IPTV on iPhone, iPad and Apple TV

The restriction that works in your favour

On Apple devices, apps come from the App Store and nowhere else. Every awkward conversation about APKs, unknown sources and downloader apps simply does not arise. The trade-off is a smaller choice of players and a small one-off charge for most of the good ones — which, for software you use every evening, is not much of a trade-off at all.

Setting it up

1. Search the App Store for an IPTV player. Look for recent updates and a sensible number of ratings.
2. Open its playlist or portal screen and enter the details we sent.
3. On Apple TV, use the iPhone keyboard when it offers itself — typing on the Siri Remote is punishment.
4. Let the list load, then test two channels for five minutes each.

Handy details

• Handoff typing. When an Apple TV asks for text, a notification appears on a nearby iPhone letting you type there. It turns a five-minute password into ten seconds.
• AirPlay. You can start on the phone and throw it to the television, which is a quick way to test before installing anything on the TV itself.
• Picture in picture. On iPad this genuinely earns its keep — sport in the corner while you do something else.
• Screen Time. If children share the iPad, Apple's own restrictions are better than most players' parental controls.

Apple TV as the family box

An Apple TV is an expensive way to watch IPTV and a very good one. It stays quick for years, the App Store keeps players updated, and it is the least likely device in the house to end up with something unwanted installed on it. If you already own one, use it. If you are buying purely for this, an Android box does the same job for a quarter of the money.

If a channel plays on the phone but not the Apple TV

Usually a codec the tvOS player handles differently, or the connection limit — if the phone is still playing, a one-connection subscription will refuse the second stream. Stop playback on the phone and try again before assuming anything is broken.