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If you have never installed an app on a Firestick before, this guide is written for you. There is nothing technical to learn and nothing to type on a computer — everything happens on your TV, with your normal Fire TV remote. Every step below has a picture of exactly what you should be looking at, so you can check your screen against ours before moving on.
Set aside about 15 minutes. You can stop at any point and pick up where you left off — nothing breaks if you take a break.
What you need before you start
- Your Firestick plugged into the TV and connected to Wi-Fi, showing the normal Fire TV home screen.
- Your Fire TV remote.
- Your subscription details. These arrive by email when you sign up: a server URL, a username and a password. Have that email open on your phone.
- About 15 minutes.
Why this is done in three parts
Amazon only lets the Firestick install apps from its own store, and the best IPTV players are not in that store. So instead of one long installation, the job splits into three short ones. It helps a lot to know why you are doing each part before you start clicking:
- Install Downloader. This is a small, free app that is in Amazon’s store. Its only job is to fetch other apps for you. Think of it as a delivery van.
- Give Downloader permission. Out of the box, the Firestick will not let Downloader install anything. One switch in the settings fixes that. This is the part most people get stuck on, so it has its own section.
- Install and set up TiviMate. This is the app you will actually watch TV with.
Parts 1 and 2 are done once, ever. If you later want to add a second app, you skip straight to part 3.
Part 1 — Install the Downloader app
Downloader is free and comes from Amazon’s own Appstore, so this part is no different from installing any normal app.
1. Open the search bar. From the Fire TV home screen, press up until you reach the top row, move left to the magnifying-glass search icon, and press the middle button on your remote to open it.
2. Type “Downloader”. Use the on-screen keyboard to spell it out. You do not need to finish the word — suggestions appear as you type.
3. Choose the orange Downloader app. Several results appear. You want the plain orange icon with a white arrow, made by AFTVnews.
4. Select Download (or Get). The button says one or the other depending on how old your Firestick is. They do the same thing.
5. Wait. A progress circle appears. Leave the remote alone for a few seconds — pressing buttons here can cancel it.
6. Done. When you see Open and Uninstall instead of Download, Downloader is installed. Do not open it yet — first we need part 2.
Part 2 — Give Downloader permission to install apps
Right now Downloader can fetch a file, but the Firestick will refuse to install it. This is a safety setting from Amazon, and it is switched off by default for everyone. You are about to turn it on for Downloader only — not for the whole device.
Do not skip this. If you jump ahead to part 3 without doing it, the install will simply fail with a message that does not explain why.
1. Open Settings, then My Fire TV. Settings is the gear icon on the top row of the home screen. Inside it, scroll along to My Fire TV.
2. Open About. It is the first item in the list.
3. Press the middle button seven times. Highlight the name of your device at the top — it will say something like “Fire TV Stick 4K” — and press the select button on your remote seven times in a row. A small message appears saying You are now a developer. This sounds alarming and is not: it only reveals an extra menu that was hidden.
4. Go back and open Developer options. Press the back button once to return to My Fire TV. There is now an entry called Developer options that was not there before.
5. Open Install unknown apps. “Unknown” here just means “not from Amazon’s store”. It does not mean unsafe.
6. Find Downloader in the list and switch it on. You will see a list of apps, each with On or Off beside it. Highlight Downloader and press the middle button once so it reads On. Leave everything else alone.
7. Check it says On. That is the whole of part 2. You never have to do this again.
What is TiviMate, and why this app?
TiviMate is a TV player. It does not come with any channels of its own — it is an empty shell that displays whatever subscription you put into it, the same way a DVD player has no films inside it until you put a disc in. That is worth understanding, because it explains why the app is free to install but shows nothing until you add your details in part 4.
We recommend it on Firestick over the alternatives for three reasons that matter in daily use:
- It is built for a remote, not a touchscreen. Most IPTV apps are phone apps that have been stretched onto a TV. TiviMate was designed for a directional pad from the start, so channel surfing is a single press rather than a hunt around the screen.
- The TV guide actually works. You get a proper grid of what is on now and next, laid out like the guide on a cable box. For anyone used to traditional TV, this is the single biggest difference.
- It remembers what you were watching. Recently-used channels, favourites, and a last-channel button behave the way you would expect from a normal television.
It is worth being straight with you about the cost: TiviMate is free to install and free to use for live TV, which is all most people need. Some extras — recording, multiple playlists, and a few interface options — are part of a paid premium version sold by TiviMate itself. That has nothing to do with your subscription with us, and you never have to buy it.
Part 3 — Install TiviMate
Now we use the delivery van. Open Downloader from your home screen — if the app asks for permission to access files the first time, allow it, and close the update notice if one appears.
1. Select the URL box. On the Home tab there is a long empty box near the top. Highlight it and press the middle button to bring up the keyboard.
2. Type 272483 and select Go. That is all you type — six digits, no www and no dots. It is TiviMate’s own official code from tivimate.com, and it points at the app’s genuine file.
3. Wait for the download. It starts on its own. A progress bar fills across the screen — this takes under a minute on most connections.
4. Select Install. When the download finishes, an install screen appears by itself. The Install button is in the bottom right corner.
5. Wait for “Ready to launch!”. That message means TiviMate is installed. Select Open.
Part 4 — Add your subscription
This is where the app stops being empty. Get the email with your details in front of you — you will be copying three things across, and the app cannot guess any of them.
Your email contains a server URL (a web address), a username and a password. Together these are called Xtream Codes. Some providers instead send one very long web address called an M3U link; both work, but the three-part version is easier to type and easier to fix if you make a mistake, so that is the one we use here.
1. Choose Add playlist. This is the first screen TiviMate shows when it has nothing loaded.
2. Choose Xtream Codes. You will be offered two types. Pick Xtream Codes — not M3U.
3. Type in your three details. Server URL first, then username, then password, exactly as they appear in your email.
Start watching
TiviMate now goes and fetches everything: live channels, films and series. Depending on the size of the list this takes anywhere from five seconds to a minute — a long list is normal and is not a fault.
When the channel list appears, press the middle button on any channel. The picture should start within a few seconds. That is it — you are set up, and the Firestick will remember all of this next time you switch the TV on.
Get your subscription
Details emailed instantly · works on Firestick and Fire TV
If something goes wrong
The install failed, or nothing happened after the download
This is almost always part 2. Go back to Settings › My Fire TV › Developer options › Install unknown apps and check that Downloader reads On. If Developer options is not there, you have not done the seven presses on the About screen yet.
TiviMate opened but the channel list is empty
- Check your three details once more, one character at a time. A single wrong letter fails quietly, with no error message.
- Give it a full minute. Very large channel lists take a while to arrive the first time.
- Close the app completely and reopen it — hold the Home button, choose Apps, and close TiviMate from there.
The picture keeps stopping and starting
- Move the Firestick closer to your router, or use an Ethernet adapter. A wired connection fixes the great majority of stopping and starting.
- Pick the HD version of a channel instead of the 4K one. 4K needs a genuinely fast line; HD looks excellent and needs far less.
- Unplug your router for thirty seconds and plug it back in.
- Unplug the Firestick itself for thirty seconds. It has very little memory and clears itself out when restarted.
The remote keeps typing the wrong character
The Fire TV keyboard puts capitals, small letters and numbers on separate layouts, and it is easy to be on the wrong one. Look for the shift and ?123 keys at the sides. If it is fighting you, the free Fire TV app on your phone lets you type using the phone keyboard instead, which is far quicker.
Frequently asked questions
Does this work on my Firestick?
Yes. Every Fire TV device from the original 2014 stick to the current 4K Max and the Fire TV Cube uses these same menus. Older sticks are limited to HD picture quality rather than 4K, but the installation is identical.
Is it safe to install apps this way?
The method itself is safe — it is the standard Android way of installing an app, and the permission you switch on applies to Downloader alone rather than the whole device. What matters is the source. Use the official code in this guide, and be wary of codes shared in forums or video comments, which often point at modified copies.
Will this cancel or affect my Netflix, Prime Video or other apps?
No. Nothing in this guide removes or changes an existing app. Your Firestick works exactly as before, with one more app on it.
Do I have to pay for TiviMate?
No. It installs free and plays live TV free, which covers what most people want. TiviMate sells a premium version of its own with extras like recording — that is separate from your subscription with us and entirely optional.
What if I already have Downloader installed?
Skip part 1 and start at part 2. Do still check the permission switch, because having Downloader installed does not mean the permission was ever turned on.
Can I use the same subscription on a second TV?
That depends on your plan. Single-device plans allow one stream at a time; multi-device plans allow several at once. The installation on the second device is the same as this one.
How do I move this to a new Firestick?
Repeat this guide on the new device. It takes the same fifteen minutes, and your subscription details do not change.
Want the same steps as a shorter checklist you can follow on the TV itself? Our illustrated Firestick guides put every screenshot in one place — there is one for TiviMate, and separate ones for IPTV Smarters Pro and HotPlayer if you prefer those.
Open the Firestick guide
All three Firestick apps, with every screenshot
Prefer to just watch? Netfly TV handles the rest — 20,300+ channels in 4K, instant setup, and a 30-day money-back guarantee to make the decision easy.