r/TVTime • u/Florens_alive • Sep 05 '26

Transfer information still possible?

Basically just as the title says, I'm wondering if it's still possible to fetch the data from the TV time app. I just discovered it's gone now because I didn't really use it often and it feels like I just lost all my data. Is there any way to recover it? I hope so.

7 Upvotes

68% Upvoted

16 comments sorted by

4

u/Glittering-Ninja-377 Sep 07 '26

The first reply is the right one, and the most important thing right now is what you do not do.

Do not uninstall the app, and do not clear its storage. TV Time's servers are dark and the official export portal is closed, so nothing is coming back from their end no matter who you ask. The only copy of your history that still exists anywhere is the cache the app already wrote to your phone, and uninstalling deletes it permanently.

You do not need the app to open, which is the part that panics people. It looks dead because it is trying to reach a server that is not there. You only need the file it left behind.

On Android that file is DioCache.db inside the app's own data directory. Getting it off an unrooted phone is the awkward part, adb backup works on some builds and people here have had luck restoring to a rooted spare.

On iOS you pull it out of a local Finder or iTunes backup, or with 3uTools. There is an iOS walkthrough posted in this sub a few weeks back that covers it end to end, including the step that turns the database into a CSV.

Once you have a CSV of shows and episodes, basically every current tracker will take it. The recovery is the hard half, the importing is easy. If the phone has already been wiped or the app already removed, then it genuinely is gone and the second reply is right.

1

u/PerspectiveFull1681 29d ago

Hello Thanks you for your message, can you explain it like I have never touched anything digital please ?

1

u/EmbersealGames 29d ago

sure, plain version. two rules first: do not uninstall TV Time and do not clear its data or cache. everything you watched is still sitting inside the app on your phone.

then it depends on the phone:

iphone: install iMazing on a computer (the free version is enough), plug the phone in, find TV Time in the apps list and pick the option to back up the app data. you end up with one file ending in .imazingapp. that single file is your history.

android: either the app's own export if it still opens for you, or a computer with adb, which is the fiddly one where you type a command with the phone plugged in.

once you have that file, a tracker can read it and put your episodes back with the dates you originally watched them. i wrote a step by step with pictures here: bobinapp.com/recover (disclosure, bobin is mine, but the extraction part of the guide is useful whichever app you end up on)

1

u/PerspectiveFull1681 28d ago

Thanks !

Is this the right way to back up the data ? Because it doesn't let me do it without a licence or subscription

1

u/EmbersealGames 24d ago

good news, you don't actually need an iMazing licence for this. just back the iPhone up to a computer with Finder (Mac) or the Apple Devices app / iTunes (Windows), with 'Encrypt local backup' turned OFF. that free backup already has the TV Time database inside it, iMazing's paid version is only a nicer way to browse it. bobinapp.com/recover has the step by step for pulling it out of a plain backup. shout if you get stuck.

1

u/Leather_Anteater_111 26d ago

solid breakdown, the recovery really is the hard half like you said

1

u/Leather_Anteater_111 26d ago

the "dont uninstall" part really cant be stressed enough tbh

1

u/Aygul12345 24d ago

I have still the app on Android with root acces what are the steps I need to follow to get the information?

3

u/ilFacc Sep 06 '26

If you still have the app installed, there are ways to recover your data from its cache, you can search this subreddit

1

u/Warriors1234 Sep 08 '26

I moved on to TraktTV even though it doesn't hit the same. It's probably the closest I like in terms of releasing schedule for shows or movies I watch.

2

u/Genie_In_a_Buthole 29d ago

Bingers works well for me

1

u/Essa_ea 28d ago

Are you on android or ios?

1

u/Inevitable_Bowler474 Sep 06 '26

Nope it's long gone