Credit: u/No-Refrigerator9154
Opening Notes (important stuff, please read)
This configuration of the Stremio app will allow you to stream movies/TV from most devices, with the exception being IOS devices such as the iPhone and iPad. If you want to stream from those devices, this guide is not for you.
You can use this Stremio configuration to stream movies/TV on most other platforms, including Windows, Mac, Android, FireOS (includes Fire Stick and Fire TV), Linux, AndroidTV, and even the Steam Deck.
However, the Stremio setup guide will require that you use a Windows, Mac, Linux, or Android device. Please don't attempt the setup steps on another device.
Additional information for FireOS (includes Fire Stick and Fire TV) and Linux devices is located below the Stremio setup guide, but you need to go through the Stremio setup guide beforehand with a required device (Refer to previous bullet point).
Stremio Setup Guide
Part 1: Stremio
For Windows/Mac users - Go to https://www.stremio.com/ and download the relevant client for your platform
For Android users - Install Stremio through the Google Play Store: Stremio - Apps on Google Play
Open Stremio and sign up with email or Facebook
Part 2: Real Debrid
Go to https://real-debrid.com/
Sign up
Go to Premium Offers
Choose a package and subscribe. I found that using Amazon Pay as the payment method is the most convenient (if you have an Amazon account)
Part 3: Torrentio
Go to Torrentio Lite - Stremio Addon
Towards the bottom of the page, select the "Debrid Provider" option and select "Real Debrid" from the drop-down menu. This will cause a new text box to appear underneath.
Copy the API key from this link https://real-debrid.com/apitoken and paste it into the "RealDebrid API Key**"** box
In the Debrid Options menu: Check the box "Don't show download to debrid links" and leave the other boxes unchecked.
Click "Install" at the bottom. It should open the Stremio app and prompt you with an "Install Addon" window. Click the green install button at the bottom.
Optional but highly Recommended - In Stremio, click the puzzle piece in the top right to view your addons. Click "My Addons" and uninstall the "WatchHub" addon. It's an eyesore and it clutters your streams list.
Now that you have completed the setup, you may install Stremio on any device of your choice (excluding IOS) and log in to your account to start streaming Movies/TV. Refer to the section below for Stremio installation on FireOS devices (Fire Stick, FireTV).
FireOS devices (Fire Stick, FireTV)
After you have gone through the setup on another device, watch this video on how to install Stremio on your FireOS device https://youtu.be/U1o-scADuIg and then log into your account in the Stremio app. At this point you're good to stream. It will download everything that you just set up and sync your shows across all devices. However, some FireOS devices may not be capable of 4k streaming.
Edit 10/16/2023 - if you are on firestick, make sure to download the Android TV apk from the Stremio downloads section. The youtube video linked above was created before Stremio had an Android TV version. The UI is much improved over the base android UI for use on a smart tv.
Linux
At the time of making this guide, I had issues in the setup process on Linux but I'm pretty sure that was my fault for having weird defaults on my Arch install. You should be able to complete the setup process on Linux without issues and streaming is guaranteed to work. In the case that you run into issues, Just complete the setup steps on a recommended device first, then install and log into the Stremio app on your Linux device.
Additional information
YOU DO NOT NEED A VPN.
Account sharing: You should only share your Stremio account with people who are connected to the same WiFi network as you. If you do not follow this rule, your Real Debrid account may be suspended.
Bugs/Glitches:
Sometimes, an episode of a show or a movie will display "No streams found" even though it should be available. This has only happened to me a handful of times, but the problem will resolve itself eventually.
If the picture is black but the audio is still playing, you should go back and select a stream with a different resolution.
Issue: No streams are appearing at all, or none of them work. Here are the possible explanations:
Your Real Debrid Subscription has expired. Go to Real-Debrid and check your account status.
Real Debrid servers are down/undergoing maintenance. Wait an hour or so, and then try again.
You made a mistake while following the guide. My DMs are open if you can't figure it out. I'll probably try to help.
Credit to u/OnlyTheCruxes for most of this stuff because I kinda just copied their guide and added more detail based on my own personal experience with the setup process (Original guide: Installing Stremino + Torrentio + Real Debird )
Yeah I'm not really so sure running Real-Debrid without a VPN is much of a genius move:
"Files links that Users download are stored in a database for legal concerns and our internal use. All saved links are erased within 1 month for security reasons and service needs. However all requests made on our site are stored for 1 year, the legal retention period."
"We may be required to disclose Users personal data in order to protect our legal rights or where disclosure of Users personal data's are required of us by the judicial authorities only when legal procedures are followed."
"Our servers can detect the IP Address of Users connection through the Internet. These IP addresses (public) and their approximative geolocations are recorded by our servers for internal use only (registration on the site, optimal use of downloads, protection against thieves, etc.)."
All from Real-Debrid Privacy information
It's a question of whether they would ever get subpoenaed really, and then whether they'd comply. I'm not sure it's worth it from the copyright holders' perspective. The individual users are getting DDL links, so they're not uploading – i.e. "sharing" – anything. These days, if holders go after anyone, it's for the sharing not the downloading. As for compliance, I don't think we have any evidence one way or the other, as (afaik) they are yet to be subpoenaed (despite running for a long time).
It's also worth noting if you do want to do this totally privately: when you buy an RD subscription, you cannot use a VPN during that process (they block known IPs). So, you would want to use a public WiFi connection somewhere, and choose an anonymous payment method like paysafecard.
I've been trying to figure out what realdebrid actually does to no avail, and it doesn't help that the website is likely purposefully unhelpful.
From what I can put together, realdebrid will run torrents for you, on their machines, and provide you with a download link? What are the torrent sources? Also, what about seeding ratios?
And then another comment points out that streamio is meant to work directly with torrents, which leaves me confused as far as how all the pieces fit together.
The sites are purposefully obtuse to not draw attention.
A debrid service generally has 2 purposes: caching files and unlocking premium file hosting sites for cheap.
The latter is self-explanatory and not relevant for this thread (basically imagine unlocking premium for sites like mega and rapidgator but only paying 1 site for all of it).
The former is what's important. When you give a site like real debrid a torrent/magnet link, it will download the files in that torrent and cache them so that anyone who later wants to access that same torrent, instead of having to rely on seeders, can just download it directly from the debrid website.
It doesn't have any, users are the ones who manually (or automatically with their API) provide the site with torrents, which the site then caches for anyone who later wants them.
There aren't any. Most debrid sites only leech and don't seed, that's why even among piracy communities they can be controversial.
Stremio doesn't do anything on its own, the add-ons built for stremio are what do the work.
There is an add-on called torrentio which can pull torrents from several popular trackers and show them in stremio, where you can pick one and start streaming (or, more specifically, the stremio app downloads the torrent sequentially, which allows you to watch it while it's still downloading). That's what we're using here.
This add-on can additionally be configured with your real debrid account's API key so that when you select a torrent in stremio, instead of stremio downloading the torrent normally from the available seeders, it instead pulls the cached file from real-debrid, dramatically increasing download speed and more or less eliminating buffering altogether (since real debrid can provide the file at much faster speeds). Using real debrid also solves the issue of torrents with no/few seeds, since the file is always cached regardless and can be provided at fast speeds always.
Hope this helped.
Debrid leeching is much better than Stremio leaching. RD leeches the file once, but Stremio leeches the file every time someone watches it.
Extremely so, thank you
This is normal - if the police demand an IP address, they'll get one. So don't give the police a reason to demand one.