IPTV on a Fire TV Stick: Complete Setup Guide

The Amazon Fire TV Stick is the most popular way to watch IPTV in Canada, and for good reason: it's inexpensive, plugs into any TV with an HDMI port and runs the best IPTV players. Setup takes about ten minutes the first time. This guide covers every step, including the one Amazon hides.

Before you start

• Your Fire TV Stick set up and connected to the internet.
• Your IPTV login details (username, password and server URL) from your provider's welcome email.
• The Downloader code or address for your provider's recommended player. We send ours with your login.
• Ideally, a 4K or 4K Max model. The basic and Lite sticks work, but are slower with large guides.

Step 1: Unlock Developer Options

Amazon only lets you install apps from outside its store after you enable Developer Options, which newer Fire OS versions hide by default.

1. From the home screen, go to Settings (the gear icon) › My Fire TV › About.
2. Highlight your device name (for example "Fire TV Stick 4K") and press the select button seven times.
3. A message appears saying you're now a developer. Press Back and you'll see Developer Options in the My Fire TV menu.

Step 2: Install Downloader

1. Go back to the home screen and use the search (magnifying glass).
2. Type Downloader and install the orange app by AFTVnews.
3. Go to Settings › My Fire TV › Developer Options › Install unknown apps and switch Downloader to On.

Step 3: Install the player app

1. Open Downloader. Allow it to access files if asked.
2. In the address box, enter the code or URL your provider gave you for the player and select Go.
3. When the download finishes, choose Install, then Done. Don't open it yet.
4. Downloader will offer to delete the installation file. Say Delete to free up space.

TiviMate is the most popular choice for its cable-style guide. Other good players include IPTV Smarters-type apps and XCIPTV. If your provider recommends a specific app, use that one.

Step 4: Log in

1. Open the player from your apps list (hold Home › Apps if it isn't on the home screen).
2. Choose to add a playlist and select Xtream Codes.
3. Enter the server URL, username and password exactly as they appear in your email. The Fire TV remote makes typing slow; the Amazon Fire TV app on your phone includes a keyboard that makes it much easier.
4. Select Next. The app loads channels, then the TV guide and on-demand sections. The first load can take a couple of minutes.

Step 5: Settings that make a difference

• Favourites: long-press a channel to add it to favourites. Build a list of your 20 most-watched channels and you'll rarely scroll again.
• Hide categories: hide languages and regions you don't watch. The guide loads faster and feels less cluttered.
• Buffer size: in TiviMate, Settings › Playback › Buffer size. "Large" smooths out brief connection dips.
• Guide updates: set the EPG to update once a day, usually overnight.
• Autostart: some players can launch on start-up, so the TV opens straight to live channels like a cable box.

Keeping the Fire Stick fast

Fire TV Sticks have limited storage and memory, and they slow down as they fill up. Every few months:

1. Uninstall apps you no longer use.
2. Clear the cache of your heaviest apps (Settings › Applications › Manage installed applications).
3. Restart the stick (Settings › My Fire TV › Restart).

If you can, use an ethernet adapter. Amazon sells one, and third-party adapters work too. A wired connection removes most of the buffering people blame on their IPTV service. See our buffering guide for more.

If you get stuck

The most common snags are typos in the server URL, a player that won't install because storage is full, and a stick set to install unknown apps for the wrong app. Send support a photo of the screen and we'll point out what's wrong. You can also find steps for every other device in our setup guide.

Questions