TiviMate User Guide: Every Feature After Setup Explained

This TiviMate user guide is the manual for everything after setup: getting around the TV guide, building favorites and groups, using catch-up, recording, multi-view, parental locks, playback settings, backup and remote shortcuts. If you have not installed the app or added a playlist yet, follow our TiviMate setup guide first, then come back here. Menu names can change slightly between versions, so if a label differs on your screen, look for the closest match in Settings.

TiviMate is a player only. It ships with no channels, and what you can do with catch-up and the guide depends on what your provider supplies.

Free vs Premium: what you get

TiviMate’s store listing names its main features: an interface built for large screens, M3U, Xtream Codes and Stalker playlists, a grid TV guide, multiple playlists, favorites, catch-up, recording, search, parental controls and multi-view. Several of these, including recording, multi-view and multiple playlists, are Premium features.

Premium is bought through the official TiviMate Companion app on an Android phone and covers several devices. Annual and lifetime options have been offered at different times; check the current price in the Companion app rather than trusting old deal posts. Our TiviMate overview discusses whether it is worth it.

Navigating the TV guide

• Open the guide: press the Select (OK) button while watching to bring up the channel list, or open TV guide from the main menu.
• Move through time: press Right in the guide grid to see upcoming programs, Left to go back.
• Change group: press Left from the channel column to open the group list, then pick a category.
• Program details: select a program to see its description and options such as record, reminder or play from catch-up.
• Search: use the search entry in the menu to find a channel or program by name.

If parts of the guide are empty, that is an EPG issue covered in the setup guide, not a navigation problem.

Favorites and groups

A long-press of Select on a channel opens its options menu. From there you can add it to favorites, hide it, or open channel settings. Favorites appear as their own group, which makes it the best default view for everyday watching.

1. Add your daily channels to favorites with a long-press.
2. Reorder favorites from the favorites group options so the most used are at the top.
3. Hide whole groups you never watch from the playlist or group settings.
4. Rename or reorder remaining groups so sports, news and local channels sit together.

Fewer visible groups also make the app faster on lower-powered sticks.

Catch-up, recording and multi-view

Catch-up

Channels with catch-up show a marker in the guide. Move left in the grid to a past program and select it to play from the start. How many days you can go back is set by your provider, not by TiviMate.

Recording (Premium)

Select a program in the guide and choose Record, or schedule a series recording where offered. Set the recording folder in settings; on boxes with USB ports, an external drive is the better choice. Recording one channel while watching another needs two connections from your provider.

Multi-view (Premium)

Multi-view shows several channels on one screen, which is ideal for following multiple games. Start it from the playback menu, pick a layout and add channels to each tile. Each tile is a separate stream, so it uses one connection per tile and more bandwidth. Our NVIDIA Shield guide explains why a powerful box helps here.

Parental lock

Set a PIN in TiviMate’s parental control settings, then lock individual channels or whole groups. Locked content asks for the PIN before playing. Lock adult and late-night groups and hide them too, so they do not appear in the guide at all.

Playback settings worth knowing

For frame-rate matching to work, your device’s own setting must be enabled too. If buffering continues after changing the buffer size, check the network with our connection troubleshooting guide.

Backup and restore

TiviMate can save your settings, playlists and favorites to a backup file from its settings menu. Make a backup after you finish organizing groups, store it on a USB drive or cloud folder your device can reach, and use restore on a new device or after a reinstall. It saves you from rebuilding favorites one channel at a time.

Remote shortcuts

• Up and Down while watching: change channel.
• Select: open the channel list overlay.
• Long-press Select: channel options (favorite, hide, settings).
• Left while watching: open the groups or menu panel, depending on version.
• Number keys: on remotes that have them, jump straight to a channel number.

Shortcut behavior can be customized in the interface settings, so explore that menu if a button does not do what you expect.

Making TiviMate your daily TV

Once favorites, AFR and a backup are in place, TiviMate behaves much like a cable box. The quality you see still depends on the service you load. Our plan, IPTV Journal, is 12 months for $89 with an Xtream Codes login and EPG that work in TiviMate; see the plan details. IPTV technology is legal, but use a service that holds the rights to its channels.

FAQ

Is there an official TiviMate user guide?

TiviMate’s official site and store listing describe the features but do not publish a full manual. This guide covers the main features after setup; menu names may differ slightly between versions.

How do I add favorites in TiviMate?

Long-press the Select button on a channel and choose the favorites option. Favorites then appear as their own group that you can reorder.

Does TiviMate record for free?

No. Recording is a Premium feature, bought through the TiviMate Companion app. It also needs a provider that allows enough connections and a storage location.

Why is catch-up missing on some channels?

Catch-up depends on your provider. Only channels where the provider stores past programs show the catch-up marker, and the number of days varies by channel.

How do I move TiviMate to a new device?

Create a backup from TiviMate’s settings, save it to a USB drive or cloud folder, install TiviMate on the new device and restore the file. Sign in to your Premium account to unlock Premium features there.