Help with max
Setup guides for Apple TV, iPad, iPhone and Mac, fixes for the messages max shows, and how to reach us. We cannot help with channels, playlists or provider accounts; contact your provider for those.
Add your first source
- 1
Open IPTV sources
On first launch, max opens on IPTV sources. Later, press Back on the Siri Remote at the top of the app to return to it.
- 2
Choose the + tile
Then pick the kind: Remote URL for an M3U playlist, Xtream server, Jellyfin, Emby, Plex or Silo.
- 3
Enter the details
Give the source a name, then enter the playlist URL or the login your provider sent you. For Plex, enter the code max shows at plex.tv/link on your phone or computer.
- 4
Import
Xtream and media servers connect first and show what they offer, so you can choose what to import. When the import finishes, the source opens.
Typing a long URL with the Siri Remote is slow. Add the source on your iPhone or iPad instead: once its import finishes, it reaches the Apple TV through iCloud when both are signed in to the same Apple Account.
- 1
Open Settings
On first launch, tap Add source. Later, tap the gear at the right of the top bar; Sources opens first.
- 2
Tap Add source
It is at the foot of Manage sources. Pick Remote URL, Xtream server, Jellyfin, Emby, Plex or Silo.
- 3
Enter the details
Paste the M3U URL, or enter the server, username and password. Xtream and media servers check the login before going on.
- 4
Choose what to import
For a media server, choose the libraries, live TV and guide you want, then tap Import.
You can paste URLs and logins from Mail or Notes. Once the import finishes, the source reaches your other devices through iCloud.
- 1
Open Settings
On first launch, tap Add source. Later, tap the gear at the top right of Library, Live, Movies or Shows.
- 2
Tap Add source
Tap Sources, then Add source under Manage sources, and pick the kind of source.
- 3
Enter the details
For a playlist, tap Paste link from clipboard. Otherwise enter the server, username and password; Xtream and media servers check the login first.
- 4
Import
Tap Import. A large playlist takes a little while; when it finishes, the Live tab fills with your channels.
If your provider sent the link by email or message, copy it on the iPhone before you start, then use Paste link from clipboard.
- 1
Open Settings
On a Mac with Apple silicon, max runs its iPad version. Click the gear at the right of the top bar; Sources opens first.
- 2
Click Add source
It is at the foot of Manage sources. Pick the kind of source.
- 3
Paste the details
Paste the URL or the login with Command-V. Xtream and media servers check the login before going on.
- 4
Import
Choose what to import and click Import.
Sources you have already added on iPhone or iPad arrive on the Mac through iCloud, so there may be nothing to type.
Troubleshooting
Each message max shows names the cause. Find it below for the fix.
max could not download the playlist, and the line under the title says why: an HTTP error, an empty playlist, or a page that is not an M3U playlist. Check the URL for typing mistakes, open it in a browser to confirm it still downloads, and ask your provider whether the link has changed. If max already has a copy, Use last copy keeps the channels you had.
The Xtream server rejected the login. Re-enter both exactly as your provider sent them; they are case sensitive. If they are right, the account may have expired or reached its limit, which only your provider can change.
A refresh that ran in the background failed, and the message names the source and the reason. Everything already on the device is still there to watch, and max tries again at the next refresh. To try straight away, choose Refresh now in Settings.
Try another channel from the same source. If none play, the provider may be down or at its connection limit: many lines allow one stream at a time, so stop playback on your other devices. If only one channel fails, try the engine button in the player, which reopens the stream on KSPlayer, AetherEngine or VLC. If the channel plays in another app, your provider may admit only certain players: choose that app’s User-Agent in the source’s settings, under Connection.
Guide data comes from your provider. Xtream servers send it themselves; for an M3U playlist, add the guide (XMLTV) URL under Edit source, beside the playlist URL. If a single channel says No information, the provider publishes no guide for it. If no channel has guide data, ask your provider for the M3U Plus link, which carries the ids the guide is matched by.
Catch-up appears only on channels where your provider keeps an archive of past programmes, and only as far back as that archive reaches. Days before you added the source stay empty, because max builds the guide’s history as it goes.
On Apple TV, open Subtitle delay from a film’s or an episode’s player controls and move the subtitles earlier or later, a tenth of a second per press. On iPhone and iPad, open the Sync card beside the audio button, which can delay the audio too. The delay lasts for what you are watching. Live channels have no delay control.
Still stuck?
Email us with your device, the build number of max shown in TestFlight, and the exact message you see. Please do not send playlist URLs or passwords. You can also ask the community on Discord.