How to watch IPTV on CarPlay: M3U and Xtream in the car

Car Cinema is an IPTV player for iPhone and CarPlay. Add your provider’s M3U playlist or Xtream login, and your live channels, films and series appear on the car’s screen. Parked, they play on the car’s display; on the road, you listen through the car.

What you need

• An iPhone with iOS 18 or later — iOS 26.4 or later for the picture on the car’s display
• A car or a stereo with Apple CarPlay
• An IPTV subscription that gives you an M3U link or an Xtream login
• Car Cinema from the App Store — the first 30 minutes are free

Car Cinema is a player and comes with no channels of its own.

Add your playlist

1. Open Car Cinema on the iPhone and add a source.
2. Choose Link and paste your M3U or M3U8 link — or scan its QR code.
3. Or choose Xtream and enter the server, user name and password from your provider.
4. Car Cinema loads your channels in groups, with films and series for Xtream accounts, and the TV guide where your provider gives one.

You can also add a playlist file from Files, or paste the playlist’s text.

Watch in the car

1. Connect your iPhone to CarPlay.
2. Pick a channel on the car’s screen or on the iPhone.
3. Parked, tap I am parked and the channel plays on the car’s display.
4. Use the steering wheel buttons to switch to the next or previous channel.

On the move the sound keeps playing through the car’s speakers.

Tips

• For the car, HLS streams work best. If your provider lets you choose the output format, pick HLS (m3u8).
• Favourites get their own tab on the car’s screen, so the channels you watch most are one tap away.
• At home, cast the same channel to a Chromecast, an Apple TV or a smart TV.

See which cars and iOS versions show the picture on the compatibility page.