On-demand and live TV is becoming popular as people seek cheap alternative entertainment sources for overpriced cable subscriptions. That’s why hundreds of online streaming services surfaced online, including some like Terrarium TV, promising to offer free content.
But what is Terrarium TV? If that’s what you wonder, then you might be new to the binge-watchers’ club as Terrarium has been a favorite among avid streamers.
Precisely, it’s an Android-based streaming app providing links to high-quality streams without hosting any content. The idea is to avoid legal issues that other free streaming services face.
However, the website went offline in 2018 with no explanation. What’s more puzzling is that some Terrarium TV versions are still available for download online. It begs the questions — ‘is it a legal service?’ and ‘will it harm your Android device?’
This article aims at answering these questions. Moreover, you’ll learn how to safely use Terrarium without compromising your security or privacy with a VPN.
A quick guide to access Terrarium TV anywhere safely
- Choose a reliable and trustworthy VPN service. We recommend NordVPN because of the high-speed servers for streaming and water-tight security.
- Install the VPN app. Go to the provider’s official website and download the suitable app for your device.
- Connect to a server. Navigate through the VPN to the server list and connect to whichever you want.
- Start streaming. Launch your Terrarium TV app and begin watching your favorite content.
Note:
Terrarium TV developer discontinued it for good in 2018 and said he could even surrender user data if forced by authorities. However, there are still some Terrarium TV versions available online. We have delved into its safety status below but, being privacy advocates, we recommend you to uninstall it immediately if you still have this app on your device.
How Terrarium TV works?
Terrarium TV is an Android-based streaming app that offers the best free 1080p TV shows and movies. Subsequently, its popularity grew significantly, earning almost 30,000 subscribers on its active Reddit page and more than 140,000 Facebook likes.
According to its developer, the app only comprises links to other sites and doesn’t store or upload any media files. In addition, Terrarium TV does not host media stream links on its servers. Thankfully, all the links are aggregated in a convenient and user-friendly interface.
The above explanation may sound familiar if you know Kodi. Most popular Kodi addons like Exodus, Covenant, SportDevil, and Gurzil work similarly. Furthermore, you can use techniques to stream Terrarium TV on Kodi. However, it is an Android addon that functions similarly to the commonly used Android app Mobdro.
Is Terrarium TV safe and legal?
These are two major concerns of streaming content through Terrarium TV. First, is it going to compromise your security? Second, does using this app make you commit illegality? Let’s uncover each concern in detail.
Terrarium TV security risks
So far, there hasn’t been any hacking incidence or discovery of malicious code in the legitimate Terrarium TV app. However, it is good to note that the download process has issues that can raise red flags.
The first issue is that the Terrarium TV app is not available on Google Play Store. However, this doesn’t mean that the app is illegitimate, although you may have to change your Android settings to allow unknown sources. Not all downloads that go through this route are bad news.
The APK Mirror website (www.apkmirror.com) contains a massive repository of Android apps not available on the Google Play Store. However, most apps are purely legitimate but have not been made to the apps store.
The advantage of Google Play Store apps is that they are highly secure. That’s because the apps go through a more stringent review process. So, downloading apps outside the store can present substantial risks. For example, some apps are embedded with malware and viruses that can severely damage your device.
In addition, Terrarium TV is easy to spoof because it is unofficial. In fact, some of its spoofed versions are already available on Google Play Store. These options may be conduits of spreading viruses and mining data.
Making the matter worse, Terrarium TV’s developer, NitroXenon, said he could surrender user data if compelled in an interview with TorrentFreak.
Therefore, we don’t recommend Terrarium TV for IPTV streaming on Android (or any other platform).
Terrarium TV legality
The legality of streaming apps like Terrarium TV is always questionable. So wondering if Terrarium TV is legal makes sense.
Although Terrarium TV offers links to legal content sources, most of its content goes against copyright laws.
Terrarium TV tries to avoid legal implications by not hosting any content. However, as with the case of some Kodi addons, this technique isn’t completely foolproof. For example, famous streaming addons like Phoenix and ZemTV went offline because of an anti-piracy lawsuit. Also, many news sites suffered a blow after Kodi’s TVAddons repository owner got a dreadful lawsuit as well as home search and seizure.
In simple words, the existence of Terrarium TV is a gray legal area. Also, even if it does not host any content, most of what it does is considered copyright infringement.
Although none of the users have been hit with any legal consequence yet, its future doesn’t seem promising. Hence, the best way to anonymize your streaming activities is by using a VPN. It will prevent your ISP, copyright agencies, or any other third party from seeing that you are streaming content via Terrarium.
How to make Terrarium TV streaming safe?
Terrarium and other unofficial streaming services provide a great alternative to cable TV. However, watching content online has many issues, such as data security and ISP snooping on your activities.
Besides, streaming content on Terrarium TV or any other service consumes much data, especially HD videos. Since ISPs usually allocate a specific amount of bandwidth to users, they start applying bandwidth throttling if they see spiked data consumption. Naturally, this reduces speed, which can be annoying when streaming.
Thus, if you must use such streaming sites and services, it is advisable to use a virtual private network (VPN).
Despite rumors, VPNs are legal (in most countries) and increasingly necessary. It will mask your IP address and encrypt your traffic preventing your ISP from seeing your online activities. As a result, they won’t even throttle your bandwidth.
Besides, the VPN will help you bypass geo-restrictions if you also use mainstream services like Netflix.
Wondering which VPN service would help you then?
Well, you can find some best streaming VPNs in this guide to pick the right one. But NordVPN can be a quick recommendation here.
This service has proved to be the best VPN to protect your online anonymity and security. It operates a massive network of super-fast servers, making it easy to stream high-quality content anywhere. The VPN also offers unlimited bandwidth to make your streaming experience as smooth as possible.
Furthermore, it comes with robust security and privacy features. The best part is that it is compatible with all major platforms, including Kodi and Amazon Fire Stick. NordVPN supports six devices, and you can even install this VPN on your router to add more connections. Its subscription plans are affordable, but you can try it risk-free with the 30-day money-back guarantee.
Why using a Terrarium TV VPN is essential today
It is not yet clear why the Terrarium TV website went offline. That is why we recommend you use a VPN to keep your personal data and IP address anonymous should you wish to keep using other versions of it.
Besides, if the developer committed illegality, the authorities can compel him to provide users’ information. This can easily reveal your identity, and you can be charged for breaking the law.
Moreover, as mentioned above, streaming is a data-intensive activity, and your ISP can limit the available bandwidth.
One of the biggest advantages of Terrarium TV VPN use is that it will anonymize your activities. This makes it impossible for copyright authorities, police, or any third party to track the websites and apps you visit online. Moreover, since your ISP won’t throttle your internet, you will continue to enjoy a reliable and stable connection.
Should I stream through Terrarium TV?
Here at PrivacySavvy, we don’t support on-demand or live TV streaming service that breaks copyrights or use pirate websites.
We do not encourage or condone the violation of copyright laws. This includes illegal streaming via Kodi, which you can use to stream legitimate content. So, be aware of the law and risks before streaming or downloading any copyrighted content without authorization.
Some users may not heed this information and will go ahead and install the Terrarium TV app on their devices. However, we don’t support or recommend the service. Fortunately, there are several other legitimate options you can choose from that allow you to stream anything from movies, TV shows, podcasts to sports online (you name it).
Alternatives to Terrarium
A good number of Terrarium TV alternatives exist today; below we go with some top ones:
1. Kodi
If you are already using Terrarium TV or any other similar Android app, you should consider shifting to Kodi instead. It is a free media player compatible with Android and various devices. It is a great way to play your saved media like MP4 videos and MP3 music. In addition, Kodi can come in handy to stream content directly on the internet through the wide variety of addons available.
The best thing about Kodi, as a Terrarium TV alternative, is that it provides many streaming options. In addition, numerous Kodi addons are there to compensate for the content you could have gotten from Terrarium.
Besides, unlike Terrarium, you can download Kodi from Google Play Store. It means that you won’t need to download a malicious app from a third party that can potentially damage your device.
2. Cinema APK
Initially known as HDMovies, Cinema APK is a popular on-demand app for streaming TV shows and movies. It is a content aggregator like Terrarium TV, bringing together streaming links from multiple sources. Although the app doesn’t host any content, you will still access a vast library of high-quality content. What’s more, you can integrate it with a Real-Debrid account to get healthier links and HD streams.
3. Titanium TV
Titanium TV is another great alternative to Terrarium TV. At first glance, it seems a Terrarium TV clone as it functions almost similarly. Fortunately, it offers a massive catalog of TV shows to keep you entertained all the time.
It is effortless to use, and you can also integrate it with Real Debrid to improve your streaming experience. Moreover, it is compatible with numerous devices, including FireStick, Android TV boxes, Fire TV, and Fire TV Cube.
Conclusion
It is difficult to predict Terrarium TV’s future. The official website has already been shut down, and there is very little information about it. So, you must remain cautious with your safety when using Terrarium TV APK.
The best way to protect your connections and access Terrarium TV exclusively is by using a VPN.
Also, when your data travels through a VPN tunnel, your ISP will not throttle your bandwidth, giving you a smooth streaming experience. Our top recommendation here is NordVPN. It comes with a massive server network, robust encryption, and bypasses almost all geo-blocks.
