HakapiriInstallation
Install Hakapiri from the App Store on iPhone and iPad, or from Google Play on Android. On first launch you see the welcome screen: add a playlist, try the Demo room or pick a language.
Hakapiri downloads and plays directly on the device, over Wi-Fi or mobile data.
Adding a playlist
In Hakapiri a playlist is called a source. You can save more than one, but only one is active at a time. You find them in the menu, under the item named after the active source.
| Type | What you need |
|---|---|
| Pasted link | Name and address. Hakapiri detects the type by itself. |
| M3U playlist | The list’s address and, optionally, an XMLTV address for the guide. |
| File on this device | An .m3u file saved on your phone or tablet. |
| Server (Xtream API) | Address, username and password. You can test the login before saving. |
| Demo room | Nothing. Sample channels, movies, a series and a guide. |
Each source has a User-Agent: browser, VLC, TV or custom text. Some servers only respond to a certain client. Limits: playlists up to 32 MB, guides up to 40 MB.
If a refresh fails, Hakapiri keeps showing the saved catalogue and offers to retry.
Getting around
On phones the menu is a hamburger: tap it and each item becomes a full-width row. On tablets the menu is a sidebar on the left, which you can shrink to icons only. Search is always at the top.
The items are Home, Live, Guide, Movies and Series (if the playlist has them), Search, the active source, language and Settings.
Live TV
The playlist’s groups are chips you swipe through: All, Favourites, then the categories. Each channel shows number, logo, name, what’s on now and progress. Tap a channel to see its details, then Watch.
In landscape the list sits on the left and the details on the right. Channel order follows the playlist or the channel numbers, as set in Settings.
Guide and catch-up
The guide covers two hours back and eight ahead. A programme on air opens live TV. A programme that has already ended plays as catch-up if the channel has an archive (catchup in the playlist, server timeshift, or utc and lutc parameters). Without an archive, Hakapiri tells you and opens live TV.
Movies and series
Besides the playlist’s categories there are Continue watching, Watched and Favourites. A letter bar jumps to the first title starting with that letter.
A movie page shows poster, category and plot: watch, resume from the saved point or start over. A series page lists seasons and episodes; finished ones are marked, half-watched ones show the time.
Player
- Tap the screen to show the controls. They hide on their own after seven seconds. The screen stays on while you watch.
- Live: pause, favourite, format (fit, crop, fill), channel list, programme info, previous and next channel, start from the beginning if archived.
- On movies and episodes the bar seeks and your position is saved. At the end of an episode the next one starts after eight seconds, unless you choose to stay or leave.
- If a channel won’t start, Hakapiri tries the other form of the address on its own.
Favourites and Continue watching
Favourites and recents cover channels, movies and series, kept separately for each source. Continue watching collects half-watched movies and episodes: you can remove a title without clearing the rest. The last channel you watched is remembered separately, so the app can reopen it at launch if you want.
Parental control
In Settings › At home › Hide adult categories, set a PIN of at least four digits. Groups with adult names stay locked until you enter the PIN. Unlocking lasts until you close the app. The PIN is stored as a hash, not in plain text, and can only be turned off by entering it again.
Settings
- Language: Italian or English.
- Playback: low, medium or high buffer; video format; stream details.
- Home: text size, 24- or 12-hour clock, channel numbers, start on home or last channel, the “Still watching?” timer, channel order.
- At home: hide adult categories.
- Data: hide categories, clear cache (catalogues, guides and progress, not your sources).
Subscription
To play your playlists you need a yearly subscription, with a 7-day free trial, or a lifetime purchase. Everything else, the Demo room included, is free.
- Manage or cancel: Settings › Subscription › Manage subscription, or from your store settings.
- New phone: Settings › Subscription › Restore purchases, with the same store account.
- Promo code: Settings › Subscription › I have a code. On Android, choose “Redeem code” in Google’s payment sheet.
- Yearly to lifetime: Settings › Subscription › Go lifetime. The store does not cancel the yearly plan for you: Hakapiri reminds you to do it.
If the subscription expires while you watch, playback continues. The lock applies from the next item.
Troubleshooting
The playlist won’t load
- Try the VLC User-Agent on the source.
- Check that the link opens in a browser.
- If the list is larger than 32 MB, use one split by category.
A channel won’t start
Hakapiri automatically tries the other form of the address (HLS or MPEG-TS). If it still fails, the channel is probably down at the source. Turn on Settings › Playback › Stream details to see what is happening.
Stuttering and buffering
Raise the buffer in Settings › Playback. On mobile data, use Wi-Fi when you can.
Still stuck?
Write to support@cosmicbrokkoli.com with your device, Hakapiri version and source type. Never send us playlist links or passwords.