FAQ

A player for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV and Apple Vision Pro. It brings the films and shows on your media server or network share, and the channels from your TV provider, into one Home screen, with artwork, ratings and details filled in, and plays them in the best quality your screen and speakers can take.

No. Strand doesn't host, sell or provide any films, shows or channels, and it doesn't go looking for them. It plays what you connect it to: a Jellyfin, Emby or Plex server, a WebDAV share, or a playlist from your TV provider.

Without one, it still works for browsing, keeping a watchlist and tracking what you watch.

iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV and Apple Vision Pro. Each version is made for its device: the Apple TV app is built for the remote, the Mac app has keyboard shortcuts and a sidebar, Vision Pro has a private theatre. One purchase covers them all.

No, and none is planned. Strand is made by one developer, for Apple devices only.

Post a feature request or a bug report on the board, or vote for one that's already there. You can follow it on the roadmap through to the version it ships in. For a playback problem, also tap Send Log to Developer in Strand's Settings and put the reference it shows in your report, so the log can be found.

Email strandmediahub@hotmail.com, or come and talk on Discord. Include your device, Strand's version (Settings → About) and what happened.

Strand is unlocked with Strand Pro: US$4.99 a month or US$34.99 a year, each with a 7-day free trial for new subscribers, or US$89.99 once for Lifetime. The App Store shows the price in your own currency.

No. One purchase unlocks Strand on every iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV and Vision Pro signed in to the same Apple Account.

Lifetime is shared with your Family Sharing group. Monthly and Yearly aren't.

Make sure the device is signed in to the Apple Account you paid with, then choose Restore Purchases on the Strand Pro screen.

Subscriptions are managed by Apple. On iPhone or iPad: Settings → your name → Subscriptions. On the Mac: App Store → your name → Account Settings → Subscriptions. On Apple TV: Settings → Users and Accounts → your account → Subscriptions. Cancel at least 24 hours before the period ends to avoid the next charge.

Refunds are handled by Apple at reportaproblem.apple.com.

Redeem Code is on the Strand Pro screen on iPhone, iPad, the Mac and Vision Pro. It isn't on Apple TV, but a code redeemed on any of your other devices unlocks the Apple TV too.

Connecting a server doesn't change Home by itself; the rows you start with come from TMDB. Add your library as a row in Settings› then Shelves› then Add Shelf› then Media Servers. To hide everything that isn't on your server, turn on Only Show My Server's Content in Settings → Media Servers. More in Media servers.

Check the address opens in a web browser on the same network, port included (Jellyfin and Emby usually :8096, Plex :32400). On iPhone and iPad, check Strand has Local Network access in the system Settings app, under Privacy & Security. Away from home, you need a Remote URL that works from outside your network.

Sign in to plex.tv in a private browser window, then go to plex.tv/link and enter the code again.

Library holds your history, favourites, stats, calendar and downloads. Your watchlist goes on Home as a row: Settings› then Shelves› then Add Shelf, then your tracking service (or This Device) and Watchlist.

Strand works with the Apple TV's own user profiles, and Kids Mode is set per profile. There are no separate profiles inside Strand.

Switch the menu to the side: Settings› then General› then Navigation› then Menu Bar› then Sidebar.

An M3U playlist address or Xtream Codes login from your TV provider, and ideally the address of its XMLTV guide. Add them in Settings› then Live TV› then Add Provider. See Adding a TV provider.

A new guide can take a minute to load. If your provider's guide is separate from its playlist, add it as the EPG URL. Then refresh: the Refresh row at the top of the Live TV sidebar on Apple TV, or pull down on iPhone and iPad.

Edit the provider and turn on Use VOD. Strand matches them to TMDB using IDs your provider sends; titles without them can't be matched.

With the controls hidden, swipe or press up and down. Swipe left to go back to the last channel you watched.

Hold the select button on it (long-press on iPhone and iPad, right-click on the Mac) and choose Add to Favourites. Favourites sync to your other devices.

Yes, with a recorder on your network: Strand Recorder, Dispatcharr, or the DVR in Jellyfin or Emby. See Recordings.

Up to four on Apple TV and the Mac with Multiview. Each one counts towards your provider's limit on connections.

Yes. Profiles 5 and 8 play as they are; profile 7 is converted to 8.1. If your TV handles Dolby Vision badly, Never Use Dolby Vision plays the HDR10 picture instead. The Mac shows HDR10, because macOS doesn't do Dolby Vision.

Use the Internal player (Settings → Playback), and turn on Surround Sound and Dolby Atmos on the same page. Atmos also needs a TV, soundbar or receiver that supports it, set up in the Apple TV's own Video and Audio settings.

Turn on Match Frame Rate in Settings → Playback, and Match Content → Match Frame Rate in the Apple TV's own Video and Audio settings.

Try Auto-sync subtitles in Settings → Subtitles. To adjust by hand on Apple TV, swipe up while playing → Subtitles → Timing.

Yes. Choose it in Settings› then Playback› then Player Selected. Some features, like Atmos and song identification, only work in Strand's own player.

On iPhone, iPad and the Mac. See Downloads.

Trakt, Simkl, MDBList and PublicMetaDB, or none: This Device keeps your history on your own devices and in your iCloud. One tracks at a time. See Tracking your history.

If a media server is connected as well as a tracking service, both report progress. Turn on Track Only With Your Tracking Service in Settings → Media Servers so only one does. To start clean, use Reset Playback Progress in Settings → Data & Storage.

Turn on iCloud Sync on the iPhone and choose Use This Device; wait a minute, then turn it on on the Apple TV and choose Use iCloud Data. Or, without iCloud, use Share Setup› then Send with a Code. See iCloud and new devices.

No. Sign in on each device; it only takes a code.

Very little. There are no accounts and no ads. Your servers, history and settings stay on your devices and in your own iCloud, where the developer can't see them. Strand sends anonymous usage statistics, which never include what you watch or your server addresses, and you can turn them off in Settings. The full detail is in the privacy policy.

The app's recent playback log: titles played, server and channel names, and technical details about your device and network. Passwords and access tokens are removed before it's sent. Nothing is sent unless you choose Send Log to Developer.

Your post and any comments are public once they've been read. Your email, device details and network address are never shown; email is only used to ask you about your post. To have a post removed, email strandmediahub@hotmail.com with its number.