Catch-up TV How to Watch Catch-Up TV with Xtream Codes on iPhone and iPad

Replay past programs from your Xtream Codes provider's archive on iPhone and iPad. How catch-up works and the steps in Stream Master.

By the Stream Master team · Published

To watch catch-up TV on iPhone or iPad, you need an Xtream Codes login from your provider and a channel that the provider archives. In Stream Master, open a Live TV category and tap the grid icon in the toolbar to switch to the TV guide. Then tap any past program with a light-green background and a green rewind icon, and it plays from the start. Catch-up is free in Stream Master, so you don’t need Pro.

What catch-up TV actually is

Catch-up lets you go back in the TV guide and watch a program that has already aired. It is also called timeshift, TV archive or replay. The archive is kept on your provider’s server for selected channels, and your player asks the server for a specific past segment.

In the Xtream Codes API, each channel’s stream data includes two fields, tv_archive and tv_archive_duration:

  • "tv_archive": 1 means catch-up is switched on for that channel.
  • tv_archive_duration says how far back the archive goes. Developer sources describe it as the number of days kept.

Playing a past show works much like playing a live stream. The difference is that the request includes a start time and a duration, and the panel handles it through its timeshift endpoint.

Catch-up is not the same as recording. A recording is a file you make yourself and keep. In Stream Master, recording is a Pro feature. Catch-up is your provider’s archive, and it is only there for as long as the provider keeps it.

Why catch-up needs an Xtream Codes login

Archive is optional on Xtream panels, both for the panel as a whole and for each channel. When it is switched on, the API tells the app which channels have a replay window and how to request a past segment. Apps that support the Xtream API natively can call that timeshift endpoint directly.

Plain M3U playlists work differently. In an M3U file, catch-up has to be declared on each channel line with attributes such as catchup, catchup-days and catchup-source, and both the provider and the app have to support them. Stream Master takes its TV guide and catch-up from the Xtream Codes provider. In practice:

  • Plain M3U playlists get no TV guide and no catch-up in Stream Master.
  • The app can’t load a separate XMLTV/EPG URL.
  • Some M3U links contain Xtream credentials, such as get.php?username=...&password=... or a /username/password/ path. Stream Master converts these to an Xtream playlist automatically, so catch-up works on archived channels.

If you only have a plain M3U link, ask your provider for Xtream login details: a portal URL, a username and a password. Our guide to what Xtream Codes is explains the difference in more detail.

How far back can you go?

There is no single standard. The provider sets the archive length for each channel, and it commonly runs from about one day to a week. Some reference points:

SourceArchive length mentioned
XUI ONE panel tutorialSet per channel as Timeshift Days. 1 day is recommended to save storage, and catch-up storage typically ranges from 24 hours to several days
Xtream API example7 days
Kodi IPTV Simple docs5 days, used as an example
Zattoo Replay (licensed service, for comparison)Past 7 days

Two channels in the same playlist can have different windows, and some channels may have no archive. Only your provider can tell you the real figures for your line.

Step by step: replay a past program in Stream Master

1. Add your Xtream playlist

If you haven’t already:

  1. Open the Playlists tab and tap +.
  2. Choose Xtream Login.
  3. Enter a Playlist Title, Xtream Username, Xtream Password and Xtream Portal URL.
  4. Wait while the app checks the connection, verifies your credentials and loads categories and channels.

When loading finishes, you’ll see counts for Live TV, Movies and Series, plus your account status and expiry date. The full walkthrough is in How to Add and Manage IPTV Playlists in Stream Master.

2. Open the TV guide grid

Go to Live TV and open a category. In the toolbar, tap the grid icon. The channel list changes to the EPG grid: a channel column alongside a 24-hour timeline, already scrolled to the current time. Tap the list button whenever you want the plain channel list back.

3. Find programs you can replay

Scroll back along the timeline to earlier programs. The ones you can replay have a light-green background and a green rewind icon. Everything else in the grid means something different:

What you seeWhat it means
Light-green block with green rewind iconPast program in the archive. Tap to replay from the start
Highlighted blockThe program airing now
Bell iconA program that hasn’t started yet. Tap to set a reminder
”No Information”Your provider sends no guide data for this channel

The bell only appears on programs that haven’t started and the rewind icon only on past ones, so reminders and catch-up never share a block. For more on reminders and the grid itself, see How to Use EPG TV Guide in Stream Master.

4. Tap to play

Tap a green program and it starts from the beginning. The player shows the program name with a rewind symbol, so you know you’re watching the archive rather than the live feed.

5. Go back to live

In the grid, tap the channel logo in the channel column to play that channel live.

When a past program plays live instead

If you tap a past program that falls outside your provider’s archive window, Stream Master plays the channel live. There’s no error message, which can be confusing the first time it happens. The usual reasons are that the channel isn’t archived, or that the program aired longer ago than the provider keeps.

The simplest habit is to look for the green background before you tap. If a channel you expected to be archived shows no green blocks at all, that’s a question for your provider, since nothing in the app changes what the provider stores.

Where catch-up isn’t available

  • The player’s schedule sheet. Inside the player you can open a schedule for the current channel. It lists programs and shows reminder bells but has no catch-up. Use the EPG grid in the category view instead.
  • Apple TV. Catch-up works on iPhone and iPad only.
  • Plain M3U playlists, as explained above.

The Smart EPG feature page summarises the guide, reminders and catch-up in one place.

Some programs may be missing for rights reasons

Even on an archived channel, some programs may not be replayable. Rights agreements decide what can be offered as catch-up and for how long, and some content has shorter replay rights or none.

Licensed services show how this works in practice. Zattoo says what’s available in Replay depends on country, subscription and broadcaster licensing. In Germany and Austria, not every program can be played in Replay, and its Swiss Replay content can only be streamed inside Switzerland. Expect some gaps, and ask your provider if particular programs are always missing.

Questions to ask your provider

Before you rely on catch-up, send your provider a short message:

  1. Is catch-up (TV archive) switched on for my line?
  2. Which channels are archived, and how many days does each one keep?
  3. Are some programs left out for rights reasons, or handled differently in my country?
  4. Can I have Xtream login details (portal URL, username, password) instead of a plain M3U link?

Stream Master is a player. It doesn’t provide channels, subscriptions or archives. Everything you replay comes from the legal IPTV service you subscribe to.

Try it with your own provider

If your provider archives channels, download Stream Master on the App Store, add your Xtream login and open the guide grid to start replaying missed programs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why don't I see catch-up on my M3U playlist?

Stream Master takes its TV guide and catch-up from an Xtream Codes provider, so plain M3U playlists get neither. If your M3U link contains Xtream credentials, the app converts it to an Xtream playlist automatically. Otherwise, ask your provider for an Xtream login.

How far back can I watch with catch-up?

It depends on your provider, who sets the archive length for each channel. Windows commonly run from about one day to a week, and some channels may have no archive.

Is catch-up a Pro feature in Stream Master?

No. Catch-up is free on iPhone and iPad, along with the TV guide and program reminders.

Why did a past program start playing live?

The program was outside your provider's archive window, so Stream Master played the channel live instead of showing an error. Only programs with a light-green background and a green rewind icon can be replayed.

Can I use catch-up on Apple TV?

No. Catch-up works on iPhone and iPad only. The Apple TV app has favorites, reminders, Multi-View, parental control and iCloud Sync, but not catch-up.

Sources