Asked,
answered.

Hectic TV is a media player for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV and Apple Watch, made by Hectic Software Ltd and built only with Apple technologies. It plays live TV, films and series from sources you already have: an IPTV provider's M3U playlist or Xtream Codes login, your own Jellyfin server, single stream addresses, or video files on your device. Hectic TV was previously called StreamAll; it is the same app.

No. Hectic TV is a player, like a web browser for TV. It plays the playlists and servers you add and never includes, sells or recommends channels, playlists or streams. The only content it offers itself is five openly licensed sample films and a Free Films & Cartoons section of public-domain titles from the Internet Archive.

No. We don't recommend, sell or link to any providers, playlists or streams, and the help assistant won't either. Whether a stream is legal depends on where it comes from, so only add content you have the right to watch.

Hectic TV is on the App Store for iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV, with a companion Apple Watch app. It needs iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS 26, tvOS 26 or watchOS 26 or later. One download covers every device. A browser version, Hectic TV for the web, is in preview at watch.hectictv.app. Apple Vision Pro, Android, Fire TV, smart TVs (Samsung, LG, Hisense), Windows and Roku are planned but not released.

Email [email protected]. We usually reply within two working days. We can help with the app, but not with your provider's service, logins or channels.

Hectic TV is free to download and has no ads. The free version plays one playlist, with live TV, the guide, movies and series, Picture in Picture, AirPlay and parental controls. Hectic TV Pro is a one-time purchase, not a subscription: it adds unlimited playlists, iCloud sync between your devices, Multiview and guide translation. The price is shown in the App Store in your currency.

Open Settings → Hectic TV Pro → Restore Purchases, signed in with the Apple Account you bought it with. Pro works on all your devices.

Home → Add your TV → Xtream Codes. Enter the server your provider gave you (for example provider.com:8080; you can leave out http://), then your username and password, and tap Add. Channels load first; movies and series follow. Passwords are kept in your iCloud Keychain, never in the app's database.

Home → Add your TV → M3U Link and paste the address, or M3U File to pick a file from Files or iCloud Drive. M3U and M3U8 both work. Add a TV guide address too if your provider supplies one. Huge playlists import in the background, and favourites survive every refresh.

Yes. Home → Add your TV → Jellyfin. Enter the address you use to open Jellyfin in a browser (for example jellyfin.local:8096 or an IP address), then sign in with your password or with Quick Connect. Hectic TV reads your films, series, episodes and live TV channels with their guide, and plays them through Jellyfin's HLS stream, which the server converts when needed. Hectic TV keeps the server's access token in the Keychain, never your password.

The guide comes from your provider's XMLTV address (.xml or .xml.gz). If you leave it blank, Hectic TV uses the guide named in the playlist when there is one. You can add more under the playlist's More guide addresses. Programmes are matched to channels by tvg-id, or by channel name when that's missing.

Yes, on channels your provider archives. Home → Catch Up lists those channels; pick a programme from the last few days and it plays from the start. In the guide, tap a programme that's on now and choose Start Over. Catch Up depends on your provider offering an archive.

HLS (.m3u8), MP4 and MKV. MKV films are repackaged on your device, without re-encoding, so Apple's player can open them when they use codecs Apple devices decode. AVI isn't supported; if a film won't play, Hectic TV asks your provider for an HLS version, otherwise ask your provider for MP4.

Tap Watch on TV on Home, or the AirPlay button in the player. You'll see Apple TV and AirPlay-compatible smart TVs, plus AirPlay and Bluetooth speakers and headphones. Or install Hectic TV on Apple TV itself.

No. Hectic TV uses Apple technologies only, so it sends video with AirPlay rather than Google Cast. Many smart TVs support AirPlay.

Yes, with Hectic TV Pro. Multiview plays up to four channels at once on iPhone, iPad and Mac; tap a picture to hear it, long-press for full screen or to remove it. Multiview isn't available on Apple TV.

Yes. Home → Add your TV → Free Sample Films adds five openly licensed films in HD, plus channels that play them. They don't count towards the free playlist limit, and you can remove them in Settings → Playlists. Free Films & Cartoons offers public-domain titles from the Internet Archive, each credited.

With Hectic TV Pro, playlists, favourites, locks and history sync through your own private iCloud. Install Hectic TV on the other device, signed in to the same Apple Account, and it's all there; no codes. Make sure iCloud is on for Hectic TV in Settings.

Yes. On a FaceTime call, play a channel or film and choose SharePlay, or start it from Messages. Pause, scrub and next episode stay in sync for everyone, on Wi-Fi or mobile data. Videos stored only on your device can't be shared.

There's no Hectic TV screen in CarPlay yet. Sound from Hectic TV plays through CarPlay or Bluetooth like any audio, and the steering-wheel buttons change channel. A listening-only CarPlay app is planned and waits on Apple's CarPlay audio permission. Apple doesn't allow video on CarPlay screens.

Planned. Hectic TV for Android phones, tablets, Android TV and Fire TV is in development and not on Google Play or the Amazon Appstore yet. There's no release date.

Not yet. Early versions for Samsung (Tizen), LG (webOS) and Hisense (VIDAA) TVs, Windows and Roku exist in our code, but none is in a store. They're planned, with no release date. A browser version is in preview at watch.hectictv.app. Today Hectic TV is on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV and Apple Watch.

In preview. Hectic TV for the web is a browser player for your own M3U and Xtream playlists at watch.hectictv.app. It is not a finished release: Pro purchases aren't available there yet. It collects no data; your playlists stay in your browser.

Yes. Settings → Parental Controls lets you lock single channels or whole groups, and adult content is locked automatically (on by default). Unlocking uses a parental PIN when you set one, otherwise Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode, and locks again when you leave the app. You can hide locked items everywhere; on Apple TV locked groups are hidden.

Nothing. No accounts, analytics, advertising, tracking or third-party SDKs; the App Store label is Data Not Collected. Your library stays on your devices and, with Pro, in your own private iCloud, which we can't see. Xtream passwords are kept in your iCloud Keychain. The full policy is on the Privacy page.

Open Settings → Playlists → your playlist and check the guide address, or add another under More guide addresses. Some providers don't supply a guide at all; channels still play without one.

Apple devices play HLS (.m3u8) and MP4 natively, and Hectic TV tries Xtream .ts links as HLS automatically. RTMP, RTSP, UDP, RTP and MMS links can't be played by Apple's media engine. If a stream drops, Hectic TV reconnects and, if the same channel is in another of your playlists, switches to it. Try Settings → Playback → Stream Format → HLS, check your connection, or ask your provider whether your subscription allows more devices at once.