Creating your own custom branded IPTV Application

branded IPTV Application is a must for you If you are running your own IPTV business. This will help you in various ways, both security-wise and for your brand awareness in the target market. Users will have a versatile application which not only catches the eye during the streaming of the content, but also remember the name of the company they have subscribed to.

In this article, I will share my own experience and help you creating your own IPTV Android Application.

 

Why would one need to create their own custom branded IPTV application?

Many Providers do provide their own android application to their IPTV resellers; some, including us, even offer a free-of-charge white-label version of it which makes the life of their retailers much easier. However, having your own software with your name and brand on it will massively makes a difference. Let’s see what would those be:

 

• Brand recognition and awareness

I want my clients to see my brand name in front of them every time they open the app and use the service. I can achieve this, not by a white-label application but with my own branded software. On the other hand, imagine my user’s friend or family come over to watch a show or event with them, they will also see the name of my company which is a good indirect marketing as well.

 

• Ease of installation and setting up the service

These custom softwares, have the possibility to embed the server address inside, meaning your clients only need to type in the username and password of their IPTV account. The installation of the APK file is pretty easy as well.

 

• Avoiding the exposure of the server address

With IPTV Domain being embedded inside, no one will ever know the address to the IPTV Panel main server. This is a big benefit. Authorities who are fighting IPTV, or even your competitors wont be able to cause you any trouble. Another key factor is, you can target unknown or risky markets as well.

 

• Push Notification Tool

Recently, especially in past 2 years, most IPTV software developers have added Push Notification tools in their applications. This feature enable you to send Public announcements to clients, which will appear on their screen while watching. You can also add Banners at the top of the player homepage, posting about deals, offers and promotions.

 

• Adding VPN servers

You can also add VPN servers of your own into the application. If you know a good VPN panel solution, you can get that, add VPS servers to it and then generate VPN cert files. After that you can add it to these application. You can also later change the servers remotely and clients will see the changes taking effect simply by re-launching the software.

 

• Making remote changes and upgrades

Imagine, for whatever reason, you decide to change the server address inside the app. This is easily done remotely using the management panel that you are provided with by the developers. Some of them even enable you to make player engine or other functional changes without the need of reinstallation on clients’ side.

 

Which software development company you should use?

If by now feeling intrigued to have your own IPTV application, I have good and trusted sources to obtain this from. There are 3 ways I recommend to go with, 2 of which I have used my own and can vouch for.

 

• SBP by WHMCS Smarters (Recommended)

I have known these guys since 2017. They are good at what they do and their service is trustworthy. The offers range from ready-made Website designing, VPN Panel Software to IPTV client account and software development. Many providers in the market are using them for various purposes. They are online during weekdays and not in the weekends.

They introduced a new IPTV application service called SBP which can be monitored and managed remotely. Most things inside the software like domain address, homepage banner and few other things can be edited on the panel and all clients need to do is to close and reopen the app to see changes applied.

The engine of the application is the very well know IPTV Smarters Pro but in latest version. You can chose your own skin and design based on the gallery of themes you will be provided with.

This service is made based on Google Firebase.

 

 

• ORCP by OTTRUN (Recommended)

It was about last year when I though I would get another branded IPTV Android application for my resellers, then I started looking around and came across OTTRUN. They are the creators of XCIPTV. In the past 12 months, this app has been developed massively, especially in player engine side. It now has both implayer and VLC codec library inside, so you do not need to install those players on your device.

The playback and streaming quality is smooth on almost any Android device. The interface is also different from other ones you have seen in the market. I personally prefer this look a lot better.

The thing that would encourage you to go with OTTRUN is that right from the start till you get your APK file, it’s all done automatically. I remember first time when I subscribed to their service, did logo and design and uploaded in the portal. I thought someone will be in touch for confirmation, then noticed the software is ready and I received the APK file.

One thing that I did notice was their support that usually respond only 1 time per day. Their infrastructure is good and their service is solid so you dont need to worry about communication much.

 

• Freelance Developers Online (Be Cautious)

There are many freelancers who do great work, no doubt about that, However, in the current poisoned IPTV atmosphere with a lot of mistrust and cheating, I absolutely insist going with known choices. I hear some go with developers on Fiverr. Read their reviews, feedbacks they got from their clients and do your homework. It is the application you are going to use and share among your clients, it has to be coded by a safe person.

 

How to create your own branded IPTV Application?

I always write these articles to share my experience with our clients, shedding light on the path for whoever wants to know how things are done, unlike many others who just rephrase posts without any explicit guide.

Therefore, I will show you how to create your own branded IPTV Android Application with both WHMCS Smarters or OTTRUN. We will go through the steps right from the beginning till the end.

 

Creating your branded application with WHMCS Smarters

So as mentioned before, these guys are among the very well-known teams in the market, being active for years. Needless to say that some have bad experience with them as well, but no one can satisfy everyone, and that’s fact!

You can read about the general information of their OTT (Over-The-Top) software solution to understand how it works and once done, proceed to registration.

 

Once signed in, go to this link to submit a support ticket to sales department. As per picture above, select the designated department.

 

Now, write your message to sales about your request for IPTV Smarters Pro branded version. They will hit you back with a reply very soon. Their time zone is India Standard Time and they are always responding during work hours on weekdays.

 

Once they respond to your request, they will ask for few stuff and you should provide them with it:

 

• Price and Invoice to Pay

They can customize their IPTV Smarters Pro V4 and provide it to you for the prices outlined above. It can start at a monthly fee of $49 . I would say it is worth it if you like the look of this application. Although, remember, you can change the skin, add your logo and also change the structure to some extent.

 

• Server, Port and a Name

You will need to provide them with the server address and the port number of your streaming platform. It’s basically what you see in the beginning of the M3U streaming line link. The name is going to be what your application is called.

Note: In a separate post, I did explain the importance of registering your own domain for IPTV purposes in a great length. Definitely read that guide. You need to have your own domain name and to do so, there are key factors to pay attention to. I highly recommend reading that tutorial.

 

• A Test Line

You will also need to provide them with a test line of your streaming lines just so they run tests on the application before delivering it to you. Add a note in the description section of that test account so you could look it up in the future if needed.

 

• Choosing a template

They will provide you with a gallery of different template from which you can choose one. It will be the skin of your application. From what I last checked, there are 127 different application themes you can choose from.

 

• Your Logo

The logo of your brand is what people recognize you with. If you have not made one yet, now is the time. You can also ask WHMCS Smarters team to leave the logo empty but it is advised to have one.

 

What to do when SBP by WHMCS Smarters is delivered?

After a few days, usually between 3 to 7 working days, depending on how busy they are, You should receive an email containing a google drive link address to download your APK file for the custom branded IPTV application. You can then install it on your android device, share it between your clients and enjoy using it.

Beside that, you will also receive access to SBP panel, the remote control dashboard of your IPTV Android Application. There you can control and make changes to your software remotely. Let me show you the four corners of this.

 

When first sign in, you must see your application details including the name of the app, server address and the expiration date of your license. Click manage to see the wonderland!

 

• Main Dashboard

Here, we have a sum of all statistics related to our android application. You can see how many users have reported issues, their feedback, number of VPN server added to the software and so on. For example, If you ever wanted to know how many have installed your application, a quick look at this section should give you the answer. For the one we are using in this tutorial, 2425 users have installed it.

 

• Manage DNS

The server address (The one which is going to be used as the address to the main IPTV server) that is embedded inside the application is here. This is the URL that you provided developing team in first place. Now imagine for whatever reason, your domain address gets exposed and leaked, you have to change it. The beauty of these new apps is that you can do this remotely without the need of your clients reinstalling the software. After you make this change, they just have to close and reopen it and changes applied. Click the Edit button to see how.

 

You can now easily edit the dns address here and click Update.

 

Now click on Publish Changes so they take effect. Basically, any changes done on this panel are subjected to clicking the Publish button at the top so they are applied.

 

• Announcements

These public messages are notifications that the Admin (The application owner – basically You) send to users. These are showing on the application dashboard where the Bell icon is at the top. It’s a good way to communicate with your users. Simply click on Add a New Announcement and then type in a subject and a message, finally click Send. Next time that users open the branded IPTV application they should see a a red dot on the Bell icon, catching their attention that there is a message for them to read.

 

• Push Notifications

You can also send messages as Push Notifications, mobile/tablet messages which are forced on the screen of your users’ devices. If their phone or tablet is screen-locked, the messages will pop up on the screen and if they are using the hardware, it will be shown at the top. Promotional messages sent this way would definitely have a big return.

 

Adding one is very easy. Click Send Notifications and the above page should open up. Add a subject and your body message. You can also add a picture to appear along with your text, giving it a better look.

 

In Registered Devices, you can see how many different hardwares each IPTV account is installed on as well as removing the users you dont want to get the notifications.

 

• Advertisements

In SBP, you can also create Ads which are shown on the dashboard of the software on clients’ end. It can include an image or just appear as a message. However, Advertisements can be made in two types: Rewarded and Standard.

Rewarded Ads are the ones which are showing after certain amount of client’s view while Standards ads show regardless. To configure Rewarded ones, choose that type from the left column and then click Configuration.

 

The cursor can be changed on the scale of 1 to 10 which represents the percentage that the user may see the advertisement.

Standard Ads are much more straightforward and self-explanatory.

 

• Clients’ Feedbacks

Yet another good feature from SBP. Users who are streaming with your app can send you feedbacks. It’s a nice way to know what people like about the service, some constructive criticism as well.

 

• Issue Reports

If users face an issue while streaming, they can report it immediately through the app. These messages will be listed in a neat list. As shown in the table above, reports are based on Username of the IPTV account, Report To that is the name of the content they are speaking about, Stream Type that could be VOD or Live TV, Category of the content which is the folder and what this problem alert is about. Now please click on the green Edit button.

 

For instance, our client here reported that certain VOD content does not have their desired subtitle.

 

• VPN

Virtual Private Network helps the streaming going through an encrypted tunnel, making it secure and safer. You need to have ready-made VPN servers and if you dont, WHMCS Smarters VPN Solution can be used. Once available to you, you can proceed with this part. Click on Add New VPN button.

 

Upload OpenVPN config files here, also known as OVPN, as well as the username and password of a working VPN account. Since these details are embedded inside your IPTV application, I recommend enabling unlimited connection on this access so all users can connect with the same login details. Make sure Publishing the changes once done.

 

• API

Application Programming Interface is a secure link between two endpoints allowing certain data transfers. Do not touch this section. From my understanding, you can ask smarters to send your clients issue reports into your ticketing system so you get them directly among your client’s support requests.

 

• Upgrade App

You can allow users to upgrade the app from inside the software and not by removing and reinstalling using the new APK. For this, please contact the developing team and they should let you know all the details. Basically you will need the Master App Version from them and upload it in this section.

 

• Maintenance Mode

There are times that you need to put application on maintenance mode, stopping users from launching it. Here is where it happens. The default message looks good but one can change it if desired. Tick the checkbox above and click Save.

 

• App Storage Preferences

SBP app also enables you to choose where clients will have their data stored. Stuff like Favorite, Recently Watched and Continue Watching can either be stored on the local device or on a cloud storage. I recommend leave the choice as default.

 

• Logs

The activity log for the SBP Panel, Google Firebase cloud where they host the project and API are here. In case of application issues, this section might come to aid.

 

I can assure you, getting your custom branded application from WHMCS Smarters is not only a choice to improve your business, but an easy task to do. There is nothing hard about this. Simply provide the details at first place and they will deliver the final product within short few days. Managing the remote control panel is also a breeze, everything explained above.

If you have any questions, please use the comment section and I will assist you to the best of my knowledge and abilities.

 

Crafting your Custom IPTV Android Application at OTTRUN

Oh yeah! you’ve got choices 🙂 The ORCP by OTTRUN, is an Android IPTV application which you can create, right from the scratch. Yes, thats correct. You can make this software yourself and even design it using their automated system.

The engine is XCIPTV, a well-known streaming software itself by the very same company.

You might quit on this since the first method by Smarters looks much easier and hassle free, but creating your app is actually really fun. On the other hand, ORCP is such a great application with a lot of features.

In my humble opinion, although I know Smarters team members for years and worked with them in various projects, even referred many to their services, I do however like OTTRUN software better.

There are functions inside this application which will blow your mind. Let’s get into it.

 

• Initial Step with OTTRUN

To gain access to your own client portal, register with OTTRUN.

 

Once signed in, from the left column, choose Buy App. This will initiate the process of ordering your custom android application for your IPTV brand.

 

Please select the choices as shown above. You need this application of IPTV brand for you and your clients, You are either a reseller or a Provider, You do have access to the Xtream Codes server and have more than 1 customer. This will lead you to the right direction.

 

I recommend going for the Monthly plan. Once you feel that this project is right for you, then upgrade and commit to longer contract periods.

 

Pick a name for your app and also confirm which CMS you are using. If you are our retailer, leave it as it is. For others, consult with your provider first. From the right side, pick your desired payment method and then proceed.

 

• Managing the remote control dashboard

Once the payment gone through, you should get a notification of confirmation. Then log back into the dashboard, in My Apps section, one service shows up. Click that.

 

I named our app XC-V1. It’s a working app and currently our clients are using it. Let’s see how the graphics designing part of this needs doing. Click the yellow button.

 

From top left side, click Request Open Design View. This will take a few minutes, sometimes few hours to enable and once it is, you should see new options as per screenshot below.

 

• Design, icon and banner

This part is very cool. The left column with an orange line, allows you to import your desired icons for various parts of the custom branded application for IPTV. You can literally change anything. The list is long so you can scroll further down to see other options you are able to change. You can also leave images as they are and use the Default ones by not changing anything.

Remember, importing App Icon and Banner are mandatory but others are optional.

The long red flash from top to the header of the app shows where the logo pops up. The banner is what you will see on the Stream Icon sections for channels which do not have any icons assigned.

The Yellow flash shows the row where you can see how each available Layout will look on your software before confirming the choice. Once decided, use the above row to select and save the favorite structure.

Editing finished? click Submit for Customization.

 

• An example on making use of separate designs

You should see the above message confirming that system has received your customization, it will check your design and After sometime, the changes will reflect and you will receive a confirmation email. Their email should have a subject of “Your app Development has Completed” and it contains a URL to download the new APK from. However, you can still use your previous designs and other previous working versions will remain in tact.

Imagine you have multiple sellers and you want to make a custom branded IPTV application for each. Make the skin and design separate versions with their favorite brand name and stuff, then submit the changes and get the APK file. Give the file to the respected reseller and go ahead with the next one. This way you can create different versions for each one of your retailers.

Now let’s go back to the main Application page.

 

From here, click Edit. We will go through some functional settings of the ORCP and make changes to the default configurations of it.

Any changes made on this section will take effect after clients close and reopen the application on their side.

 

• License

First tab is about the general information of your product. The license serial number, Status of it as Active or Inactive, Device Type which at the moment only available for Android, The version and also date of expiry.

 

• Portals

If you ask me which feature is coolest on this product, I would say this section, Portals. It gives you the possibility to redirect users to connect to your service through different gateways. I have made an example in the picture above which will enlighten this matter.

Imagine you have clients who connect from inside United Kingdom. We do know how IPTV situation is there, tough to connect to servers during certain period of time. Some providers use certain methods to tackle these conditions but it cost them extra bandwidth and it is cost-effective for them to only let clients from this region to connect through this method.

You can create a portal from UK clients and let other users from other countries to use a different port to connect to your service.

Now above was an example, other providers might have various reasons to make use of this feature.

 

When scroll down a little more in the same section, you will see the above settings: chance to assign certain portals for Movies and Series content can source from a different panel/source than your main IPTV provider and also enabling OpenVPN feature.

Once everything is as you want it to be, click Update Portals.

 

• Player

ORCP by OTTRUN has full audio and video codec library of ExoPlayer and VLC Player by Videolan as a built-in feature. This means you already have them inside this branded IPTV application of yours and no need to side-load them. A good news is, if you are aware of a specific settings which work best with your service, you can use this section to set it as default. For instance, If you use ExoPlayer for Live TV content and think Buffer size of 10 seconds is not enough, you can raise the value and set it as default for all your clients.

 

A little bit lower on the same page, you can also set the default player for each content as well.

 

• Customization

If there are certain content that you dont provide and do not want to show up on your software, here is the right section to disable them. For example, as you can see above in Portal 1, since we do not provide Radio station and Catch Ups, both show unchecked.

 

• Settings

Settings tab has few nice options to make use of as well. You can set a maximum file size for EPG, add a sign up button on the application to your website or client portal if you have one and few others.

 

That’s basically it with ORCP software from OTTRUN company. I have tried my best to explain and showcase everything to prove it to you that creating your custom branded IPTV Android application is easier than you think. Problem is, most of you think about it too much, you need to put it into action and do this and will understand how doable it is.

 

Let me know if you have any questions about any of the above-mentioned products.