A to Z.

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.

Hectic TV shows under the form what's missing. For Xtream you need a server, username and password. Addresses can be typed without http://; Hectic TV adds it. Remove any spaces you pasted by accident.

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.

Ally is the assistant inside the app. It runs on Apple's on-device model where Apple Intelligence is available and looks things up in your own library and the help articles: channels, what's on, films, series and how things work. It's free and private. Devices without Apple Intelligence get grounded answers from instant search.

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.

Yes. Turn on Require Face ID in Settings (Touch ID or your passcode on devices without Face ID).

Hectic TV runs natively on Apple TV with live TV, the guide, movies and series. Continue Watching and favourite channels appear in the Top Shelf. When typing, use the keyboard that appears on your iPhone, or use Hectic TV on iPhone or iPad as a remote. Locked groups are hidden on Apple TV.

Planned. A Vision Pro version is in the app's code but hasn't been released on the App Store yet. There's no release date.

It shows your favourite channels with what's on now, and works as a remote: play and pause, channel up and down, and tap a favourite to switch, for Hectic TV on your Apple TV or on your iPhone.

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.

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.

Yes. Type a channel number on a keyboard (or the number pad on the Apple TV remote screen), use Last Channel to flip back, and Jump to Live on channels with a timeline.

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.

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. Hectic TV uses Apple technologies only, so it sends video with AirPlay rather than Google Cast. Many smart TVs support AirPlay.

An opt-in setting on iPhone, iPad and Apple TV: when playback starts, Hectic TV dims the HomeKit lights you choose or runs a scene, and puts them back when it stops. Hectic TV doesn't touch HomeKit, not even the permission prompt, until you switch it on.

Swipe down on the video, or tap the chevron at the top left. Films and episodes use Apple's player: tap Done or swipe down. Swipe left or right on live TV to change channel (you can turn that off in Settings).

Many providers limit how many devices can stream at once on one subscription. That limit is set by your provider, not Hectic TV; ask them how many connections your plan allows.

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.

Yes. Hectic TV detects countries from your provider's group names. In Countries, choose the ones you watch and the rest stays out of the way. Channels show country flags and HD or 4K badges.

Settings → Connection shows how you're connected, has Data Saver (it limits stream quality on mobile data and Personal Hotspot), a Stream on Mobile Data switch, and Test Internet Speed, which measures against Hectic TV's own sample-film storage, never your provider.

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.

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. Hectic TV Pro is shared with your Family Sharing group, so everyone in it gets Pro without buying it again.

Long-press any channel and tap Add to Favourites. Home also builds rows from your own playlist, such as Live Sport and New Releases, by matching your provider's channel and category names. No server is involved.

Yes. Add a Hectic TV filter to a Focus in Settings → Focus, and the channel lists, guide and Home follow what that Focus allows.

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.

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.

A classic timeline grid with a live now line, Now and Next on channels, and a mini guide you can open over the picture while watching. You can choose 24-hour time in Settings.

Yes. Start a channel on iPhone and pick up the same channel on iPad or Mac.

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.

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. 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.

On Mac and iPad: Command-1 to 4 for Home, Live TV, Guide and Movies & Series, Command-F to search, Command-R to refresh, Command-P to play or pause, Command-Up and Down for channels, Command-L for the last channel, Command-Shift-P for Picture in Picture. In the player: Space plays or pauses, Up and Down change channel, M mutes and Esc closes.

The app is in English plus 36 other languages, including Arabic, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), French, German, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Turkish, Ukrainian and Urdu. It follows your device language. Siri phrases are English only for now.

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.

On iPhone, a Live Activity shows the channel that's playing on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island.

Yes. Home → Add your TV → Local Video plays films stored on your device.

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.

The Mac app has a sidebar layout, Multiview, a menu bar mini player, keyboard shortcuts for every main action, and Handoff with iPhone and iPad.

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.

Save films and series to My List, like or dislike titles for Because You Liked picks, and pick up where you left off in Continue Watching. Viewing history and insights are worked out on your device and, with iCloud, sync through your own account. On a shared Apple TV each tvOS user gets their own library.

Networks gathers every live channel and on-demand category from one broadcaster or streaming brand found in your own playlists into one place. Hectic TV shows names and colours only, no logos, and adds nothing your playlists don't contain.

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.

Tap the Picture in Picture button in the player, or go home while something plays. Live TV audio keeps playing with the screen locked; turn this off in Settings → Playback → Keep Playing in Background.

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.

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.

Choose Quick Connect when signing in to Jellyfin. Hectic TV shows a code; in Jellyfin on your phone or computer, open your profile → Quick Connect and enter it. No typing a password on the TV. Quick Connect must be turned on in Jellyfin's dashboard.

Playlists update on their own schedule (Settings → Playlists → your playlist → Refresh every), and on iPhone and iPad Hectic TV can refresh in the background. Tap the circular arrow on Home to update now. Very large providers can take about a minute the first time.

Purchases are handled by Apple, so refunds are requested from Apple at reportaproblem.apple.com. We never see your payment details.

Yes. Tap a future programme in the guide and choose Remind Me. You get a notification a few minutes before it starts; tapping it opens the channel. Reminders are local notifications; nothing goes to a server.

Yes. Hectic TV on iPhone or iPad can find Hectic TV on a nearby Apple TV and control it: what's on, big play and channel buttons, your channels one tap away, last channel, mute, subtitles, a number pad, the sleep timer, and a keyboard that types into Apple TV search.

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

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.

Smart search finds channels, films, series and countries, even with typos. It runs on your device.

Ask your provider for your Xtream server URL or M3U link; every provider has one. It looks like http://name.com:8080, or a long link containing get.php?username=. If your provider gave you a website address, try that as the server.

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.

Yes. Home → Add your TV → Single Stream. Paste one stream address (HLS .m3u8 or MP4) and tap Play; nothing is saved. YouTube links play in YouTube's own player.

Yes, with spoken phrases in English such as "Play BBC One on Hectic TV", "What's on Sky Sports in Hectic TV", "Continue watching on Hectic TV" and "Resume last channel on Hectic TV" (using channel names from your own playlist). The same actions are in the Shortcuts app.

Yes. In the first few minutes of an episode a Skip Intro button jumps ahead, and near the end Next Episode appears. Autoplay Next Episode can be switched off in Settings. Films and episodes resume where you left off.

Yes. Use the moon button in the player, or Sleep on the iPhone remote for Apple TV, to stop playback after a set time.

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.

Yes. Channels, My List and recent films appear in system search on iPhone, iPad and Mac; tap a result to play. Stream addresses are never put in the index.

Settings → Playback → Stream Format chooses how live channels are requested: Automatic, HLS (.m3u8) or MPEG-TS (.ts). Leave it on Automatic unless your provider asks you to change it.

In the player tap the speech-bubble button. Set preferred audio and subtitle languages in Settings → Languages & Subtitles and Hectic TV picks them automatically, with subtitles when the audio isn't in your language. Subtitle size and background are in the same place.

Settings → Playlists → your playlist → Time Shift. Move the guide by whole hours until programmes line up.

From your provider first. When it sends no description, Hectic TV looks the title up on Wikipedia, and series on TVmaze; only the title and year are sent, and you can turn this off in Settings. TMDB and OMDb are used only if you add your own keys. Trailers play in YouTube's official embedded player.

Yes, with Hectic TV Pro. Programme details in the guide can be translated on your device using Apple's Translation framework.

Yes. Some providers ask for a specific user agent. Set one for all playlists in Settings → TV Guide & Updates → User Agent, or for a single playlist in its own settings.

Yes, on iPhone and iPad. The Favourite Channels widget jumps straight into the channels you watch most, and the Resume control plays your last channel from Control Centre, the Lock Screen or the Action button.

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.