Archive:IOS FAQ

XBMC for iOS specific Frequently Asked Questions and Answers

Where can I find more iOS-specific information about (or support for) XBMC?

iOS-specific end-users forum or the FAQ

Where can I find out how to install XBMC for iOS?

Install XBMC on ATV2

Install XBMC on iPhone/iPad

I have XBMC installed, how do I update to the latest version?

Update XBMC on ATV2. (It's recommended to keep all packages current with "apt-get update && apt-get upgrade" or "apt-get update && apt-get dist-upgrade" if there are packages held back and you believe it's safe to install/update them.)

Update XBMC on iPhone/iPad

What platforms are supported today?

We support iOS 4.1, 4.2.1 and 4.3 officially, since 4.3 was recently added it's only in nightlies.

What XBMC version is the iOS release?

The current iOS version based on the 11.0 "Eden" version code. It was originally based on pre 10.0 "Dharma" code but since has been merged and updated.

Where are the UserData folder and the debug log?

See here for bug reporting details.

Debug log can be found at /private/var/mobile/Library/Preferences/xbmc.log

UserData folder can be found at /private/var/mobile/Library/Preferences/XBMC

http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?t=92480

What remotes work?

The iPhone and iPad variants take direct screen input.

For the ATV2, it's remote works with XBMC. Apple's Remote app works too but keyboard/gesture support hasn't made it into the official releases yet. All iOS apps should work, e.g. Rowmote Pro (requires helper, see nitoTV), XBMC Control, etc. Visit the forum if you run into issues.

Harmony Remotes have experimental support and you can also teach the ATV2 to use most standard IR remotes in Settings > General > Remotes > Learn Remote. The original XBOX remote does not work.

I changed skins on the iPad or other touch device and now I can't navigate back to change them... help!

Unfortunately, most skins aren't designed with touch in mind. The only way to fix this problem, currently, is to delete or edit guisettings.xml, found in your userdata folder.

I've changed resolutions once, how do I change them back?

Only way to fix this at the moment is to delete guisettings.xml, found in your user datafolder (see above).

How do I get to the context menu?

Apple remote: Press and hold MENU will pop up the context menu on an item in a list.

Touchscreen: double tap the menu item.

How do I bring up slide out menus?

Apple remote: Press to the right on the remote with the appropriate list item selected.

Touchscreen: Hold the menu item to bring it up, then swipe right to access the sub content.

What formats and resolutions will iOS devices play?

The Apple TV 2, iPhone 4, iPad 1, and iPod Touch 4 will all play back all formats currently supported by XBMC. All devices are capable of decoding 1080p video, though video larger than 1920x800 will currently cause hiccups on occasion.

Why are settings or sources not stored?

This can happen when the setting xml files are manipulated outside XBMC.

Connect to your iPad/ATV2 as root using a ssh client and repair file permissions.

Run the following command on the iPad/ATV2:

chown -R mobile:mobile /private/var/mobile/Library/Preferences/XBMC/userdata

Apple TV 2 specific questions and answers

What happens to original Apple TV 2 software after the XBMC installation?

XBMC is installed onto the Apple TV flashdrive, much like any iOS app, but you will still be able you use your Apple TV software as normal, XBMC will only be an extra option that you can launch from the Apple TV's original menu when you want to utilize the extra features and functions that are available in XBMC compared to the original Apple TV software. So XBMC will not replace the original Apple TV software, it instead complements the existing Apple TV software.

How can I backup my XBMC settings?

The most common way is to copy or FTP the following directory from the atv2 to another computer: /private/var/mobile/Library/Preferences/XBMC/userdata. Some recommend backing up the entire Preferences/XBMC directory. [1] To restore, FTP the directory back to it's original location, then ssh to the atv2 and run the following command to reset ownership/permissions:

chown -R mobile:mobile /private/var/mobile/Library/Preferences/XBMC/userdata

What resolutions is the ATV2 capable of outputting?

At present, though the ATV2 can decode 1080p video (using Apple's private VideoToolBox API for hardware-accelerated decoding), it is limited to 720p output. The 1080p video is decoded, then down-scaled in hardware to 720p. This is low on the priority list to "fix", as it may be a Frontrow limitation or a hardware limitation (ATV 2 has limited resources, i.e. 256MB RAM, etc). To see if you can really benefit with 1080p output, please consult this chart

Can I hook up my external harddrive or other USB device to the ATV2?

Unfortunately, the ATV2 can not operate as a USB host, so hooking an external drive or any other USB device to it will not work. Only media physically on the ATV2 and media hosted on the network will be available.

Where are the logs on the ATV2?

Syslog: /var/log/syslog

CrashReporter: /var/logs/CrashReporter/*.plist

Debug log: /private/var/mobile/Library/Preferences/xbmc.log

Updating iOS on ATV2

iOS 4.3 now has hardware acceleration in addition to previous versions. Keep in mind any jailbreak hassles that go along with updating have nothing to do with XBMC.

HOW TO set the timezone on ATV2

Typically the ATV2 won't have the correct timezone set so for now it needs to be done manually. [2]

cd /var/db/timezone ; rm localtime

ln -s /usr/share/zoneinfo/[Country or Region]/[Zone Name] localtime (e.g. "ln -s /usr/share/zoneinfo/Canada/Eastern localtime")

HOW TO stop checking and bugging you about updates

The easiest way is to use nitoTV to install the updatebegone package. This has resolved the issue in many cases but if it doesn't, you will need to add these lines to your /etc/hosts file: [3]

echo "127.0.0.1 appldnld.apple.com" >> /etc/hosts

echo "127.0.0.1 mesu.apple.com" >> /etc/hosts

echo "127.0.0.1 appldnld.apple.com.edgesuite.net" >> /etc/hosts