What you need before configuring EPG
Start with a working playlist and the EPG information supplied by your authorized IPTV service. Depending on the service, guide data may be included with the playlist or API configuration, or it may be supplied as a separate XMLTV-style source. Do not assume that an EPG URL found elsewhere will match your playlist's channel identifiers.
M3U, Xtream-style setup and EPG are not the same thing
The playlist or account method determines how TiviMate receives channel and stream information. EPG is the guide-data layer on top of that setup. A service can provide both through one configuration method or provide them separately. If video works but the guide is empty, changing the playlist format without evidence usually adds another variable instead of fixing the guide.
Step 1 — Add or verify the EPG source
Use the current guide source supplied by your authorized service and associate it with the relevant playlist. Menu names can vary between app versions, so follow the labels currently shown on your device. If you are given a separate XMLTV URL, copy it exactly rather than retyping it from memory.
Step 2 — Refresh and wait for the result
Run an EPG refresh after adding or changing the source and allow the operation to finish. Do not judge the result only by whether a refresh action was available: open the guide afterward and check several known channels. A completed refresh means TiviMate attempted to obtain data; it does not prove that the source contained entries matching your playlist.
Step 3 — Test known channels first
Choose a small sample of channels whose names you recognize and compare the guide results. If every sampled channel has no information, investigate the source and refresh first. If some channels work and others do not, the partial result is important evidence and points toward channel identifiers, missing guide entries or mapping rather than a completely unavailable EPG.
Step 4 — Check channel mapping
Guide data normally links programmes to channel identifiers. Your playlist can use an identifier that differs from the one in the EPG source even when the channel names look similar. When only certain channels are missing, compare the identifiers or mapping information available from the service instead of replacing the entire EPG source at random.
Step 5 — Check the device clock and time zone
A guide can contain valid programme data but display it at the wrong local time if the device clock or time zone is incorrect. Confirm that the device date and time are accurate, then check the selected time zone and any relevant daylight-saving or time-shift setting. This is a different problem from an EPG that contains no programmes at all.
Step 6 — Distinguish stale data from missing data
If the guide contains programmes but they have not changed for an unusually long period, the upstream source may be stale even though the refresh completes. Compare several channels and look at upcoming programme times rather than checking only the currently airing item. If the source itself has outdated data, local TiviMate settings cannot create newer schedules.
When the EPG is blank everywhere
Work from the outside in: verify that the playlist is still loading, verify the configured EPG source, refresh it, and confirm that the source is reachable and actually contains guide data. If the same source remains empty after a completed refresh, ask the service that supplied it whether the guide endpoint is current and compatible with the playlist.
When only some channels have no information
Partial coverage is usually more useful diagnostically than a completely blank guide. Check whether the affected channels are new, renamed, regional variants or otherwise represented differently in the guide source. If the source contains no entry for those channels, changing TiviMate's playback settings will not add one.
When programme times are wrong
First determine whether all channels are shifted by a similar amount. A consistent offset points toward device time-zone or time-shift configuration. If only particular channels have incorrect schedules while others are correct, investigate the upstream EPG entries or channel mapping instead of changing the device clock repeatedly.
EPG versus playback troubleshooting
Keep the two tests separate. If a channel has no guide data but its video plays, focus on the EPG source and mapping. If guide data is correct but the video fails, move to playback, network or stream diagnostics. This separation prevents an EPG problem from turning into unnecessary decoder or buffering changes.
A practical EPG troubleshooting matrix
Use the observed pattern to choose the next test.
- Blank guide on every channel → source, refresh completion and source availability.
- Some channels have data, others do not → identifiers, mapping or missing upstream entries.
- Programmes appear but times are consistently shifted → device time zone or time-shift settings.
- Guide looks unchanged after refresh → check whether the upstream source itself is stale.
- Video works but EPG does not → keep playback settings unchanged while diagnosing the guide layer.
| Symptom | Likely cause | First check |
|---|---|---|
| EPG completely empty | Source or refresh problem | Verify the EPG source |
| Some channels missing | Mapping or identifier mismatch | Check channel mapping |
| Wrong programme times | Timezone or source metadata | Check device time zone |
| Old programme data | Stale source/cache | Refresh and compare source data |
| EPG works but video fails | Playback issue, not EPG | Test the stream separately |
- No guide data → verify the EPG source and refresh.
- Some channels missing → check channel mapping and identifiers.
- Times are wrong → verify device clock and timezone.
- Data remains old → determine whether the upstream EPG source is stale.
What to record before contacting the service
Record the affected playlist or account identifier without exposing passwords, the date and time of the test, whether video playback works, whether the guide is blank or partial, which sample channels are affected, and whether an EPG refresh completes. A concise report with those observations is more useful than simply saying that 'EPG is broken'.
FAQ
Does EPG control playback?
No. EPG data describes programmes and schedules; the live stream is a separate resource. A missing guide does not by itself mean the stream is broken.
Can TiviMate create missing EPG data?
No. TiviMate can display and process the guide data available from the configured source, but it cannot invent programme schedules that the upstream source does not provide.
Why does one channel have no guide while others work?
The affected channel may be missing from the guide source or may use a different identifier from the playlist. Check mapping and the upstream guide entry before replacing a source that already works for other channels.