Staying up-to-date with the latest news can feel overwhelming at times. With so many national and global news channels, it‘s easy to get bogged down with broad headlines that don‘t always feel relevant to your local community.
This is where Haystack TV comes in. Haystack TV provides a personalized news watching experience by allowing you to specify your location, topics of interest, preferred sources and more. Based on these selections, Haystack TV will curate a customized newscast showing you news clips that are tailor-made for you.
In this comprehensive guide, we will go through everything you need to know about installing and using Haystack TV across various streaming and mobile devices. Follow along to learn how you can shape your very own personalized local and world news channel.
Why Try Haystack TV?
Before we get into the installation, here are some of the great benefits you‘ll enjoy with Haystack TV:
Local News That Matters
Haystack TV makes staying updated with local happenings effortless. Simply set your location during setup and you‘ll get clips from local channels covering events close to home. No more sifting through irrelevant national and global headlines.
Customized To Your Interests
Tired of broad mainstream news that you don‘t care about? With Haystack TV, you specify topics like technology, food, sports, politics, etc. that you want to follow. Haystack will deliver news clips tailored to what you care about.
Convenient Offline Viewing
For times when you don‘t have an active internet connection, Haystack TV lets you download videos over WiFi to view offline later. Now you can catch up on the news even without data or WiFi.
One App, Any Device
Haystack works across a wide range of platforms like Firestick, Roku, Apple TV, Android, iOS, desktop and more. It only takes a few minutes to install, making it easy to access your custom news on any device.
Free To Use
You can enjoy your personalized Haystack TV experience for free. The app is ad-supported, but you can upgrade to ad-free viewing with a paid subscription starting at just $4.99 per month.
Now that you know the advantages of tailored news viewing with Haystack TV, let‘s get it installed on your preferred platforms.
Haystack TV Compatible Devices
One of the best things about Haystack TV is the number of platforms it supports. You can install and use the app across:
- Fire TV Stick and Fire TV
- Roku
- Android TV devices
- Apple TV
- iPhone and iPad
- Android phones and tablets
- Desktop via website or emulator like Bluestacks
This cross-device support makes it easy to enjoy Haystack TV anywhere whether at home on your streaming device, on the go on your mobile, or wirelessly casted from your phone to the big screen.
How To Install Haystack TV on Firestick and Fire TV
Let‘s start with the Firestick and Fire TV, two of the most popular media streaming devices available today. Here is how to get Haystack TV set up:
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From the Home screen of your Firestick or Fire TV, move the cursor to the Search icon at the top and select it. This will open the search box.
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Now use the on-screen keyboard to type in "Haystack TV". As soon as you start typing, you‘ll see the Haystack TV app appear as a suggested search result.
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Highlight the Haystack TV app result and click on it to go to the Haystack TV page within the Amazon Appstore.
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On the Haystack TV page, click on the orange "Get" button to begin the installation.
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Haystack TV will start downloading on your device. Once the installation is complete, you‘ll see an "Open" button. Go ahead and click it to launch the app.
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When you open Haystack TV for the first time, you‘ll see a "Get Started" or "Sign In" option. If you already have a Haystack TV account, click Sign In to sync your settings. Otherwise, click "Get Started" to configure your customized preferences.
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Follow the on-screen instructions to set your location, pick your interests from categories like Technology, Sports, Food etc., select preferred news sources, and choose trending topics to follow.
Once you‘ve finished selecting your preferences, Haystack TV will start playing short news clips tailored exactly to your tastes. It‘s that easy! You now have a personalized news channel ready to go on your Firestick or Fire TV.
Creating a Haystack TV Account
Making a Haystack TV account allows you to sync your customized settings across devices. Here is how you can sign up:
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Open the Haystack TV app on any device.
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Tap on the "Sign In" button.
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Choose either "Continue with Google" or "Continue with Facebook" to link and create your account.
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Follow the prompts to pick your location, topics, news sources and other preferences.
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Haystack TV will set up your account, save your settings and start playing news based on your selections.
Now whenever you sign into Haystack TV on a new device, it will pull in your account details and configured preferences to continue providing a tailored viewing experience. Easy and convenient!
Installing Haystack TV on Your Android Device
You can find and install the Haystack TV app for free from the Google Play store on any Android phone, tablet, streaming device or TV. Here is how:
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Open the Play Store on your Android device.
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In the search bar, type "Haystack TV". Select the Haystack TV app from the search results.
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Tap the "Install" button on the Haystack TV app page, followed by "Accept" to allow the required app permissions.
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The app will begin downloading. Once installed, select "Open" to launch it.
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Tap "Get Started" when you open Haystack TV for the first time.
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Pick your interests, location, news sources and topics to customize the app‘s recommendations for you.
That‘s all it takes to start enjoying a personalized Haystack TV experience right on your Android device! Signing in with your account ensures your settings sync across any devices you install Haystack on.
How to Install Haystack TV on iPhone and iPad
You can also access the tailored Haystack TV experience on your iPhone, iPad or other iOS devices. Just follow these simple steps:
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On your iOS device, open the Apple App Store.
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Use the search box to look for "Haystack TV". Select the Haystack TV app from the results.
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Tap "Get" and then "Install" to download the app to your device.
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Once installed, open the Haystack TV app on your home screen.
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Allow notifications if prompted, then tap "Get Started".
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Pick your preferred location, interests, news sources and trending topics to customize Haystack.
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Haystack will start playing short news clips based on the preferences you set.
And that‘s all you need to do! Within minutes you can be enjoying your own personalized Haystack TV newscast on your iPhone or iPad.
How To Add Haystack TV on Your Roku
Roku is a very popular streaming media player that also supports Haystack TV. Here is how to add it on your Roku device:
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From the Home screen on your Roku, go to the "Streaming Channels" section.
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Open the Channel Store.
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Use the Search box to look for "Haystack TV". Select the Haystack TV channel from the results.
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Click "Add Channel" to install Haystack TV on your Roku.
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Once installed, scroll down and launch the Haystack TV channel.
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Follow the prompt to pick your location, interests and other preferences to customize the app.
That‘s it! Within a few minutes you‘ll be able to start streaming your personalized newsline on Haystack TV.
Using Haystack TV on Desktop
There are two easy ways to access Haystack TV on a Windows or Mac desktop computer:
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Web Browser – Simply open your preferred browser like Chrome or Firefox and go to https://www.haystack.tv/. You can directly use the web version from there.
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Android Emulator – Install an Android emulator for PC like BlueStacks. Open it and download the Haystack TV Android app within the emulator.
Once you have Haystack TV launched on the web or in an emulator, the process to pick your preferences and customize your newscast is exactly the same as on mobile.
Now let‘s look at some of the key features and tips to take full advantage of the app.
Haystack TV Features and Usage
Here are some great features available in Haystack TV to enhance your viewing experience:
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Follow Topics – While watching a video, tap the star icon on any topic or publisher to follow them. You‘ll get more recommendations related to those.
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Remove Recommendations – Don‘t like a source or topic being suggested? Use the thumbs down icon on videos to stop seeing them.
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Download Videos – Connect to WiFi and schedule time to download videos for offline viewing later without internet.
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Access Entertainment – Beyond news, enjoy channels like Entertainment, Movies, Late Night Shows, Sports and more.
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Location Settings – Easily update your location in Account Settings to get local news channels based on where you are.
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Cross-Device Sync – Linking your Google or Facebook account when signing up ensures your configured preferences sync across any device you use.
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Premium Upgrade – For an ad-free experience, enhanced offline access and 4K streaming, you can upgrade to a paid plan starting at $4.99 per month.
Leverage these handy features to truly customize Haystack TV and enjoy news that matters to you!
Troubleshooting Haystack TV Issues
In case you face any problems while using Haystack TV, here are some troubleshooting tips:
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Buffering problems – Check internet speeds. For best streaming, minimum 3 Mbps speed is recommended. Using wired ethernet helps.
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Ads freezing – Try clearing cache/data for the app or reinstall if needed.
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App crashing – Update the app or reinstall the latest version to fix crashing.
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Playback issues – Delete and re-add account or reinstall app to resolve playback problems.
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Can‘t pick interests – Close and relaunch the app and redo preferences setup.
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Account not syncing – Verify account credentials used. Sign out and sign back in to your account.
Knowing these common fixes will help you quickly resolve any issues and resume enjoying Haystack TV.
Final Thoughts
Getting news that‘s customized exactly to your local community and interests is made effortless with Haystack TV. As you‘ve seen, it just takes a few minutes to install and set up on any of your devices.
The ability to pick your topics, location, sources and channels gives you a newscast tailored for you. No more wasting time on irrelevant headlines. Instead catch up on news you care about!
So download Haystack TV today across your favorite devices. In no time you‘ll have your own personalized headlines conveniently in one app.