Install blocked with no obvious reason
Android 13 and later move the permission to Special app access, then Install unknown apps. Grant it to whichever browser downloaded the file, not to IBO Player.
Home › Installation › Android phone
CanadTV on Android phones, tablets and boxes
Android is the easiest platform to get running, because the browser and file manager are one tap away. Phones, tablets and Android TV boxes all follow the same sequence, and the whole thing takes under ten minutes.
Android phone
What Android gives you that a smart TV does not
Android is the most forgiving platform in this whole process. You have a real browser, a real file manager and a settings panel that lets you approve an install from outside the Play Store in two taps. Nothing here needs a developer mode or a hidden menu.
It is also the platform most people already own. A mid-range phone from the last five years runs a 4K stream over wifi without complaint, and an Android TV box costs a fraction of a dedicated set-top unit while doing the same job for live television.
The one thing to bear in mind is the single-device rule. Your CanadTV line authorises one device at a time. Install on the phone to test, then move the pairing to the television box when you are satisfied — there is no penalty for switching, it simply cannot run in two places at once.
- Works on Android phones, tablets and Android TV boxes
- No developer mode, no hidden menus, no rooting
- Browser and file manager are already on the device
- Move the pairing to another device whenever you like
Before you begin. Keep your welcome email open. Every step needs the same three values from it: the server address including its port number, your username and your password. Copy them precisely: a stray space caught on the end is what trips up most first logins.
Other devices
Pick the guide that matches the screen you are setting up.
Step by step
Work through these in order. Every value you need comes from your CanadTV welcome email.
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Download the IBO Player package
Open the browser on your Android device and go to the official IBODEV site, or use the download link in your CanadTV welcome email. Choose the Android package. Because it arrives from outside the Play Store, Android will warn you about the source — this is expected. Choose Download anyway.
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Open the file and approve the install
Pull down the notification shade and tap the downloaded file, or find it in your Downloads folder. Android asks whether this source is allowed to install apps; grant the permission for your browser, then tap Install. On a TV box the same prompt appears under Security and restrictions.
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Launch the app and read the intro screen
Open IBO Player. The first run shows an introductory page explaining what the app expects. It is genuinely worth reading once. Tap OK and the dashboard loads, empty for now.
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Find your device information
Tap the profile icon on the dashboard. In the top-left block marked Device Info you will see a MAC address and a device key. Write both down exactly as shown, including capitalisation — these two values are how the app is paired with a playlist.
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Pair on the playlist manager
From a laptop or a second handset, load the IBO Player site and pick Manage Playlist in its top menu. Supply the MAC address together with the device key, then sign in. This remote pairing model is precisely why no password ever gets typed on the device itself.
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Add your CanadTV line
Choose Add XC Playlist and paste the three values from your welcome email: the server URL including its port, your username and your password. Name the playlist something recognisable and save. If you were issued a single long streaming line instead, use Add Playlist and paste the M3U string.
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Reopen the app and check the grid
Close IBO Player completely on the Android device — swipe it out of recents rather than just pressing home — then launch it again. Live TV, Movies and Series now hold your CanadTV content, and the programme guide fills in on its own.
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Tidy up and set preferences
Open Settings, then Manage Categories, and hide the language groups you will never watch. Hold OK or long-press any channel to add it to favourites. If a stream stutters, switch the Live TV player engine in the same menu before assuming anything is wrong with the connection.
Android-specific things that go wrong
The app opens but the grid stays empty
The pairing has not propagated yet. Fully close and reopen the app; if it is still empty after two attempts, re-check that the MAC address you entered on the website matches the one on screen exactly.
Picture stutters on wifi but not on data
Move to the 5 GHz band if your router offers one, or switch the player engine in Settings. Android devices are particularly sensitive to a congested 2.4 GHz channel in apartment buildings.
Once Android is working
Browse what you now have on the channel lineup page, and if you plan to move the pairing to a television later, the Fire TV and Samsung and LG guides cover those platforms step by step.
Browse everything now available to you on the channel lineup page, and read the main IBO Player guide for the platform-independent detail on settings, favourites and player engines.
Anything still not behaving? The support desk answers in under twelve minutes during opening hours, and the questions page covers the recurring cases.
Not a subscriber yet?
The intro month costs CA$10.99 and includes everything described on this page — all 23,400+ channels, the full on-demand shelf, the guide and catch-up.