TiviMate error 401: the login was refused
TiviMate error 401: the server did not accept the username or password in your playlist. How to find which part is wrong, and fix it in a couple of minutes.
TiviMate error 401 means the IPTV server was reached and turned your login down. The address in your playlist works; what the server did not accept was the username and password sent with it, or the account behind them. That narrows the cause to a short list, and most of it can be checked from the sofa in a few minutes.
What error 401 means
401 is a standard web status code, 401 Unauthorized: the server asked who you are and did not accept the answer. TiviMate shows it when it tries to load your playlist, the TV guide or a channel and the server rejects the credentials it sent. It is not a fault in TiviMate and not a sign of a broken device.
The useful part is what 401 rules out. Your internet connection works, and the player found a server at the address you gave it. So there is little point restarting the router or reinstalling the app before checking the login. Start with the details.
The usual causes, most common first
A typing mistake
One wrong character is enough. On a TV keyboard it is easy to mix up the letter O and the number 0, a lower-case l, a capital I and the number 1, or to add a space at the end. Usernames and passwords are case-sensitive, and some on-screen keyboards capitalise the first letter without asking.
A plan or trial that has ended, or is not active yet
When a plan or trial ends, the server stops accepting the login, and depending on the server, TiviMate can report that as 401 rather than as an expiry. The same can happen for a few minutes after payment, before the line is activated. Check the end date in your last message from us; the free trial stops after 24 hours by design.
The wrong playlist type or server URL
Xtream details typed into the M3U field, an M3U link cut short while copying, or a server URL from an old message will all be refused. The server URL needs http:// at the start and the port number after the colon, exactly as we sent it. A playlist that still points at another provider’s server will refuse your login too, because that server has never heard of you.
New details after a change
Renewing normally keeps the same login. If you moved from the trial to a paid plan, though, or we issued fresh details for any reason, the old ones stop working while TiviMate keeps trying them. Use the most recent login in your WhatsApp chat.
Fix error 401 in TiviMate, step by step
Find the latest login
Open your WhatsApp chat with us and find the most recent message with a username, password and server URL. If the plan has ended, renew from the plans page first; nothing else here helps until the line is active.
Open the playlist settings
In TiviMate, go to Settings › Playlists and select the playlist that shows the error. The entry shows its type, Xtream codes or M3U, and the details saved with it. Menu names vary between versions.
Compare every character
Check the server URL, username and password against the message, one character at a time. Look for O and 0, l and 1, a missing http://, a missing port or a space at the end. If your version lets you edit the details there, correct them.
Type with a phone keyboard
The remote’s on-screen keyboard is where most slips happen. Amazon’s Fire TV app and Google’s phone remote for Android TV and Google TV both include a keyboard, so you can type the details on the phone, or paste them where your phone allows it.
Update the playlist
Save, then choose the option to update the playlist from the same screen. TiviMate reloads the 25,000+ channels and the guide with the corrected login; on a long list this takes a minute or two.
If there is no edit option, add it again
Some versions do not let you change an Xtream login in place. Use Settings › Playlists › Add playlist, choose Xtream codes, enter the server URL, username and password, and remove the old playlist once the new one loads. Favourites belong to the old playlist, so mark them again.
Restart and test
Restart the device, open TiviMate and play a channel you know well. If 401 is still there, run the test in the next section before changing anything else.
Setting TiviMate up from scratch on a new device? The TiviMate install guide shows the whole process, from Downloader to the TV guide.
Is it the login or TiviMate? A two-minute test
Try the same details somewhere else. Sign in with IPTV Smarters Pro on a phone, or open the M3U link in VLC. If the login works there, it is fine and the problem is the playlist entry in TiviMate: add it again as in step 6. If it fails there too, the login itself is being refused, which means a typo in the copy you are working from, a line that is not active, or old details. The WhatsApp desk can check which straight away.
How 401 differs from other TiviMate errors
Some faults look similar but have different causes, and the 401 fix will not help them.
| What you see | What it usually means | Where to start |
|---|---|---|
| Error 401 | The server refused the login | The steps on this page |
| A message about too many connections, or one screen stops when another starts | More screens playing than your plan allows | Stop a stream elsewhere, or add a screen for the time left on your plan |
| A timeout or a could-not-connect message | The player cannot reach the server: the network or a wrong address | Check the server URL, then the network |
| Channels load, then stop and start | Buffering, not the login | the IPTV buffering checks |
| Channel list loads but the TV guide is empty | The guide has not loaded, or the clock is wrong | Date, time and time zone, then update the guide |
| One channel fails while the others play | That channel’s feed | Try later, then send us its name and group |
For faults that are not about the login at all, the IPTV help centre lists each symptom with its likely cause.
Stop it happening again
- Keep one copy of your login, the latest, in a note on your phone, and delete old ones so they cannot be mixed up.
- Renew before the end date. We message you on WhatsApp near the end of the term, and the login stays the same when you renew.
- Keep the login inside your household. A line shared beyond it can be closed under the terms, and a closed line answers every attempt with a refusal.
- After a TiviMate update, check that the playlist still loads before the evening you want to watch.
What to send us
If 401 survives the steps above, write to +212 663 813 479 with your username, the device and TiviMate version, a photo of the error, and whether the login works in another player. We can see at once whether the line is active and whether the details in your playlist match it, then reply with the fix. The contact page has a ready-made message for errors.
TiviMate error 401 questions
Does TiviMate error 401 mean my subscription has expired?
It can, but not always. An ended plan or trial is one of the common causes, because the server stops accepting the login when the term runs out. A typing mistake in the username, password or server URL produces exactly the same error. Check the end date in your last message from us first, then compare the playlist details with that message character by character.
Why does TiviMate show error 401 after I renewed?
Renewing normally keeps the same login, so a 401 straight after renewal usually means the payment has not reached the line yet, or the playlist still holds trial or older details. Wait a few minutes after paying, compare the playlist with the latest login in your WhatsApp chat, and update the playlist. If it carries on, send us your username and we will check the line.
Why does my login work on my phone but show error 401 in TiviMate?
Because the login is fine and the copy saved in TiviMate is not. The playlist on the TV has a different character somewhere, often O for 0, a capital letter or a space at the end, or it points at an old server URL. Re-enter the details with a phone keyboard, or add the playlist again and remove the old one.
Will reinstalling TiviMate fix error 401?
Rarely, because 401 comes from the server refusing the login, not from the app. Reinstalling deletes your playlists and favourites, and if you then type the same details again, the same error returns. Correct the login in the playlist settings first. Reinstall only if TiviMate itself misbehaves, for example by crashing on open, which is a different fault.
Can too many devices cause error 401 in TiviMate?
Not usually. Installing TiviMate on several devices is fine, and playing on more screens than your plan allows tends to show up as a stream that stops or a message about connections, not as a refused login. The exception is a line closed for being shared outside the household. To watch on more screens at once, add a screen to your plan part way through the term.