Short answer: TiviMate is a live-TV player built for Android TV and Fire OS devices, and it is still one of the best-regarded ways to watch a legitimate playlist with a proper TV guide. The catch many buyers miss is how narrow its device list is: there is no official version for iPhone, Samsung or LG televisions, Roku, Windows or Mac, and the newest Amazon sticks on Vega OS cannot install Android apps at all. Check your hardware before paying for Premium.
At a glance
TiviMate at a glance
| Made for | Android TV, Google TV, Fire OS |
| Not available on | iOS, Tizen, webOS, Roku, Windows, Mac |
| Content | None; you add your provider's playlist |
| Premium | Paid yearly or one-off; covers several devices |
| Standout features | TV-style guide, recording, catch-up |
| Vega OS Fire sticks | Appstore apps only |
What TiviMate is, and is not
TiviMate is a player app. It turns an M3U playlist or Xtream-style login into something that looks and behaves like a cable box: a grid guide, channel numbers, favourites and recording.
It contains no channels. Everything you watch comes from the provider you add. The developer says so plainly, and a copy of "TiviMate" that arrives with channels already loaded has been modified by someone else.
It is maintained by a small developer. Updates arrive through Google Play and the Amazon Appstore, and new features tend to appear gradually rather than in big redesigns, which suits people who want the app to stay familiar.
It is designed for a remote. The interface assumes a D-pad and a big screen, which is why it feels better on a TV than most players and worse on a phone.
For setup steps, see our TiviMate setup guide. This article is about where it runs and whether it suits you.
Which devices can run it
| Device | TiviMate? | Better choice if not |
|---|---|---|
| Google TV Streamer, Chromecast with Google TV | Yes, Google Play | n/a |
| Nvidia Shield TV | Yes, Google Play | n/a |
| Android TV televisions (Sony, TCL, Hisense Google TV models) | Yes, Google Play | n/a |
| Android TV boxes (Formuler, Buzz TV and others) | Usually | Box maker's own app |
| Fire TV Stick 4K Plus / 4K Max, Cube | Yes (Fire OS) | n/a |
| Fire TV Stick 4K Select, newer HD (Vega OS) | Only if in the Appstore for it | Appstore players |
| Samsung (Tizen), LG (webOS) TVs | No | TV-store players, or add a streaming stick |
| Roku | No | Roku channels; an Android device |
| iPhone, iPad, Apple TV | No | App Store players |
| Windows, Mac | No | Desktop players |
| Android phones and tablets | Not designed for them | Mobile-first players |
Beware of "TiviMate for Samsung" or "for iPhone". Any such download or listing is not from the TiviMate developer. At best it is another player borrowing the name; at worst it is malware or a subscription trap.
The features people pay for
The guide. A proper grid, with the ability to scroll days ahead and jump to a channel number. It handles large guides better than most players.
Recording. Premium adds scheduled and instant recording to local or network storage, depending on the device and your provider's terms.
Catch-up. Where your provider supports it, you can go back into the guide and play past programmes.
Multiple playlists. Several sources side by side, with one combined guide.
Customisation. Channel groups, hidden categories, favourites, custom logos and channel numbering.
Multi-view. Several channels on screen at once on capable hardware, useful for sport.
Free versus Premium
| Free | Premium | |
|---|---|---|
| Playlists | One | Several |
| Recording | No | Yes |
| Catch-up | Limited | Yes |
| Favourites and customisation | Basic | Full |
| Multi-view | No | Yes |
| Devices | One | Several on one account |
Pricing is set by the developer and has risen over time. At the time of writing, reports put Premium at roughly US$10 a year, with a one-off lifetime option around three to four times that bought through the developer's website. Check the current price inside the app before paying.
Buy only from the developer or official store. Premium is tied to a TiviMate account. "Lifetime Premium" sold by third parties can be revoked, and the refund route is gone with it.
Know what happens if you stop paying. Your playlists and settings stay, but Premium features such as recording, extra playlists and multi-view switch off until you renew.
Moving to a new device is simple. Sign in to the same TiviMate account on the new device and Premium follows, within the device limit.
Start with the trial. Premium usually includes a free trial, which is enough to see whether the guide works well with your provider.
Getting good performance
TiviMate is efficient, but a large playlist and a week of guide data still ask a lot of a cheap stick.
Trim the playlist. Hide groups you never watch. A list cut from thousands of channels to a few hundred loads faster and makes the guide usable.
Shorten the guide window. Keeping three or four days of EPG instead of fourteen reduces memory use and start-up time.
Update the guide once a day, not every few hours, unless your provider changes listings often.
Use Ethernet for recording and multi-view. Several simultaneous streams over Wi-Fi from behind a television is asking for trouble. A wired connection or a nearby mesh node makes a noticeable difference.
Pick the right device. The Nvidia Shield and Google TV Streamer handle multi-view and recording comfortably; entry-level sticks manage single-channel viewing well but can struggle with more.
Where recordings go
Internal storage fills fast. A single HD hour can take a few gigabytes, and many sticks have only 8 to 16GB free.
USB or network storage is better. Devices with a USB port can record to a flash drive or disk; others can record to a shared folder on a home network.
Check your provider's terms. Some licensed services restrict local recording and offer their own cloud DVR instead. Our IPTV recording guide covers the options.
Is TiviMate right for you?
Good fit: you already own an Android TV or Fire OS device, you watch mostly live channels, and your provider supplies a reliable guide.
Poor fit: your TV is Samsung or LG and you do not want another box; you mainly watch on phones; or you prefer films and series over live TV, where other players present on-demand libraries better.
Weigh the hardware cost honestly. If you need to buy a device to run TiviMate, a Google TV Streamer or Fire TV Stick 4K Max costs more than several years of Premium. Our TiviMate vs Smarters comparison helps if you are choosing between players.
What it needs from your provider
An M3U link or Xtream login. TiviMate does not support MAC-based portals, so a service designed for MAG boxes needs to issue one of these instead.
A guide (EPG) link. Many providers include it automatically with Xtream; otherwise it is a separate URL. A missing guide is the most common disappointment with TiviMate, and it is a provider issue rather than an app one.
Catch-up support on the server. TiviMate can only show what the provider archives.
Enough connections. Multi-view and recording while watching each use a stream. Check your plan's connection limit before relying on them.
Legitimate use
TiviMate is a lawful app, available in official stores. It is used with licensed services, free-to-air playlists, home media servers and business TV systems.
What decides legality is the source. A licensed provider names its company, states what it carries and offers normal consumer protections. Very cheap bundles of premium sport and film channels usually are not licensed.
Amazon and Google act on apps, not only providers. Modified TiviMate builds bundled with channels are among the apps Amazon screens and blocks on Fire TV.
Quick answers
What is TiviMate? A live-TV player for Android TV and Fire OS devices that turns your provider's playlist into a cable-style guide. It contains no channels itself.
Is TiviMate available on Samsung or LG TVs? No. There is no official version for Tizen or webOS. Use a player from your TV's store, or add an Android TV or Fire OS device.
Can I get TiviMate on an iPhone or Apple TV? No. The developer only makes it for Android TV. Apps using the name in the App Store are from other publishers.
Does TiviMate work on all Fire TV Sticks? It works on Fire OS models such as the 4K Plus and 4K Max. Vega OS models only run Appstore apps, so check the Appstore on that stick.
How much is TiviMate Premium? Prices change; at the time of writing reports put it around US$10 a year, with a one-off option through the developer's site. Check inside the app.
How many devices does Premium cover? Premium is tied to your TiviMate account and covers several devices, currently reported as up to five.
Does TiviMate support MAC portals? No. It uses M3U playlists and Xtream-style logins. Ask your provider for one of those.
TiviMate's prices, features and supported platforms are set by its developer and change over time, as do app-store policies on Amazon and Google devices. Checked September 2026.