# How to: Playback with an Apple HLS stream as M3U8

**URL:** https://community.wowza.com/t/how-to-playback-with-an-apple-hls-stream-as-m3u8/94718
**Category:** Streaming Tips
**Tags:** wowza-streaming-engine
**Created:** [March 18, 2022, 3:42pm UTC](https://community.wowza.com/t/how-to-playback-with-an-apple-hls-stream-as-m3u8/94718 "2022-03-18T15:42:46Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![Rose\_Power-Wowza\_Com](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/community.wowza.com/rose_power-wowza_com/32/431_2.png) [@Rose\_Power-Wowza\_Com](https://community.wowza.com/u/Rose_Power-Wowza_Com)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2022, 3:42pm UTC](https://community.wowza.com/t/how-to-playback-with-an-apple-hls-stream-as-m3u8/94718/1 "2022-03-18T15:42:47Z")

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How to play a video-on-demand (VOD) or live stream from Wowza Streaming Engine™ media server software on Apple iOS devices.

**A. LIVE STREAM**

[This section](https://www.wowza.com/docs/how-to-playback-on-apple-ios-devices-cupertino-apple-hls#play-a-live-stream1) describes how to play a live stream named **myStream** from a live application.

After sending a live stream to Wowza Streaming Engine, enter the following URL into Safari on the iOS device:

http://[_address_]:1935/[_application-name_]/myStream/playlist.m3u8

This stream can also be played by using Safari or QuickTime 10. _x_ on a computer that’s running OS X 10.6 or later.

If your live stream has a different name, use it instead of **myStream** in the playback URL.

**B.** **VOD (Video On-Demand) mp4 file:**

[This section](https://www.wowza.com/docs/how-to-playback-on-apple-ios-devices-cupertino-apple-hls#play-a-vod-mp4-file0) describes how to play the default **[_install-dir_]/content/sample.mp4** video file from a VOD application.

For details about how to create a Wowza Streaming Engine application for VOD streaming, see [Set up video-on-demand streaming in Wowza Streaming Engine](https://www.wowza.com/docs/How-to-set-up-video-on-demand-streaming).

Enter the following URL into Safari on the iOS device:

http://[_address_]:1935/[_application-name_]/mp4:sample.mp4/playlist.m3u8

This stream can also be played by using Safari or QuickTime 10. _x_ on a computer that’s running OS X 10.6 or later.

To play your own content, copy it to the server **[_install-dir_]/content** folder and substitute its file name in place of **sample.mp4** in the playback URL.

> **Note:** In Wowza Streaming Engine, MP4 is the default stream format and you’re not required to use the **mp4:** stream name prefix to play the sample video file. For example: http://[_address_]:1935/[_application-name_]/sample.mp4/playlist.m3u8

To play content that’s not in the content root folder ( **[_install-dir_]/content** ), add the default application instance name to the playback URL. For example, if the **sample.mp4** video file is in **[_install-dir_]/myVideos/sample.mp4** , the playback URL is:

http://[_address_]:1935/[_application-name_]/_definst_/myVideos/mp4:sample.mp4/playlist.m3u8

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