Heukino

Almost everything in this update came out of your emails — thank you for those. Here is what became of them:

• Set up Apple TV with your iPhone. The Apple TV shows a QR code, you scan it with your iPhone — and the playlist, password included, arrives encrypted over your Wi-Fi. No more typing with the remote. This also works on the “Password Missing” screen.
• Now built for Apple Vision Pro. Open channels as windows and place them anywhere in your space.
• Favorites in lists and folders. Your own order and your own lists of channels, movies and series, optionally shown as folders — split into Live TV, Movies, Series and Reminders.
• Sort and filter movies and series — A–Z, newest, rating and year, or unwatched only. Mark movies, episodes and whole seasons as watched by hand.
• “Continue Watching” at the top of Movies and Series, on every device and in the classic view too.
• Manage channels yourself. Hide, rename, assign your own numbers and logos, rename bouquets; number playlists that come without numbers automatically if you like. Duplicate channels (HD, FHD, 4K) can be combined into one — if one version fails, Heukino switches to the next.
• Your channel list, your way: as shelves, as a list or with a sidebar, showing what's on now and next — and over the running picture, without leaving the player.
• Catch-up overview: every channel with an archive in one place — pick a day and catch up on the show.
• Guide: only your favorites if you like, filter by bouquet, adjustable row height and time offset. Your own EPG addresses now also for Xtream, with several sources per playlist.
• Player: aspect ratio, skip intervals, a sleep timer until the end of the program, next episode automatically. Shift subtitle timing, prefer the surround audio track, show playback stats over the picture. Heukino can remember audio, subtitles and audio delay for each channel.
• Clear messages. If a channel won't start, Heukino tells you why and shows a short code for your provider. When all streams on your account are in use, Heukino says so clearly.
• Kids' profile: show only the bouquets you allow if you like — new bouquets from the provider stay locked until you allow them.
• Themes and accent color, True Black for OLED screens and alternate app icons on iPhone and iPad. Set up the home screen your way, with saved searches.
• Playlists: edit them (on Apple TV right from the menu), protect them with a PIN, refresh them all at once and sort them yourself. Heukino picks up per-channel headers from the M3U (referrer, user agent).
• System. Widgets on iPhone and iPad, your choice of what the Top Shelf shows on Apple TV, Focus filters. On the Mac: a Playback menu, AirPlay in the player and channel selection by number.

Also improved: your channels are there right away at launch; updating happens in the background. Channels that stuttered in picture and sound despite a complete data stream now play much more smoothly. After switching profiles, nothing the previous profile had open is visible anymore. Many of the new customization options are part of Heukino Premium.

• Bring your own playlists (M3U and Xtream) — you provide your legally sourced streams, Heukino plays them.
• Set up Apple TV without typing: the playlist comes from your iPhone via QR code, encrypted and directly over your home network.
• Electronic program guide (EPG) with catch-up: see what's on and what's next — and catch up on what you missed, if your playlist has an archive.
• Favorites, your own lists, “recently watched” and playback positions — in sync on all devices via your private iCloud.
• Multi-View: up to four channels at once in exact 16:9, if your account allows several connections. On iPad and Mac the app can additionally be opened in multiple windows; on Apple Vision Pro you place channels as windows in your space.
• Profiles with a parental PIN — for the whole family, optionally as a kids' profile with allowed bouquets only. Categories your provider labels as adult stay hidden; from version 2.0 they can only be shown with the profile's PIN and never in profiles with parental controls.
• Picture-in-picture and AirPlay on iPhone, iPad and Mac for seamless viewing — depending on the stream format; for movies and series via the setting “Prefer Picture in Picture & AirPlay”. Audio delay for HomePods.
• Large playlists, kept tidy: bouquets from your region first, country prefixes hidden if you like, duplicate channels combined.
• Personal recommendations per profile, learned on the device — refined further on devices with Apple Intelligence, also on-device.
• Fully translated into 51 languages.

Heukino does not provide any content or channels — it is a player for your own playlists. We do not cooperate with any IPTV provider.

• iPhone
• iPad
• Apple TV
• Mac
• Apple Vision Pro

One app, one purchase, every device — built natively with SwiftUI, no web wrapper. Since version 2.0, Heukino is also built specifically for Apple Vision Pro: open channels as windows there and place them anywhere in your space. Picture-in-picture and AirPlay are available on iPhone, iPad and Mac (depending on the stream format), not on Apple TV and Apple Vision Pro.

Up next: Heukino 2.1 for iPhone Duo. The update is in the works.

Heukino 2.1 is built for iPhone Duo — and brings what you asked for after 2.0:

• iPhone Duo: Unfolded, Heukino uses the whole inner display. Propped up like a small TV: the picture on top, large control tiles below with a soft glow of what's playing. The channel tile opens the channel deck — channels, what's on now and catch-up — while the picture keeps playing. Held like a book: picture in front, controls behind. Folding and unfolding simply keeps the show running.
• Kids profile: One switch turns a profile into a kids profile. Everything stays locked until you allow it; leaving requires the parental PIN, and Heukino locks again when you leave the app.
• Ambient light, your way: channel logo, subtle tint or theme light.
• Bouquets: New bouquets from your provider at a glance — and whatever you hide or reorder on iPhone applies on Apple TV right away.
• Player on iPhone and iPad: just the picture — the clock and battery fade out; a double tap or a two-finger spread fills the whole screen.
• Clear messages when a provider rejects a request or an account is locked — plus many small improvements.

Coming in October 2026, right on time for the iPhone Duo launch. Many of the new customizations are part of Heukino Premium.

Heukino works without accounts, without trackers, and without any servers of ours. Your playlists, favorites, and history are stored on your devices and in your private iCloud. The built-in AI works entirely on your device, and even setting up Apple TV runs directly over your home network — with no server in between. Your history and preferences sync through your private iCloud; your history only goes to Trakt if you connect your Trakt account. Details are in the privacy policy.

Heukino is available on the App Store — for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV and Apple Vision Pro.

Heukino is free to download; setting up playlists, the guide, search and profiles work without a purchase. Playback requires Heukino Premium: a subscription (monthly or yearly; try it free for 7 days, then it renews automatically at the price shown in the App Store unless you cancel in your Apple Account settings at least 24 hours before the trial ends) or a one-time purchase with no subscription and no automatic renewal. Both come as Solo and as Family (shared via Family Sharing with up to six people).

The App Store shows you the prices; they depend on your country. The free trial week is for new subscribers.

This page is a translation; the German version is the binding one.

A playlist can be opened in Heukino with a single tap — on iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Vision Pro. Heukino never connects on its own: it first shows every detail for review, and only “Add Playlist” saves the playlist.

Create link and QR code — runs entirely in your browser; nothing is sent or stored.

Link format (values URL-encoded, placeholder domain example.com):

• M3U: heukino://add?m3u=https%3A%2F%2Fexample.com%2Fplaylist.m3u&name=My%20Playlist — optionally &epg=… for an XMLTV guide.
• Xtream Codes: heukino://add?xtream=example.com%3A8080&user=USERNAME&pass=PASSWORD — without pass, Heukino asks for the password.
• Expiry (optional, both forms): &exp=… with a point in time in Unix seconds — after that, Heukino rejects the link.

Under Settings → Playlists, a saved playlist can be passed on via “Share as Link” — for Xtream without the password. The link only carries the credentials you already have from your provider; Heukino itself contains no directories or sources. The format is openly documented; we do not cooperate with any IPTV provider.

On Apple TV it works without a link: under “Add Playlist” → “Set Up with iPhone” it shows a QR code. Scan it with your iPhone's camera, pick the playlist there and tap “Send to Apple TV”. The code is valid for ten minutes, can only be used once and contains no credentials.

• Set up Threadfin, HDHomeRun & co. — your own TV signal on every Apple device (German).
• Legal & content policy — why Heukino is a player, not a service (German, with an English summary).
• Privacy policy — what Heukino stores and what it doesn't.
• Legal notice — who is behind Heukino.

Questions, problems, or requests? Write to kontakt@scheunencode.de — every message is read and usually answered within 1–2 business days. You can also reach us right from the app: Settings → “Send Feedback”.

Requests are very welcome. If another app can do something Heukino can't, tell me — I look at every suggestion and build what can sensibly be built. Version 2.0 is almost entirely the result of that.

Frequently asked questions

• Heukino shows no channels. Heukino does not provide content itself. Under “Add Playlist”, enter the credentials from your provider (Xtream Player API or an M3U link) — you get those directly from your provider.
• “Password Missing” after switching devices. The password of an Xtream account is kept in the Keychain and syncs via iCloud Keychain — if that is off, or the password doesn't arrive on a device (such as Apple TV), it is missing there. Tap “Reconnect Playlist” — server and username are pre-filled, only the password needs re-entering. On Apple TV you don't even need to type: “Set Up with iPhone” shows a QR code, and your iPhone sends the password encrypted over your home network.
• A channel won't start. Heukino then tells you why and shows a short code. You can pass it on to your provider or send it to us — ideally together with the report from Settings → Diagnostics → “Copy to Clipboard” (on iPhone, iPad and Mac). Credentials are redacted in it.
• My provider asks for a specific user agent. Ask your provider which one it expects and enter it under “User Agent (Optional)” when connecting.
• Restore Premium on a new device. Settings → Subscription → “Restore Purchases” — one-time purchases and subscriptions come back via your Apple Account.
• Cancel a subscription. Anytime in your Apple Account settings under Subscriptions — at least 24 hours before the current period ends, so it doesn't renew. A one-time purchase needs no cancelling — it does not renew.