TiviMate Recording & Catch-Up: How to Set It Up (2026)
How to record live TV and use catch-up in TiviMate: what you need (Premium plus a compatible provider), the setup steps, and why catch-up depends on your subscription.
Two of TiviMate's best features are recording live TV and catch-up, the ability to rewind to a show that already aired. Together they turn TiviMate into a proper DVR. But both come with conditions that catch people out, and one of them has nothing to do with the app at all. Here is how to set up recording and catch-up, and what each one actually needs.
What you need first
Before anything, three things:
1. TiviMate Premium. Recording is a Premium feature, the free app cannot record. If you are unsure whether to upgrade, we broke it down in TiviMate Premium explained.
2. Storage. Recordings have to live somewhere, usually a USB drive plugged into your Fire Stick or box, or internal storage if there is room.
3. For catch-up: a provider that supports it. This is the big one. Catch-up only works if your IPTV service keeps an archive of past programmes. No archive on the provider side, no catch-up, no matter what TiviMate can do.
How to record live TV in TiviMate
With Premium active:
1. Open the channel or the guide.
2. Select the programme you want and choose Record, or set it to record from the guide in advance.
3. Pick your storage location if prompted.
4. Find your recordings later in the Recordings section.
You can also schedule recordings ahead of time, handy for a match or a show while you are out.
How catch-up works
Catch-up lets you scroll back in the guide and play something that already finished, last night's game, this morning's news. In TiviMate it shows up as a rewind option on past programmes. The catch, again: this only appears if your provider offers a catch-up archive, and how many days back you can go depends entirely on them. Some keep a few days, some keep none.
Where recordings are saved
Most people record to a USB stick in the Fire TV or Android box. A larger drive means more recordings, and a decent stick keeps things smooth. If a recording stutters, the same rules as live TV apply, a steady connection and a provider that does not choke at peak time.
The part that depends on your subscription
Notice the pattern: TiviMate provides the recording engine and the catch-up interface, but the *content* to record and rewind comes from your provider. A cheap service with no archive gives you catch-up buttons that do nothing, and a flaky stream makes recordings unreliable.
That is where the subscription earns its place. Vivimate runs on high-capacity 4K servers with stable streams, so recordings come out clean, and it plays over an Xtream Codes login that TiviMate reads without fuss. Pair Premium's DVR features with a service built to hold up and you have the full cable-replacement setup. Weighing services? Start with best IPTV for TiviMate.
The bottom line
Recording in TiviMate needs Premium and some storage, catch-up needs a provider that keeps an archive. The app supplies the tools; your subscription supplies the material. Get both right and TiviMate does everything an old cable box did, and more.
See Vivimate plans and turn TiviMate into a proper DVR, with a 14-day money-back guarantee on the longer plans.
Frequently asked questions
Can TiviMate record live TV?
Yes, but only with TiviMate Premium and somewhere to store recordings, usually a USB drive. Select a programme and choose Record, or schedule it from the guide. The free version cannot record.
How does catch-up work in TiviMate?
Catch-up lets you rewind the guide and play a programme that already aired. It only works if your IPTV provider keeps a catch-up archive, and how far back you can go depends on the provider, not the app.
Do I need TiviMate Premium to record?
Yes. Recording and the scheduler are Premium features. The free app plays live TV but cannot record. Neither version includes any channels, so you also need an IPTV subscription.
Why is catch-up not showing in TiviMate?
Because your provider does not offer a catch-up archive, or not for that channel. TiviMate only shows catch-up when the service supplies the archived data, so a provider with proper catch-up support is required.
Where are TiviMate recordings saved?
Usually to a USB drive plugged into your Fire Stick or Android box, or to internal storage if there is space. A larger drive holds more recordings; a steady stream keeps them clean.
Written by the Vivimate Team
We run Vivimate, the 4K IPTV service, and set these apps and devices up every day for customers around the world. Every guide here is written and checked by the same people who answer support, so the steps are the ones we actually use. Got a question we did not cover? Reach the team.
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