A large IPTV playlist is easier to use when your regular channels are within reach and rarely used categories are out of the way. In IB Player Pro, start with three controls: Favorites, Sort channels, and the Hidden list.
These controls change how you browse your playlist. They do not rewrite the provider's channel names, create new streams or delete channels from the provider's service. Work in small steps so you can see the effect of each change.
Start with the correct playlist
Check which playlist is active before organising channels. The app groups your live browsing, favourites and hidden choices around that playlist's source. Switching to another playlist can therefore show a different set of saved items.
If you have not yet added your playlist, use the iPhone and iPad setup guide. Keep similarly named playlists distinct, for example by giving a second source a descriptive name when you add it.
1. Save the channels you watch regularly
In Live TV, find a channel and tap its heart button to add it to Favorites. You can also use Favorite in the live player. Tap the same control again to remove the saved favourite.
Once you have saved channels, a Favorites row appears in Live TV for the active playlist. Start with a short list that reflects what you actually watch. A favourites list containing nearly the entire playlist becomes another long list to navigate.
Try saving one channel first, returning to Live TV and confirming it appears. Then add the rest of your regular choices. This verifies the playlist and the control before you spend time organising a large collection.
Favourites and other library information are saved on the device. Do not assume that a favourite saved on one phone will automatically appear on another device just because both devices use the same account.
2. Choose a useful channel order
Open Settings → Live TV → Sort channels. The available choices are:
- Playlist order: keep the ordering supplied by the playlist.
- Name A–Z: arrange names alphabetically, useful when you usually know the channel name.
- Channel number: sort by available channel numbers; channels without a number follow those with one.
Choose the order that suits your browsing habits. Alphabetical sorting will use the names supplied by the playlist, including prefixes. If many names begin with a country code or a provider label, that prefix influences where they appear.
The app does not provide a drag-and-drop channel reorder or a channel-renaming editor in these controls. If you need to change the underlying names, numbers or grouping, that is a change to the source playlist rather than this browsing setting. For background, see how playlist URLs and files differ.
3. Reduce clutter with hidden countries and categories
Long-press a country or category while browsing to hide it. You can also open Hidden from the Live TV browsing header and manage visibility there.
Hidden countries and categories are left out of browsing and search. This makes the visible list shorter, but it also means a hidden channel's category may explain why you cannot find it through search.
Hide one category, then check the list. Only hide a whole country if you want all of its categories removed from browsing. When a country is hidden, its categories are hidden with it; restoring an individual category will not make that country visible by itself.
These choices are tracked separately for the playlist and content type. Hiding a Live TV category is not the same action as hiding a Movies or Series category.
4. Restore something you need again
Open Hidden, choose Live TV, and check the Countries and Categories tabs when they are available. Turn visibility back on for the relevant entry. Use Show all if you want to restore every hidden country and category for the selected content type.
The hidden manager includes search, which is useful when your provider has many categories. If parental controls protect this area, you may need your PIN to open it.
A short missing-channel checklist
Before adding the playlist again, check these in order:
- Confirm you are viewing the intended active playlist.
- Search using a distinctive part of the channel name; live search starts when you enter at least two characters.
- Review hidden countries and categories.
- Check whether the provider changed the channel's name or category.
- Ask the provider whether the channel is still present in that playlist.
A blank programme guide is a separate issue from a missing channel. If the channel appears and plays but its schedule does not, follow the EPG guide.
Common questions
Does removing a favourite remove the channel?
No. It removes the saved favourite. The channel remains in the playlist if the provider still supplies it and its category is visible.
Can I hide one channel with these controls?
The current Hidden manager handles countries and categories. Use favourites to build a smaller list of individual channels you want to access regularly.
Why do favourites change when I switch playlists?
The browsing rows show saved items matching the active playlist source. Return to the original playlist before assuming those favourites have been lost.
If a visibility or favourites control behaves unexpectedly, contact support with the app version, playlist type and the exact steps you took. Avoid sharing private playlist credentials.
