Related Articles
Screenshot by Joshua Goldman/CNET
And it only took two years.
Back in August 2012, TiVo launched the Stream , a small box that let TiVo Premiere owners stream live and recorded programming to iOS devices via TiVo’s app. Then a year later it launched the Roamio Plus and Pro DVRs, which had streaming built in, but still only to iOS devices.
As of today, Android users can join in the streaming excitement using the new free TiVo app in the Google Play store. It will also be available in the Amazon Appstore in a few days.
Along with being able to manage and schedule recordings, explore show info and control your TiVo DVR, you’ll be able to stream programming from your TiVo to an Android phone or tablet — over your home wireless or cellular network.
Screenshot by Joshua Goldman/CNET
You can watch live TV, too, but doing so requires you to start a recording, so it’s best to avoid channel surfing. Also, premium copy-protected content, such as recorded HBO shows and movies, can only be streamed over your home network, not cellular.
Related stories
- TiVo Mega DVR offers up vast 24TB storage at equally huge $5,000 price
- TiVo Roamio review: The best over-the-air DVR, if you’re willing to pay
Unlike with the iOS app, downloading programs to your Android devices isn’t possible at the moment, just streaming. Downloading on Android is coming, but TiVo says it wanted to get streaming up as soon as possible.
I was able to get streaming up and running quickly on a Galaxy S5 , but let me know in the comments if your experience is different. If you are having difficulties, try restarting your mobile device or check the streaming settings in the settings menu. For example, you have to turn on cellular streaming, as it’s off by default. One other thing we learned: it doesn’t seem to work on rooted devices.
