Before you settle in
What is Castaway TV?
A free-to-install media player for Fire TV and Android TV. It brings live TV from your own playlists and movies and shows from your own add-on catalogs into one home screen, search and continue-watching row.
Does it include channels, movies or shows?
No. You bring your own authorized playlists and add-ons. Castaway provides the player, with no media or streaming subscription included.
What do I need?
A compatible TV device and either a TV playlist (a link or a provider login), an add-on catalog, or both.
Which devices work?
Any Android TV or Google TV device running Android 6 or newer: Fire TV sticks and cubes, NVIDIA Shield, Chromecast with Google TV, onn boxes, and TVs with Android TV built in. It is tested on the Fire TV Stick 4K and 4K Max, so those are the ones we can vouch for. Older Fire TV sticks on Fire OS 5 are below the minimum. Castaway is built for a TV and a remote; there is no phone or touch version.
How do I install it?
Use Downloader with code 2439353. The install guide walks you through it. Castaway is installed directly rather than through an app store.
Does it download or share media files?
No. It plays direct media links supplied by your playlists and add-ons. There is no torrent client in the app.
Free, Plus and the trial
What’s free?
On-demand browsing and playback, unlimited add-ons, automatic source selection, search, subtitles and continue watching. For live TV: one playlist, today’s guide, favorites and recents. Parental controls and household sync are included. No ads.
What does Plus add?
Unlimited playlists, a seven-day guide and supported catch-up, multiview, next-episode autoplay, Surprise Me, preferred sound and hidden channels. The full comparison shows what’s included.
How does the 14-day trial work?
It starts automatically on a fresh install, without a card or account. When it ends, the free player keeps working. Your setup stays saved; Plus features become unavailable.
What does Plus cost?
The Founder price is $34.99 once for the first 500 households, then $49.99. One license covers a household, with up to six devices as the intended use. There is no subscription or automatic renewal. Buy from the code on your TV’s Plus screen; the Free & Plus page has the details.
What about lifetime licensing, payment and refunds?
The Free & Plus page explains household use, what lifetime means and how checkout works. The terms cover the full conditions and refunds.
Your setup
Do I need a Castaway account?
No sign-in or email is needed. Any account required by your playlist provider or an add-on is managed with that service.
What does the app collect?
No analytics, telemetry, ads or third-party crash reporting. Your watch history, favorites and settings are stored on your device. See the privacy policy for details.
How does household sync work?
It’s optional and off until you enable it. Watch progress, favorites and settings are encrypted on your device and stored as an unreadable file on a small relay we run. Only your own devices hold the key, so we cannot read it.
How do updates work?
Castaway lets you know when a new build is available. Updates are free on both plans. You can also run the Downloader code again to install the current release over your existing setup.
How do I remove it?
On Fire TV, open Settings › Applications › Manage Installed Applications › Castaway TV and choose Uninstall. This removes local app data. If you enabled sync, the encrypted file on the relay is dropped after six months without a write.
Any paid subscription or premium upgrade unlocks application features only; it does not include, or provide access to, any channels, streams, or media content.