IPTV on Android phone and tablet: install, sign in and cast

Before step 1: have these ready

• An Android phone or tablet signed in to Google Play, with about 200 MB of free storage
• The IPTV Jacom email with your username, password and server address (trial logins look the same)
• Home Wi-Fi, or a mobile plan with enough data for the hours you expect to watch away from home
• For casting only: a Chromecast, Google TV or cast-ready smart TV on the same Wi-Fi

How to set up an IPTV app for Android, step by step

1. Search Google Play for the player

   Open the Play Store, tap the search bar and type IPTV Smarters Pro. Check that the developer name matches the app maker's website, since look-alike apps come and go. Tap Install, then Open. No listing on your phone? Players such as OTT Navigator or Televizo also take Xtream Codes, and our roundup of IPTV player apps lays out the differences.

2. Only if Play has no listing: allow one APK install

   Download the APK from the app maker's own site in Chrome and tap the file. Android blocks it the first time: tap Settings in the pop-up, turn on Allow from this source, go back and tap Install. On a Samsung Galaxy the switch sits under Settings, Apps, the three-dot menu, Special access, Install unknown apps. Turn it off again afterwards.

3. Open the app and choose the Xtream Codes option

   Accept the terms of use. Some versions then ask whether this is a mobile or a TV device; pick Mobile. On the next screen tap Login with Xtream Codes API. If your email holds an M3U link instead, choose Load Your Playlist or File/URL and paste it there.

4. Copy and paste the login, then tap Add User

   Any Name is a label for you, so "My phone" works. For the other three fields, skip the tiny keyboard: long-press the username in the email, tap Copy, then long-press the field and tap Paste. Do the same for the password and the server address, so the http:// part and the port number arrive intact. Tap ADD USER.

5. Let the lists download and play a channel

   A progress screen runs while the app pulls in live channels, movies and series, usually for under two minutes on Wi-Fi. If a list of users appears, tap yours. From the dashboard tap Live TV, a category, then a channel. Turn the phone sideways and tap the picture to fill the screen.

6. Load the programme guide

   Tap Install EPG on the dashboard (some builds keep it in Settings). Show names then appear beside each channel. If they are off by whole hours, first fix the phone's time zone under Settings, System, Date & time, and only then try EPG Timeshift in the player's settings.

7. Stop the battery saver from closing the stream

   Battery savers can close the player and cut the sound when the screen dims. Open Settings, Apps, IPTV Smarters Pro, Battery, and choose Unrestricted. On Samsung phones also open Settings, Battery, Background usage limits, and take the player out of Sleeping apps.

8. Star the channels you watch most

   Long-press a channel and tap Add to Favourite. A Favourites group then sits at the top of Live TV, which beats thumbing through 55,000+ channels. The channels page shows every category if you want to plan your list first.

How much mobile data does IPTV use on a phone?

Count on roughly 1 to 1.5 GB for each hour of HD on mobile data, and 2 to 3 GB an hour in Full HD. A three-hour hockey game on cellular can swallow 5 GB or more, a big share of many Canadian phone plans.

Set a warning so a game never surprises you. On a Pixel: Settings, Network & internet, SIMs, your carrier, Data warning & limit. On a Samsung: Settings, Connections, Data usage. Our answer on how much data IPTV uses has the numbers for TVs as well.

How do I cast IPTV from an Android phone to a TV?

Tap the Cast icon inside the player, or use the screen-mirroring tile in Quick Settings, and choose your TV. The phone and the TV device must share the same Wi-Fi network, or the TV will not show up in the list.

1. Cast icon (best). Start a channel, tap the rectangle-with-waves icon at the top of the player and pick the Chromecast or Google TV. The TV fetches the stream itself, so you can lock the phone. Many builds of IPTV Smarters Pro show this icon; some do not.
2. Screen mirroring (fallback). Swipe down twice and tap Screen cast on a Pixel or Smart View on a Samsung. The whole phone screen appears on the TV, pop-up messages included, and the phone must stay awake.

Either way it counts as one stream. If casting stutters, install the player on the TV device itself, as our Android TV and Google TV guide shows. The Chromecast article on Wikipedia lists which TVs and streamers have casting built in.

Tips to watch IPTV on a tablet

A tablet is the most comfortable small screen for IPTV: a bigger picture, a bigger battery and room for the guide next to the video.

• Picture-in-picture. Switch it on under Settings, Apps, Special app access, Picture-in-picture, and the game keeps playing in a corner.
• Kids' tablet. Lock adult and late-night categories with the parental control described in our IPTV Smarters Pro walkthrough.
• Prefer a keyboard and a bigger screen? A laptop works too; see the Windows and Mac guide.