# Channels: Whole Home DVR — Live TV & DVR on your devices

> Whole home DVR and live TV streaming across all devices. (iPhone/iPad app by Fancy Bits, LLC.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/channels-whole-home-dvr/id1405359767 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Fancy Bits, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1064811458)
- Category: Entertainment, Utilities
- Price: Free
- Rating: 4.70/5 from 567 App Store ratings · 81 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 12+
- Requires: iOS 17.0 · 108 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2018-08-15
- Data updated: 2026-08-27
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/channels-whole-home-dvr/id1405359767/reviews.md

## What is Channels?

Cut the cord without missing your shows. You don't have to lose your DVR just because you canceled your cable.

Channels is easy for the whole family to love.

Watch your favorite programs on every TV and device, from the living room, hotel room, or even on your commute. Channels delivers a unified experience across all your TVs, devices, and streaming platforms.

Learn more about Channels and how it works at http://getchannels.com/features/

-- Record Your Shows --

• Record in one place, watch on every TV & iOS device.
• Pause in one room and resume in another, or on your iPhone or iPad.
• Pick your favorite shows or teams, and choose to record all or just their new airings.
• Browse or search through 21 days worth of guide data that updates daily.
• Schedule a recording from your phone while you're away from home.
• Watch your favorite shows or teams while you're away from home. Live or recorded.
• Watch your shows while they're currently recording. Don't wait for them to finish.
• Your recordings get their commercials indexed, and can be automatically skipped.

-- Watch Live TV --

• Pause, rewind, and fast forward live TV.
• Support for full 5.1 surround sound.
• Full support for closed captioning and alternate audio tracks.
• Mark channels as favorites. Browse them for quicker access to your favorite networks.
• Full support for VoiceOver. Browse and watch TV with ease.


NOTE: DVR features require Channels DVR Server installed and running on your home computer or NAS to stream to your devices. Learn more at https://getchannels.com/dvr-server/


-- People Love Channels --

"One of the most capable cord-cutting replacements for a cable DVR" - TechHive

"Apple TV just became the best box for streaming live broadcast TV" — Macworld

"Apple TV already has at least one 'killer app'. The new third-party Apple TV app, Channels." — MacDailyNews

"I can tell you it’s buttery smooth" — Zatz Not Funny!


For questions, concerns, bug reports, and feature requests, contact us on twitter @getchannels or via email support@getchannels.com

## Key features

- Record and watch on any device
- Pause and resume viewing across devices
- Schedule recordings remotely
- Skip commercials automatically
- Watch live TV with pause, rewind, and fast forward
- Support for surround sound and closed captioning

## Recent user reviews (10 of 81)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/channels-whole-home-dvr/id1405359767/reviews.md

### 3/5 — Not great on a Mac

*2026-07-25*

Because the app is native to iPads, and thus touch control, it’s poorly constructed for mice. Scrollbars don’t respond to mouse clicks or drags, which means you have to open the primary window large enough to accommodate any popup menus fully extended.

### 5/5 — Thanky ou for Multi-Device Support!

*2026-06-30, version 7.1.1*

I love this app.  This has been a great platform for my home DVR having pulled the plug on cable.  And being able to use the app on my M4 Mac Mini is just one more reason this app is a no-brainer.  It’s stable, your site/community has great support, I simply have no notes.  Thank you!

### 1/5 — Apple TV app does not function at all

*2025-12-15*

No matter what option i choose, it can’t detect my location and “does not recognise” any postcode i enter

### 5/5 — Great piece of software

*2025-05-04, version 6.2.3*

I’ve been using Channels almost every day for years. This app has allowed me to get rid of two cable boxes, saving almost $30 a month. Admittedly the setup can be complex, but I am experienced in software. 
The main features DVR, pausing and rewinding live tv, and being a media server serve all my non streaming media needs. 
Plus in the years of using it, I have only encountered a couple of bugs. 
This company should advertise this app more. Everyone always talks about Plex and Kodi. I know they are not 100% equivalent, but they share the same space.

### 4/5 — Excellent

*2025-02-27*

Does what it says on the tin. I have been using this now for over 12 months and found it easy to use and very reliable. It would have gotten 5 stars if the guide search was improved. If I want to pick a day a week ahead I have to troll through day after day until I get to the day I want.

### 5/5 — Love it

*2025-02-08*

Everything is great except that I’m paying for this and my PiP is blocked by you guys having a “Rate our App” popup over the picture. Hopefully this goes away now…

### 5/5 — Amazing

*2025-02-05*

This is the absolute solution for an Apple tv device user that OS looking to combine live tv with personal collections and on demand apps. It is constantly updated with new features. Create your own virtual channels. Import your own media. Create collections. Download to devices. Integrate live tv from aerial and online sources. Deeplink content to apps you sibscribe to so content from Disney for example sits in your library next to your own content. So good.

### 1/5 — IT IS NOT FREE TV !

*2025-01-20, version 6.1.2*

You need to pay for a TV streaming service. This is misleading. Its not an app to watch free Live TV

### 1/5 — Continual problems

*2024-12-09*

Repeated error messages that file is corrupted.
I continually report problems but nothing is done to correct the problem. 
Audio goes in and out. This has been a problem for weeks.

### 5/5 — Better than cable

*2024-10-18*

This service is far superior to cable, satellite, or streaming services for watching and recording. It combines over the air with your other feeds for a truly seamless TV experience.

## Frequently asked questions about Channels

### What does the Channels app do?

The Channels app allows you to watch live TV and your recorded DVR content on any of your devices, including TVs, phones, and tablets. It provides a unified viewing experience, letting you record shows in one place and watch them on any device, even when you're away from home.

### What are the key features of Channels?

Key features include recording shows and watching them on any device, pausing in one room and resuming in another, scheduling recordings remotely, and automatically skipping commercials. You can also watch live TV with full playback controls and access a 21-day TV guide.

### How much does Channels cost?

The Channels app itself is free to download and use. However, to utilize the DVR features, you will need to install and run the Channels DVR Server on your home computer or NAS. The app does not have in-app purchases or ads.

### What devices is Channels compatible with?

The app is designed to provide a unified experience across all your TVs, devices, and streaming platforms. This includes iOS devices like iPhones and iPads, and is noted for its performance on Apple TV.

### How can I use Channels to watch TV?

Channels is ideal for cord-cutters who want to continue watching live broadcast TV and their recorded shows without a traditional cable subscription. It allows you to manage your recordings and live TV viewing from anywhere, making it a convenient replacement for cable DVR services.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 7.1.1 — 2026-06-29

• NEW: downloads now display a Live Activity on iOS 26+ to provide progress while downloading
• IMPROVED: reduced app install sized
• IMPROVED: Massive reduction in memory usage
• IMPROVED: TMDB identifiers are returned in the identifiers object of the Channels API on Apple TV (when they exist)
• FIXED: Video was not being displayed over HDMI or via AirPlay from an iPhone or iPad
• FIXED: No recordings would be displayed after switching DVRs under some circumstances
• FIXED: Crash that could happen during data loading
• FIXED: Crash that could happen with certain ATSC3 content

### 7.1.0 — 2026-06-07

• NEW: A bit of Liquid Glass appears
• NEW: Contextual search on iOS/iPadOS - Each main section has it’s own search and results
• IMPROVED: stuttering that could happen when watching some interlaced content
• IMPROVED: Mode switching for HDR content (especially HLG)
• IMPROVED: performance with large collections
• IMPROVED: ATSC3 improvements
• IMPROVED: VP9 decoding
• FIXED: Unusual crash when background data refresh was happening
• FIXED: Test Surround Sound crash
• FIXED: Match Content and Frame Rate was not being kicked off when starting playback
• FIXED: TV and Movie view was rendering incorrectly when opened in the portrait orientation
• FIXED: Layout issue on Settings view on iPhone

### 7.0.2 — 2026-02-25

• IMPROVED: ATSC3 audio support
• IMPROVED: handling of ATSC3 audio with signal reception issues
• FIXED: Commercial markers were not always present in the timeline
• FIXED: Play Next countdown would sometimes be incorrect when Auto Play card is cued from credits detections.
• FIXED: Playing back .strm files would fail when connected remotely
• FIXED: Download disk space check was always checking for full size of the recording, not the size required to download if transcoding is enabled
• FIXED: Rare crasher

### 7.0.1 — 2025-11-08

• FIXED: Loading indicator would persist while playing Multiview channels
• FIXED: Multiview settings were showing on devices that weren’t eligible for Multiview
• FIXED: Channels in multiview would sometimes playback the wrong audio track
• FIXED: Channel Collection list would not update properly when switching DVRs

### 7.0.0 — 2025-10-30

Channels is 10 years old this fall and we’re celebrating with a major new release: Channels 7.0! This release is packed with new features and provements, including:

• NEW: Fresh new look and feel for Movies and TV Shows with richer artwork and metadata.
• NEW: Movie Extras: View trailers, behind-the-scenes footage, and other extras for movies you have added via your Personal Media sources.
• NEW: Multiview: Watch up to 4 live TV channels at once on Apple TV 4K and iPad (for cds ).
• NEW: Skip intros for content that has them detected. Currently in Preview only.
These features are all available for those utilizing a Channels DVR Server and are not available to standalone HDHomeRun customers.

## Apps similar to Channels

| App | Rating | Price | Category |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Channels for HDHomeRun!](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/channels-for-hdhomerun/id1117689474) | 4.5 (1,380) | $9.99 | Entertainment |
| [Philo: Shows, Movies & Live TV](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/philo-shows-movies-and-live-tv/id1248646044) | 4.8 (69,099) | Free | Entertainment |
| [US TV - Live stream](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/us-tv-live-stream/id1599072596) | 4.1 (188) | Free | Entertainment |
| [Legacy Tablo](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/legacy-tablo/id761461283) | 2.9 (129) | Free | Entertainment |
| [UHF - Love your IPTV](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/uhf-love-your-iptv/id6443751726) | 4.6 (2,137) | Free | Entertainment |
| [HDHomeRun](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hdhomerun/id949582631) | 2.5 (465) | Free | Entertainment |

## More apps by Fancy Bits, LLC

- [Channels for HDHomeRun](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/channels-for-hdhomerun/id1055205969)
- [Channels for HDHomeRun!](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/channels-for-hdhomerun/id1117689474)

All apps by Fancy Bits, LLC: https://appshunter.io/developer/1064811458

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-27.*