How it works
Your provider sends the channel once, and Kanema stores it on the device in small pieces as it arrives. The player reads from those pieces rather than from your provider, so pausing, going back and returning to live don’t open another connection to your subscription. When the time limit is reached, or the device runs short of space, the oldest pieces go first. When you change channel, Kanema lets go of the old one and starts again with the new one.
On Apple TV
Press Play/Pause to pause. Once you’ve paused, Left and Right move back and forward through the last half hour. Press them quickly a few times and each press goes further: ten seconds, then thirty, then a minute, then two.
To catch up, keep pressing Right until you reach live, or click twice to open the options and choose Go to live under Live TV. Settings › Tips on the TV has a reminder of these.
On iPhone, iPad and Apple Vision Pro
Tap the picture for the controls. The live scrubber appears as soon as the channel starts, with how far behind live you are beside it. Drag it back to go back, and all the way to the right to return to live.
On iPhone and iPad, the Lock Screen and Control Centre can skip back and forward through what Kanema has kept, and you can drag the bar there too.
On a Mac
The player’s bar works the same way, with up to two hours to move through. Your keyboard’s play key, AirPods and Now Playing in Control Centre pause and play it as well.
When a channel can’t be paused
Some channels have to play straight from your provider. Kanema can’t keep a channel that’s encrypted, one sent as fragmented MP4 or byte-range HLS, or a playlist that has finished rather than a running stream. It also plays straight from the provider while AirPlay has the sound, or if you’ve turned the feature off. In every case the player’s options say which reason applies, so you’re never left guessing.
The setting is Pause and rewind live TV, in Settings › Playback, and it’s on unless you turn it off.
Faster channel changes
If your Xtream Codes subscription allows more than one stream at once, Prepare the next channel, also in Settings › Playback, makes changing channel almost instant. For three minutes after a change, Kanema quietly fetches the next channel in the direction you were going, so it’s ready when you press. It needs Pause and rewind live TV on, and it stays out of the way of 4K channels on devices that can only play one 4K picture at a time.
Questions
How far back can I rewind live TV?
Up to an hour on iPhone, iPad and Apple Vision Pro, up to two hours on a Mac, and up to half an hour on Apple TV, counted from when you started watching the channel.
Do I need to turn anything on?
No. Pause and rewind live TV is on by default. You’ll find it in Settings › Playback.
Does it use another stream from my subscription?
No. Kanema fetches the channel once and plays it from the device, so your provider sees one connection.
Why can’t I pause a particular channel?
Some channels can’t be kept on the device, such as encrypted ones. The player’s options say why for the channel you’re watching.
Kanema doesn’t come with channels
Kanema plays the playlist you add from your own provider, and nothing else. Only add services you’re entitled to use.
Coming soon to the App Store