Update Stremio Without Losing Addons (Rollback Guide)

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Update Stremio without losing addons, debrid configs, or the player settings you spent an evening tuning. That’s the goal, and it’s very doable once you know what actually syncs. Last spring my Onn 4K box auto-updated overnight, and I lost 40 minutes to reset subtitles, a missing external player, and half-empty Torrentio results. Nothing was technically gone. This guide covers what survives, what quietly resets, how to back up first, and how to roll back when a build misbehaves.

This isn’t a click-by-click install walkthrough. It covers what you need to know to update Stremio without losing addons: what survives, what quietly resets, how to back up first, how to fix the usual breakages on each platform, and how to roll back when a new build just doesn’t agree with your device.

Why Updating Stremio Isn’t Always a Safe Bet

Most app updates are boring. Stremio’s sometimes aren’t, so it pays to know how to update Stremio without losing addons. The app leans on a local streaming server, third-party addons, debrid services, and device-specific video players, and a change in any one of those layers can break playback even when Stremio itself is behaving perfectly.

There’s also the version mess. For the last couple of years Stremio has been stuck between two generations of the app, and that split is behind most of the “Stremio not working after update” threads I see on Reddit.

The Stremio 4 to Stremio 5 Shift Explained

Stremio 4.x is the older line. On desktop, it’s the Qt-based app (the 4.4.x builds) that plenty of people installed years ago and never thought about again. Older Android TV builds also used a different interface from the phone app. It’s stable. It’s familiar. And it’s slowly being left behind.

Stremio 5 is the rebuild. It shares its interface with Stremio Web, so layout, settings menus, and addon screens look roughly the same across browser, desktop, and newer TV builds. The differences you’ll actually notice:

Interface: settings got reshuffled, and some toggles moved or were renamed. That’s why people swear settings “disappeared” when they really just relocated.
Player behavior: the internal player and its subtitle handling changed. Some files that played fine on 4.x stutter on 5, and the reverse happens too.
Device support: Stremio 5 reached platforms at different times, and older or low-RAM devices (think 1GB or 1.5GB boxes) run the newer interface noticeably slower.

So, Stremio 5 vs Stremio 4? Version 5 is where all future development is headed. Version 4 is sometimes the more stable choice on aging hardware. Neither is “wrong” to run.

Why Some Devices Get Updates Before Others

There’s no single universal build. Google TV and Android TV devices pull updates from the Play Store, often in staged rollouts, which means your living room box might update days before the one in the bedroom. Firesticks usually run a sideloaded APK that changes only when you replace it yourself. Desktop has its own release schedule. Stremio Web? It updates the instant the site does.

When a friend tells you “the new version is great,” they may be on a completely different build than you are. Ask which platform and version they’re on before you take their advice on how to update Stremio without losing addons.

How to Update Stremio Without Losing Addons: What Survives and What Doesn’t

If you want to update Stremio without losing addons, one distinction matters more than anything else: data stored in your Stremio account versus data stored on the device. Account data follows you everywhere. Device data sits in the app’s local storage, and it’s the first casualty when something goes sideways.

Account-Synced Data: Addons, Library, and Watch Progress

Logged in? Then your installed addon list, your library, and your “Continue Watching” progress are synced to Stremio’s servers. A normal update, even an ugly one, doesn’t touch them. I’ve fully uninstalled Stremio on test devices, logged back in, and watched every addon reappear in about 10 seconds.

Good news, mostly. Being logged in is what lets you update Stremio without losing addons. The catch is that this only applies to real accounts, which I’ll get to in the checklist.

Local-Only Settings That Can Reset

Device-level preferences are another story. Depending on platform and build, these can reset after an update, and they will reset after a clear-data or reinstall:

Subtitle styling (size, color, background, offset)
External player selection (VLC, MX Player, Just Player, etc.)
Streaming server cache size and location
Hardware decoding and player-specific toggles
Interface language and some playback defaults

Newer builds sync more preferences to your account than older ones did. I still don’t trust it. Screenshots take 30 seconds.

Debrid Configs and Addon Manifest URLs

This is the part a lot of people miss. When you configure an addon like Torrentio, Comet, or Peerflix with Real-Debrid, AllDebrid, or TorBox, your debrid API key gets baked right into the addon’s manifest URL. Stremio stores that entire URL as part of your synced addon list.

If account sync works, your debrid setup comes back on its own. But if an addon gets removed or corrupted, or you end up reinstalling on a guest profile, you’ll need that configured URL again, and regenerating it means digging out your API key from the debrid site. Copy each one into a password manager or a private note before updating. It’s the simplest way to update Stremio without losing addons that depend on debrid. Still picking between debrid-friendly addons? My Peerflix vs Comet comparison explains how each handles your key.

Data Type	Where It Lives	Risk During Update
Installed addon list	Stremio account	Kept (if logged in)
Library and watch progress	Stremio account	Kept (if logged in)
Debrid key inside addon URL	Account (via addon URL)	Kept, but back up the URL
Subtitle styling	Device (partly synced on newer builds)	At risk
External player choice	Device	At risk
Streaming cache	Device	Often cleared
Guest profile addons	Device only	High risk

A 5-Minute Pre-Update Checklist to Update Stremio Without Losing Addons

I run through this whenever I need to update Stremio without losing addons on my main devices. Five minutes, give or take, and it’s spared me from rebuilding a setup from scratch more than once.

Confirm You’re Logged In, Not Using a Guest Profile

Open Settings and look at the top. See your email address? You’re on a real account. See a prompt to log in or sign up? You’re on a local guest profile, and everything you’ve installed exists only on that one device.

Guest profiles are the number one way people lose addons during an update. If that’s you, create a free account and log in before updating. Then reinstall your addons while logged in so they actually sync. (Yes, you really do need to reinstall them. Logging in doesn’t magically upload what’s already on a guest profile.)

Export or Screenshot Your Addon List

Head to the Addons section and screenshot your installed list. For configured addons, open each one’s configuration page, or the original setup page, and copy the full manifest URL. Doing this with a TV remote is miserable, so use Stremio Web on a laptop instead; it shows the same account data.

Paste every URL into one note. Mine has seven entries and takes up less room than a grocery list.

Note Your Current Version Number

Scroll to the very bottom of Stremio’s Settings page, where the app and shell or server versions are listed. On Android-based devices you can also check Settings > Apps > Stremio in the system menu.

Write the exact version string down. “The one from a few weeks ago” won’t cut it when you’re hunting for a rollback file at 11pm. You want the precise build that worked.

Save the Current APK Before Replacing It

On Android TV and Firestick, the cheapest rollback insurance is a copy of the APK you’re running right now. If you installed through Downloader, check whether the original file is still sitting in your Download folder, and switch off any “delete after install” option going forward (it’s buried in Downloader’s settings, annoyingly).

Installed from the Play Store instead? A file manager like X-plore can list installed apps and copy the APK out to local storage or a USB drive. It’s one extra step. Having a known-good file on hand beats trawling the internet for an old build later.

How Updates Actually Work on Each Platform

How an update gets delivered shapes how risky it is. Here’s the breakdown.

Google TV and Android TV: Play Store Auto-Updates

On Chromecast with Google TV, Onn boxes, the Nvidia Shield, and most Android TV hardware, Stremio updates through the Play Store automatically by default. Convenient for casual users. Less fun when a buggy build lands at 3am without warning.

To control it, open the Play Store, find Stremio’s app page, and look for an auto-update option in its menu. Some Play Store versions on TV expose a per-app toggle; others only offer the global setting under your profile icon > Settings > Auto-update apps. I’ve seen both on different boxes, and I honestly can’t predict which one you’ll get. If only the global option shows up, turning it off means updating everything else manually too. For me that trade-off is worth it.

Firestick: Sideloaded APK Updates via Downloader

To update Stremio on Firestick, most people grab the newer APK through Downloader and install it over the existing app. Android allows this and keeps your app data, but only if the new APK carries the same signing key as the old one. Official Stremio builds share a signature, so updates from the official site go smoothly.

Pull an APK from some unofficial mirror with a different signature and the install fails with a conflict error. Your only way forward then is uninstalling, which wipes local data. Another reason to stick to official sources. If you’re new to all this, my guide on Firestick sideloading in 2026 covers the permissions side.

Windows, macOS, and Linux Desktop Builds

Desktop versions update through installers from the official Stremio downloads page. Jumping from the 4.x desktop app to a Stremio 5 build may install alongside the old version rather than replacing it; that depends on your OS and the specific build. Settings don’t always carry over between the two, so expect to redo player preferences.

The upside? On desktop, hanging onto an old installer is trivial, which makes rollback far easier than on Android.

iOS and Web: Why There’s No Real ‘Update’ Step

Stremio Web changes the moment the site changes. Nothing to install, nothing to roll back. Great for convenience, terrible if a change breaks something you rely on. On iPhone and iPad most people use the web version in Safari, and any App Store build updates through Apple’s system (availability has varied by region, so I won’t promise what you’ll find). Either way, your account data is what counts, and the logged-in check from earlier is your main protection.

Stremio Not Working After an Update? Common Breakages

Before you blame the update, make sure it’s actually the update. Addons and debrid services go down too, and the timing can be pure coincidence.

Streams Fail or Addons Show Empty Results

Likely cause: a broken addon install, an expired debrid subscription, or the addon itself being down.

Fix: first, open your debrid account in a browser and confirm it’s active. Real-Debrid plans run around €3–4 a month depending on the term you buy, and it’s surprisingly easy to let one lapse without noticing. Next, test the same title on Stremio Web. Fails there too? The addon or debrid service is the problem, not your app. Works on web but not your device? Remove the addon and reinstall it from your saved manifest URL.

Playback Stutters or Player Crashes

Likely cause: a player change in the new build, a reset hardware decoding setting, or a bloated cache.

Fix: go to Settings > Apps > Stremio on your device and choose Clear cache, not Clear data. Clearing data logs you out and wipes every local setting. Then try flipping between the internal player and an external one like VLC or Just Player. On my Firestick 4K Max, moving to an external player fixed stutter on 4K HDR files after one update, and I never went back. If you’re unsure what’s really slowing things down, my explainer on Android TV cache vs. storage vs. RAM should help.

Check the streaming server status in Stremio’s settings, too. If it shows offline or erroring, torrent-based addons won’t play anything at all.

Likely cause: the new interface doesn’t get along with your remote’s D-pad focus. This shows up most with phone-style builds sideloaded onto TV devices.

Fix: confirm you installed the TV build, not the mobile APK. If you did and the D-pad focus still jumps around, force-stop the app from system settings and relaunch. Survives a reboot? That’s a genuine bug, and rolling back is a reasonable call.

Likely cause: stale session data or a temporary hiccup on Stremio’s servers.

Fix: force-stop, clear cache, relaunch. Still looping? Log out, then log back in. Clear data only as a last resort. Because your addons and library are synced, that’s safe as long as you’re on a real account.

How to Roll Back to an Older Stremio Version

Sometimes the new build just doesn’t suit your hardware. Here’s how to downgrade Stremio version safely.

Why Android Requires an Uninstall to Downgrade

Android refuses to install an older version of an app over a newer one. Expect a “package conflicts” or “app not installed” message. Developer workarounds exist via ADB, but on retail Firesticks and Google TV devices they generally don’t work for regular apps, at least not in my testing on a Fire TV Stick 4K and a Chromecast with Google TV.

Rolling back therefore means uninstalling the current version first, which deletes all local data on that device. Your account data stays safe on Stremio’s servers. That’s exactly why the pre-update checklist matters.

Finding Legitimate Older Builds Safely

Best source: the APK you saved before updating. Second best: official Stremio channels, including the downloads page and Stremio’s official GitHub, where some components and builds get published.

Stay away from random APK mirror sites. Modified Stremio builds with bundled adware do circulate. If you use a Downloader code to fetch an older file, vet it first; my guide on whether Downloader codes are safe walks through how. Stremio doesn’t publish checksums for every build, so a practical habit is recording the SHA-256 hash of any APK you back up and comparing it later. Or just run unfamiliar files through VirusTotal before installing.

Restoring Your Setup After a Downgrade

Uninstall the current Stremio version from system settings.
Install your saved older APK.
Open Stremio and log in with your account.
Wait 10 to 30 seconds for addons and library to sync.
Check that configured addons still return streams; reinstall any broken ones from your saved URLs.
Reapply subtitle styling and player settings from your screenshots.
Turn off auto-updates so the Play Store doesn’t immediately reinstall the new build.

That last step is the easy one to forget. I once rolled back on my Shield, went to bed feeling clever, and woke up to the exact same broken build. Don’t be me.

Should You Update Right Away or Wait?

No single right answer here. It depends on how you use Stremio and how much downtime you’ll put up with.

Who Should Update Immediately

Casual Google TV users who mostly stick to official catalogs and one or two addons can leave auto-updates on. Same for anyone whose current version has a bug the new build fixes. Simple setup, logged in? The downside is tiny.

Who Should Hold Off a Week or Two

Debrid power users running several configured addons should wait. So should people on older or low-RAM hardware, and anyone who has finally, after much fiddling, gotten 4K HDR playback working properly. Give it 7 to 14 days. Check r/StremioAddons and Stremio’s official channels for bug reports, then update with your backups ready.

My own setup? Auto-updates off on the main TV, on for a cheap secondary test box. That test box tells me whether a build is safe before it ever gets near my living room.

Bottom line: you can update Stremio without losing addons almost every time, provided you’re logged into a real account, have your configured URLs saved, and keep a known-good APK nearby. Do those three things and an update becomes a five-minute chore rather than a 40-minute rebuild. Setting up fresh? My Stremio after-install guide for Firestick vs Google TV picks up where this one stops.

⚖️ Legal Disclaimer: IPTV Wire does not own or operate any streaming service, application, or website mentioned in this article. We do not verify whether third-party services carry proper licensing. Users are responsible for ensuring they comply with copyright laws in their jurisdiction.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will updating Stremio delete my addons?

No, not if you’re logged into a Stremio account. Your addon list syncs to the account and comes back after updates or reinstalls. Guest profiles keep addons locally, so those can disappear.

How do I check which version of Stremio I have?

Scroll to the bottom of Stremio’s Settings page for the version details. On Android TV, Google TV, or Firestick, you can also look in the system menu under Settings > Apps > Stremio.

Can I downgrade Stremio on Firestick or Android TV?

Yes, but uninstall the current version first, because Android blocks installing older versions over newer ones. Then install a saved or official older APK and log back in to restore your addons.

Why did Stremio stop working after an update?

Usual suspects: a corrupted cache, reset player settings, a broken addon install, or a streaming server problem. Quite often, though, the real culprit is an addon or debrid outage that just happened at the same time. Test on Stremio Web to tell which.

Do I need to re-enter my Real-Debrid key after updating Stremio?

Usually not. Your key lives inside the configured addon URL, which syncs with your account. You’d only need it again if an addon gets removed or you were on a guest profile, so keep a copy of each configured URL.

How do I stop Stremio from auto-updating on Google TV?

Open the Play Store, go to Stremio’s app page, and disable auto-update if a per-app option appears. If it doesn’t, switch off auto-updates globally via your profile icon > Settings > Auto-update apps.