Dreamio

Dreamio is a minimal iOS WKWebView wrapper around hosted Stremio Web.

The MVP intentionally keeps native code thin. It loads https://web.stremio.com/ inside a UIKit host app, handles new-window navigation in the existing web view, allows inline media playback, and leaves playback viability to real-device testing.

Running Dreamio

1. Install CocoaPods if needed.
2. Run pod install.
3. Open Dreamio.xcworkspace in Xcode.
4. Select the Dreamio scheme.
5. Pick a real iPhone or iPad device.
6. Set a development team for code signing if Xcode asks.
7. Build and run.

Dreamio uses MobileVLCKit for native playback of direct-file streams that iOS WebKit commonly cannot play, especially MKV, AVI, and WebM debrid URLs. Keep using Dreamio.xcworkspace after installing pods so Xcode links the native playback backend.

If the app says "Native playback needs CocoaPods" or a player screen says "Native playback is not available in this build," the binary was built without MobileVLCKit linked. To resolve it, install CocoaPods, run pod install from this repository, open Dreamio.xcworkspace instead of Dreamio.xcodeproj, and build the workspace. Direct MKV, AVI, and WebM playback depends on that workspace build because the raw project intentionally keeps a fallback compile path for environments where CocoaPods has not been installed yet.

On macOS, install CocoaPods with RubyGems:

sudo gem install cocoapods
pod --version
pod install
open Dreamio.xcworkspace

If the gem install fails because of a local Ruby or permissions issue, another common macOS option is Homebrew:

brew install cocoapods
pod --version
pod install
open Dreamio.xcworkspace

The official CocoaPods getting started guide documents the RubyGems install path: https://guides.cocoapods.org/using/getting-started.html

Optional Remote Stremio Server

Dreamio includes an advanced, opt-in Remote Stremio Server setting for users who run their own Stremio Server, such as the official stremio/server Docker image. Tap the server button in the top-right corner of Dreamio to configure, test, reload, or clear a user-provided server URL.

Dreamio does not provide, bundle, or hardcode a Stremio Server address. The configured URL is stored locally and passed to hosted Stremio Web with its existing streamingServerUrl query-parameter flow so Stremio Web can add and select that server in Settings > Streaming.

What the official Docker image exposes:

• 11470 for HTTP and 12470 for HTTPS.
• /settings, /network-info, /device-info, /casting, torrent creation, statistics, proxy, and media streaming endpoints used by Stremio Web/Core.
• FFMPEG_BIN, FFPROBE_BIN, APP_PATH, and NO_CORS environment variables.
• A Docker build with ffmpeg-jellyfin, which enables server-side media work when the upstream Stremio Server and selected stream path support it.

A remote server can help with torrent-backed streams, proxy-header streams, archive/FTP/YouTube handling, and some transcoding-capable playback paths. It is not guaranteed to turn every MKV into a WebKit-friendly HLS or MP4 stream. Keep MobileVLCKit native playback available as the fallback for MKV, AVI, WebM, codec, audio-track, subtitle, or server-transcoding failures.

Security and privacy notes:

• Prefer HTTPS for remote servers. Dreamio only accepts HTTP automatically for localhost and private-network addresses; public HTTP requires explicit confirmation. Use a trusted certificate or reverse proxy for remote HTTPS; self-signed certificates may fail in iOS networking and WKWebView.
• Do not put usernames, passwords, tokens, query strings, or fragments in the configured base URL.
• A configured server can see stream URLs sent to it. Run a server you trust.
• Clearing the Dreamio override stops Dreamio from injecting streamingServerUrl on load. If Stremio Web already saved the URL in its own profile settings, remove or change it in Stremio Web Settings > Streaming.

Validation Notes

CocoaPods 1.16.2 was installed with Homebrew on this repository machine, and pod install generated Dreamio.xcworkspace plus Podfile.lock with MobileVLCKit 3.7.3. The workspace builds from the command line when full Xcode is selected for that command:

DEVELOPER_DIR=/Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer \
  xcodebuild -workspace Dreamio.xcworkspace \
  -scheme Dreamio \
  -configuration Debug \
  -sdk iphonesimulator \
  build

Playback Validation Checklist

1. Cold launch loads hosted Stremio Web.
2. Login completes and persists after app relaunch.
3. Catalog and library navigation work.
4. Addon install or configuration flows work, including redirects or popups.
5. HLS direct stream playback works.
6. MP4 direct stream playback works.
7. Debridio, Torrentio, and Real-Debrid MKV/AVI/WebM direct-file streams open the native player before WebKit reaches its visible media failure state.
8. Closing the native player returns to the existing Stremio Web session.
9. DEBUG logs show sanitized stream classification and native player errors without full debrid URLs, query strings, tokens, or long secret-like path segments.

Track playback results by device, iOS version, stream protocol, container, codec, subtitle type, HTTP status, and WebKit media error when available.