# Open Source Apple TV App with Live TV **URL:** \ **Category:** Apps & Creations\ **Tags:** apple-tv\ **Created:** [January 1, 2026, 1:26am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/open-source-apple-tv-app-with-live-tv/935006 "2026-01-01T01:26:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![l984\_451](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bcef8e/32.png) [@l984\_451](https://forums.plex.tv/u/l984_451)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2026, 1:26am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/open-source-apple-tv-app-with-live-tv/935006/1 "2026-01-01T01:26:38Z")
Hey all! **TLDR** : I’m developing an open source tvOS app called **Rivulet** and it is ready for use and testing. [Join the TestFlight here.](https://testflight.apple.com/join/TcCsF5As) [Source code here.](https://github.com/l984-451/Rivulet) Over the past few months I developed an Apple Watch app that connects to Plex so you can stream or download your audio library directly from your watch ([TestFlight here if you’re interested](https://testflight.apple.com/join/29fzMXNg)). While developing that app, I started considering developing an open source Apple TV app as well. The official Plex app is fine, but there are a few bugs that have never been addressed or fixed, and I am sick of my HomePod sitting useless because the Plex app cannot play to it correctly. To solve my problems and have some fun, I have created **Rivulet** , a native tvOS app. This project has fairly _opinionated_ designs and logic, with a few focal points: - **Simplicity** - What is the best design to get me to the media I want to watch. - **Live TV** - Plex’s live TV is, to put it nicely, sub-par. I’ve spent too long trying to get it to work well for me (kudos if you don’t have this problem). I don’t want live TV in a separate app, so this solves my problems. You might could use this just for live tv. Go for it. - **HomePod Integration** - The Plex app has never worked well when setting HomePod as the default audio output on my Apple TV. It hurts to have a HomePod sitting there collecting dust while my sub-par tv speakers play sound. This app helps the hurt. - **Vertical Scrolling** - I have never liked scrolling sideways. I use horizontal scrolling for some of the “infinite” lists, but use vertical scrolling whenever practical. - **Apple-esque** - I like most of Apple’s designs. I want this to feel _somewhat_ native. Here are some screenshots from the app. ![1](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/plex/original/4X/4/6/d/46dc784c3bf123a9f89ddafd2c2bfe4307f22af8.jpeg) ![4](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/plex/original/4X/c/6/f/c6faa104b0d69b429924387b7a9e8c639b389f83.jpeg) ![3](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/plex/original/4X/c/4/2/c42fc5e8368e7abf2aa61e989881913f3e96a4f3.jpeg) ![2](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/plex/original/4X/f/b/1/fb10ab32ba69f78988426a9319e3fac54a105e96.jpeg) Would love for everyone to check it out and use it if you like it! I’m sure there will be plenty of issues found, so if you can [report them in GitHub](https://github.com/l984-451/Rivulet/issues). If you’re a developer and like whats been started here, feel free to contribute with some PRs! Thanks for reading. Happy New Year! ---
**Author:** ![Tony\_T](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/tony_t/32/311528_2.png) [@Tony\_T](https://forums.plex.tv/u/Tony_T)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2026, 2:47am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/open-source-apple-tv-app-with-live-tv/935006/2 "2026-01-01T02:47:14Z")
Happy New Year Just installed w/TestFlight. 10 sec skip/rewind not working. Commercial Skip (Plex DVR) not available. ---
**Author:** ![JCHH](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/jchh/32/84326_2.png) [@JCHH](https://forums.plex.tv/u/JCHH)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2026, 8:52am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/open-source-apple-tv-app-with-live-tv/935006/3 "2026-01-01T08:52:59Z")
Happy New Year! Just accepted the TestFlight invitation and will try it later. ---
**Author:** ![megumihutchcity\_comlion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@megumihutchcity\_comlion](https://forums.plex.tv/u/megumihutchcity_comlion)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2026, 6:10am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/open-source-apple-tv-app-with-live-tv/935006/4 "2026-01-05T06:10:27Z")
Happy New Year! I tried TestFlight version. Looks good. But it seems not working with Airplay. I use Airplay to stream Apple TV audio to other audio device. All apps on Apple TV work but this app has no audio output and it seems Airplay mode is not engaged with this new app. Thanks and hope it will improve. ---
**Author:** ![Tony\_T](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/tony_t/32/311528_2.png) [@Tony\_T](https://forums.plex.tv/u/Tony_T)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2026, 1:22pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/open-source-apple-tv-app-with-live-tv/935006/5 "2026-01-05T13:22:56Z")
Report issues in [Github](https://github.com/l984-451/Rivulet/issues) ---
**Author:** ![EWING](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/ewing/32/347080_2.png) [@EWING](https://forums.plex.tv/u/EWING)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2026, 5:39pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/open-source-apple-tv-app-with-live-tv/935006/6 "2026-03-16T17:39:59Z")
Wondering if this App will continue to be developed? ---
**Author:** ![l984\_451](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bcef8e/32.png) [@l984\_451](https://forums.plex.tv/u/l984_451)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2026, 8:01pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/open-source-apple-tv-app-with-live-tv/935006/7 "2026-03-16T20:01:20Z")
It’s still being developed and I’m not planning on stopping. I haven’t released anything in a little over a month but have still been working on it (if you check the GitHub you can see some recent commits). I’m doing a bit of a makeover on some of the home page UI, but my main focus has been creating a custom video player using FFMPEG and AVSampleBufferDisplayLayer (MPV and AVPlayer both have limitations that are frustrating). When the new video player is done, this should be as good as Infuse for playing videos (maybe better for some DV files), while having an interface tailored to Plex. Also I’m a big believer in open source projects and will never put any of this behind a paywall, so if ever there comes a day I stop developing, someone else can pick up where I leave off. ---
**Author:** ![krisvenden](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/krisvenden/32/308256_2.png) [@krisvenden](https://forums.plex.tv/u/krisvenden)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2026, 3:08pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/open-source-apple-tv-app-with-live-tv/935006/8 "2026-03-18T15:08:02Z")
You would become my absolute hero if you could get the watch app to play videos. Seems like it should be doable as I have YouTube apps on the watch that not only play video fine, but they allow me to change resolutions and quality. Plex has the ability to transcode, too. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![l984\_451](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bcef8e/32.png) [@l984\_451](https://forums.plex.tv/u/l984_451)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2026, 3:43pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/open-source-apple-tv-app-with-live-tv/935006/9 "2026-03-18T15:43:40Z")
hahah! I got your email yesterday and am working on it now… ---
**Author:** ![krisvenden](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/krisvenden/32/308256_2.png) [@krisvenden](https://forums.plex.tv/u/krisvenden)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2026, 5:04pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/open-source-apple-tv-app-with-live-tv/935006/10 "2026-03-18T17:04:44Z")
lol, amazing! Sorry, sometimes devs tell me they don’t get the TF emails from feedback so not always sure. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![krisvenden](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/krisvenden/32/308256_2.png) [@krisvenden](https://forums.plex.tv/u/krisvenden)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2026, 8:16pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/open-source-apple-tv-app-with-live-tv/935006/11 "2026-03-18T20:16:12Z")
My mind is blown! I just tried it on your update and it seems to work amazingly! I did not think you were going to pull that off, wow! Is there a way to access my “On Deck/Continue Watching”? I only changed to a different library and tried pulling up a video from there. Incredible work! ---
**Author:** ![thomaspmueller\_msn.com](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/71c47a/32.png) [@thomaspmueller\_msn.com](https://forums.plex.tv/u/thomaspmueller_msn.com)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2026, 10:38pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/open-source-apple-tv-app-with-live-tv/935006/12 "2026-03-18T22:38:04Z")
Initial review looks good. However when I selected a live tv channel I got MPV error. What next? ---
**Author:** ![EWING](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/ewing/32/347080_2.png) [@EWING](https://forums.plex.tv/u/EWING)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2026, 2:54am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/open-source-apple-tv-app-with-live-tv/935006/13 "2026-03-19T02:54:36Z")
Have you looked at the [GitHub](https://github.com/l984-451/Rivulet/issues) to see if this has already been reported? I submitted a bug for this same thing for ‘Remote’ LiveTV viewing. Local LiveTV works fine for me, albeit it is not using Plex Server and goes directly to the HDHR. ---
**Author:** ![l984\_451](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bcef8e/32.png) [@l984\_451](https://forums.plex.tv/u/l984_451)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2026, 3:41am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/open-source-apple-tv-app-with-live-tv/935006/14 "2026-03-19T03:41:57Z")
Thanks for reporting the errors. Can you give me some info so I can try to track this down? The info I gather from error logs isn’t helping me much. 1.Have you tried multiple channels, and if so, do they all fail? 1. What type of tuner do you have? 2. I assume the same channel works from the official plex app? Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![l984\_451](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bcef8e/32.png) [@l984\_451](https://forums.plex.tv/u/l984_451)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2026, 3:43am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/open-source-apple-tv-app-with-live-tv/935006/15 "2026-03-19T03:43:26Z")
Thanks! It doesn’t have that now, but I’ll add it to the list to add. ---
**Author:** ![EWING](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/ewing/32/347080_2.png) [@EWING](https://forums.plex.tv/u/EWING)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2026, 4:08am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/open-source-apple-tv-app-with-live-tv/935006/16 "2026-03-19T04:08:36Z")
If this was meant for me, I can add details to the GitHub issue if you’d like… when ‘Remote’ (not on LAN), all LiveTV channels fail with the MPV error. when ‘Local’ (same LAN as PMS & Tuners) LiveTV plays fine. I was thinking this has something to do with the way Rivulet does not play liveTV from Plex itself, and actually starts the feeds from my HDHR’s. being that when I am local, it can see my tuners made me think that was the case for it to fail 100% when not on the same network as the tuners. Yes, all LiveTV plays correctly via the official plex AppleTV app, both local and remote. ---
**Author:** ![krisvenden](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/krisvenden/32/308256_2.png) [@krisvenden](https://forums.plex.tv/u/krisvenden)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2026, 4:28am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/open-source-apple-tv-app-with-live-tv/935006/17 "2026-03-19T04:28:12Z")
You are my hero! I can’t wait to show this off to some friends and blow their minds 😛 Having the Up Next/On Deck will make it super useful to sneak in a few minutes of watching shows here or there from wrist. 🙂 I’ll be tipping you! ---
**Author:** ![l984\_451](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bcef8e/32.png) [@l984\_451](https://forums.plex.tv/u/l984_451)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2026, 4:30am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/open-source-apple-tv-app-with-live-tv/935006/18 "2026-03-19T04:30:12Z")
Ah that’s super helpful, thanks. It’s hard to test the remote connection, but I bet that’s the issue. I’ll dive into it. ---
**Author:** ![thomaspmueller\_msn.com](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/71c47a/32.png) [@thomaspmueller\_msn.com](https://forums.plex.tv/u/thomaspmueller_msn.com)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2026, 11:41am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/open-source-apple-tv-app-with-live-tv/935006/19 "2026-04-16T11:41:06Z")
MPV error gone but I get a spinner whenever I try to play a channel. I’m on the latest version of plex serve and Apple tvOS. ---
**Author:** ![krisvenden](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/krisvenden/32/308256_2.png) [@krisvenden](https://forums.plex.tv/u/krisvenden)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2026, 12:16am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/open-source-apple-tv-app-with-live-tv/935006/20 "2026-07-15T00:16:42Z")
Any chance in a new TestFlight soon? I think it has expired. Is this app available in the App Store? I couldn’t seem to find it. If so, does it contain the new video capabilities you added same day I requested? I can’t even tip you through the TestFlight version but man, if you’ll sneak in the “On deck/Continue Watching” for video libraries and ship it to the app store, I’ll gladly tip you! 🙂 [Next page](https://forums.plex.tv/t/open-source-apple-tv-app-with-live-tv/935006.md?page=2)