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What is an IPTV user agent, and when do you need one?

Sometimes an IPTV service asks you to enter a specific user agent. This guide explains what that is, when it matters, and where to change it in Lounjy.

What is a user agent

A user agent is a short piece of text an app uses to introduce itself to a server. When Lounjy loads your playlist, fetches the TV guide or plays a channel, it sends that text along. That way the server knows which app is asking.

Web browsers do the same thing. With every page they request, they send their name and version. You normally never notice.

By default, Lounjy sends this user agent:

Lounjy/1.0

To the server, a request from Lounjy then looks roughly like this:

GET http://service.example:8080/player_api.php
User-Agent: Lounjy/1.0

A user agent is not a password. It isn’t secret, and on its own it doesn’t give you access to anything. It’s just a name.

Why a service asks for one

Most services ignore the user agent. A few don’t. They only let in apps with a user agent they recognise. If a different name comes in, the server turns the request down.

A service might do this to control which apps can be used with its subscription, or because its server sends back a different format for certain names. Only your service knows its own reasons.

Only enter a user agent your service gave you. This setting isn’t meant for pretending to be another app or for getting around a block or your service’s terms.

You’ll usually notice it like this:

  • Your details are correct, but your playlist still won’t load.
  • The playlist loads, but none of the channels play.
  • With an Xtream Codes login, Lounjy says The provider denies access. Check your username and password. even though you’re sure they’re right.

These messages can have other causes too, such as an expired subscription or too many connections at once. The user agent is only one possible cause.

When you don’t need one

Most of the time, you don’t need to do anything. Leave the user agent at its default if:

  • your service hasn’t given you a user agent;
  • your playlist loads fine and channels play;
  • the picture only stutters now and then. A user agent doesn’t make playback faster or smoother.

Don’t change it at random either. A wrong name can make a service that works today start refusing you.

Lounjy doesn’t provide any channels, films, series or playlists. You use your own service. Only use a service that holds the rights to what it broadcasts. Which user agent that service expects should be in the information it sent you. If it isn’t, ask your service.

Setting it in Lounjy

The user agent lives in the advanced settings. They’re hidden by default, to keep Settings simple.

  1. Open Settings.
  2. Go to the Advanced section and set Advanced settings to Show.
  3. Go to the User agent row. It currently says Lounjy/1.0.
  4. Enter the user agent your service gave you. Copy it exactly, including capitals, spaces and slashes.
  5. Press Enter to confirm. On a phone or TV, use the confirm key on the on-screen keyboard. Lounjy only saves the new user agent once you confirm.

After that:

  • Go to Playlists in Settings and choose Update for your playlist. Lounjy then fetches your channels with the new user agent. Loaded your playlist from a file? Then there’s nothing to update.
  • Close the player and open the channel again. Lounjy uses the new user agent once the player starts again. The preview on Live TV also picks it up only after you open it again.

Good to know:

  • There’s one user agent for all your playlists. It’s used for loading your channels, the TV guide and playback on this device.
  • If you leave the field empty, Lounjy goes back to the default.
  • You can also reset it with the circular-arrow button at the end of the field (Default).

Still not working

  1. Check the spelling. A single different character is enough to get refused. Watch out for a space at the start or end.
  2. Update your playlist, close the player and open the channel again, as described above.
  3. Does Lounjy say The provider refuses this channel. All your connections may be in use.? Stop watching on your other devices and try again.
  4. If the new user agent didn’t help, set it back to the default. That way you know for sure it isn’t the cause.
  5. Ask your service whether its server is working and whether the user agent is still correct. Services sometimes change it.

Does the picture stutter but still play? Then a different user agent won’t help. Read what to do when IPTV buffers or stutters instead.

Read more

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