How to watch IPTV on a Samsung or LG Smart TV (2026 guide)
It is the question we get most often: “I have a Samsung (or an LG) and I want to load my playlist, which app do I install?”. The short answer is that you can, but the path is quite different from Android, and it is worth understanding why before losing an afternoon trying things that will not work.
Why a Smart TV is not like an Android phone
Samsung and LG do not use Android. Samsung runs Tizen and LG runs webOS, two proprietary, closed systems. This has a very concrete practical consequence: you can only install apps published in each manufacturer's official store. There is no equivalent to downloading an APK and installing it, as there is on Android, Fire TV or Google TV.
That is why the choice of IPTV players on these TVs is so much shorter, and why many guides you find online end up suggesting odd methods that do not work or stop working with the next TV update.
Beware of “developer mode” tutorials
You will find pages explaining how to enable Tizen or webOS developer mode to install apps by hand. It technically exists, but it is designed for programmers: it expires every few days, requires a computer on the same network and is disabled with every system update. It is not a solution for daily use.
Option 1: an app published in your TV's store
This is the natural route. Open your TV's app store and search for “IPTV” or “M3U”. The available players vary by country and model year, so what you find depends on your specific TV.
When you evaluate a store app, look at three things:
- That it accepts your kind of source. Some only take M3U by URL; if your provider gave you Xtream Codes credentials, you need one that supports them. If you are not sure what you were given, we explain it in M3U or Xtream Codes: which to choose.
- That it supports an EPG guide (XMLTV). Without it you get a channel list with no schedule, which is a fairly poor experience.
- That it decodes HEVC/H.265 using the TV's chip. That is what makes 4K possible without the TV choking. We explain the trap in HEVC on Smart TV: sound but no picture.
The specific case of Kraid
We have the native versions for Samsung Tizen and LG webOS already developed, packaged and tested on real TVs, and they are going through publication in both manufacturers' stores. Samsung's and LG's review processes are long (weeks, with manual testing on real TVs), so if you came here looking for the app on your TV and it is not there yet, that is why. In the meantime, option 2 works today and, honestly, usually gives a better result.
Option 2: an external HDMI player (the most reliable)
This is the honest recommendation for most cases, and especially if your TV is more than three or four years old. You plug a small device into the HDMI port and use its system instead of the TV's:
| Device | Approx. price | Main advantage |
|---|---|---|
| Fire TV Stick 4K | 40-60 € | The most widespread; easy install with Downloader |
| Chromecast with Google TV | 40-70 € | Full Google TV, Play Store access |
| Android TV box | 30-80 € | Maximum freedom to install any app |
The advantages over using the TV's own system are real and noticeable:
- Far more players to choose from. Being Android, you can install practically any app on the market.
- More power. Today's Fire TV Stick 4K is considerably faster than the processor in a five-year-old Smart TV, which is also loading more and more manufacturer software.
- Real updates. TV makers stop updating their models after a few years; an HDMI device is renewed for little money.
- You can take it with you. It works on any TV with HDMI, including a hotel's or a holiday rental's.
If you go this route, we have the full walkthrough in the Fire TV and Fire Stick installation guide.
Typical Smart TV problems (and how to solve them)
“It stutters on the TV but plays fine on my phone”
Almost always one of these two causes. The first is Wi-Fi: TVs usually carry worse antennas than a phone and sit against the wall, often with furniture in between. Try connecting the TV by Ethernet cable; in many cases the problem vanishes at once.
The second is decoding. If the channel broadcasts in HEVC/H.265 and the TV does not accelerate it in hardware, it will try to process it in software and will not keep up. There is no setting that helps here: the fix is an external player.
“The app closes by itself or is painfully slow”
Smart TVs have very little memory available for third-party apps. Close the other apps, restart the TV by unplugging it for a few seconds (not just with the remote) and check for pending firmware updates.
“I cannot find any IPTV app in my store”
Availability varies by country and model year. If your TV predates 2018, it is quite likely that its store no longer receives new apps. In that scenario, option 2 is not a workaround: it is the solution.
And a note on the legal side
An IPTV player is perfectly legal software, just like a web browser or VLC. What determines whether what you do is legal is the content you access: you need the rights or a legitimate subscription for the sources you add. No serious player ships channels or playlists; the user always provides them.
See the status of the app for Samsung and LG →
Kraid IPTV, on all your devices
Supports M3U, M3U8 and Xtream Codes, with EPG guide, hardware 4K HEVC and recording. Available today for Android, Android TV, Google TV, Fire TV and Windows — and on its way to Samsung and LG. One licence covers up to 3 devices.
Download Kraid IPTV freeLegal notice: Kraid IPTV is a generic media player. It does not include, sell or link to any content, channel or playlist. Users are responsible for the sources they add and for holding the rights needed to watch them. Learn more.