- If your app offers an Xtream Codes login, use it. The guide, films, series and your expiry date come with it automatically.
- Use the M3U link for apps that only take a playlist, such as VLC and many smart TV players.
- An M3U link from an IPTV service contains your username and password, so treat it like a password.
- A MAC address and portal is a third login type, used by MAG boxes and StbEmu.
Which login do I have? A quick way to tell
Look at what your provider sent. Three separate items, a server or host address with a port number, a username and a password, are an Xtream Codes login. One long address that ends in something like type=m3u_plus or .m3u is an M3U link. A portal address plus a request for your box’s MAC address is a portal login, which our MAG and portal guide covers. Most providers, including us, send the first two together.
What is an M3U link?
M3U is a playlist format, and it is older than IPTV. It was created around 1996 by Fraunhofer for WinPlay3, an early MP3 player, and the name comes from “MP3 URL”. The file is plain text. It starts with the line #EXTM3U, then lists each item as an #EXTINF line with a title, followed by the address of the stream. The .m3u8 variant is the same format saved in UTF-8, and Apple’s HLS streaming, published as RFC 8216 in 2017, is built on an extended version of it.
IPTV playlists add a few labels to each channel line. The ones you will see most are tvg-id, which links the channel to its entry in the TV guide, tvg-logo for the channel logo, and group-title, which puts the channel in a group such as Canada or Sports. When a guide shows “no information” for a channel, a tvg-id that does not match the guide file is a common reason, as our EPG guide explains.
What is Xtream Codes, and why is it still called that?
Xtream Codes was a company that made panel software IPTV providers used to run their services. Its login method, a server, a username and a password, became the format nearly every IPTV app supports. On September 18, 2019, Italy’s Guardia di Finanza led raids targeting Xtream Codes across several countries, and Eurojust reported more than 200 servers taken offline.
Two years later the case turned. In August 2021 the Naples Court of Appeal found no evidence that Xtream Codes Ltd had acted unlawfully between 2015 and 2019, Italy’s Court of Cassation dismissed the prosecutor’s appeal, and seized funds were returned. By then the login format had outlived the company. Other panel software implements the same interface, so apps still call the option “Xtream Codes” or “Xtream Codes API”.
How an M3U link and an Xtream login fit together
An M3U link from an IPTV service is usually built from the same three details as the Xtream login. It generally looks like this, with your own values in place of the capitals:
http://SERVER:PORT/get.php?username=USER&password=PASS&type=m3u_plus&output=ts
So the server and port are at the start, and the username and password sit in the middle. When an app logs in with Xtream, it talks to a different address on the same server, player_api.php, and asks for live channels, films, series and the guide as separate lists. It also gets back an account record with your expiry date (exp_date), your screen limit (max_connections) and whether the account is active. That is why Xtream apps can show your expiry date and split films from live TV, while a plain M3U player shows one long list.
You can often turn an M3U link into an Xtream login by reading the three values out of it. And anyone who has your M3U link has your login, so do not post it in a forum or a group chat when you ask for help.
M3U or Xtream: which should you use?
| Xtream Codes login | M3U link | |
|---|---|---|
| What you enter | Server with port, username, password | One long address |
| TV guide | Downloads by itself | Sometimes has to be added as a separate address |
| Films and series | Separate sections | Mixed into the list, or missing, depending on the app |
| Expiry date and screens | Shown by most apps | Not shown |
| Typing on a TV remote | Three short fields | One very long address |
| Best for | TiviMate, IPTV Smarters, GSE, most modern apps | VLC, Kodi, smart TV players that only take a playlist |
Use Xtream whenever the app offers it. Use M3U when the app only takes a playlist, or when you are setting up on a laptop or phone where pasting is easy.
Which IPTV apps support M3U, Xtream or a portal?
| App | M3U link | Xtream login | Portal and MAC |
|---|---|---|---|
| TiviMate (Android TV, Fire TV) | Yes | Yes | Yes, Stalker portal |
| IPTV Smarters | Yes, playlist option | Yes, Xtream Codes option | Not listed |
| GSE Smart IPTV Pro (Apple) | Yes | Yes | Not listed |
| Kodi with PVR IPTV Simple Client | Yes, with an XMLTV guide | Through the M3U link | No |
| VLC | Yes, Open Network Stream | No | No |
| StbEmu (Android) | No | No | Yes |
VLC is fine for checking that a link works, but it has no proper TV guide, so it is not a daily app. StbEmu’s store listing states that it does not play M3U playlists at all.
How to add an M3U playlist or Xtream login, app by app
TiviMate
Add playlist, then choose Xtream Codes and fill in the three fields, or choose Enter URL and paste the M3U link. Pick the groups you want and let the first sync finish. Our TiviMate guide has the full walk-through.
IPTV Smarters
On the first screen, choose the Xtream Codes login and enter any name, the username, password and server address. Or choose the playlist option and paste the M3U link. The Smarters guide covers each device.
VLC
On a computer, open Media, then Open Network Stream, and paste the M3U link. The channel list appears in the playlist view.
Kodi
Install the PVR IPTV Simple Client add-on, set the M3U playlist location to “Remote path (Internet address)” and paste the link. Add the XMLTV guide address in the EPG settings if your provider gives one.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between M3U and Xtream Codes?
An M3U link is a single playlist address. An Xtream Codes login is a server, username and password that let the app ask for live TV, films, series and the guide separately. They usually reach the same channels.
Which one should I enter in my app?
Xtream, if the app offers it. It brings the guide and on-demand sections automatically and shows your expiry date. Use M3U for apps that only accept a playlist.
Can I convert an M3U link into an Xtream login?
Usually. An IPTV M3U link normally contains the server and port, then username= and password=. Those three values are the Xtream login.
Does Xtream Codes use M3U under the hood?
The same server provides both. Xtream apps use its player API for separate lists and account details, while an M3U player downloads one playlist file.
Is Xtream Codes still around?
The company went offline after the 2019 raids in Italy, although an Italian appeals court later found no evidence it had acted unlawfully. The login format lives on because other panel software uses the same interface.
Is an M3U link safe to share?
No. It contains your username and password. Anyone with it can use your subscription and take one of your screens.
Why does my M3U playlist have no TV guide?
Some apps need the guide address added separately when you use an M3U link. Add it in the playlist’s EPG settings, or switch to the Xtream login.
What is M3U8?
The same playlist format saved as UTF-8 text. HLS streams use extended M3U8 playlists.
Disclosure: we run BuyIPTV.ca, an IPTV service for Canadian households. The M3U history is from its Wikipedia entry and RFC 8216, the tag names from the Kodi IPTV Simple documentation, the API fields from published Xtream-compatible API documentation, the Xtream Codes events from TorrentFreak’s reporting, and app support from each app’s store listing or documentation, checked September 29, 2026.