up and can switch to the channel when it starts.
Recording (Premium). From the same menu you can record a single programme or set up a series rule. Add a few minutes of padding at each end; live schedules overrun. Our recording guide covers storage choices.
Catch-up. If your provider archives a channel, past programmes in the guide show a catch-up marker and play from the start. TiviMate can only show what the provider stores.
Guide problems at a glance
| Symptom | Most likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Every row empty | Guide source missing or not loading | Check URL, force update |
| Some rows empty | Channel IDs don't match | Manual match from channel options |
| Times one hour out | Time zone or DST error in file | Per-source time shift |
| Only a day or two of listings | Free version limit, or short provider file | Premium, or ask provider |
| App slow to start | Huge guide, update on start, many past days | Settings above; hide unused groups |
| Listings stop after a few days | Updates failing silently | Check source, update interval on |
One more 2026 note. TiviMate disappeared from Google Play in late July 2026 and the developer hasn't said why; existing installs keep working. Before reinstalling for any reason, back up your settings (Premium) so your channel matches and guide sources aren't lost, and only reinstall from the developer's official site.
Quick answers
How do I add an EPG to TiviMate? Open Settings, then Playlists or the TV guide section, select your playlist and add the XMLTV guide address your provider supplied. Xtream logins usually include a guide automatically.
Why is my TiviMate guide empty? Either the guide source isn't loading, or the channel IDs in your playlist don't match the guide file. If only some rows are empty, match those channels manually from their options menu.
How often should TiviMate update the EPG? Every 24 hours is enough for most providers. Turning off update on app start makes the app open faster.
How do I fix wrong times in the TiviMate guide? Apply a time shift to that guide source in TiviMate's settings. Don't change your TV's clock or time zone.
How many days of guide does TiviMate show? It depends on the provider's file and your version. The free version shows a shorter window; Premium extends it.
Can TiviMate use more than one EPG source? Yes, with Premium. Keep it to one or two sources, because each is downloaded and parsed in full.
Does TiviMate provide its own TV guide? No. TiviMate displays guide data from the XMLTV source attached to your playlist, usually supplied by your provider.
TiviMate's menu labels, guide limits for free and Premium users, and availability in app stores change between versions. Menu paths here follow recent 5.x releases and may differ slightly on yours. Checked October 2026.