I’ve been running a channel on Yandex Zen for more than a year now, and often readers ask the question of why we need a TV today - after all, there’s absolutely nothing to watch on it. It turns out that many people do not understand that in the modern world it is possible not only to watch TV channels via an antenna or via the Internet, but also to play a huge amount of other online content. For example, movies, TV series, children's programs, watch photos, listen to music or audio books, and so on. It doesn’t matter what model of Smart TV you have - LG, Samsung, Haier, Philips, Sony, Xiaomi or any other. In this article I will tell you about a service such as Wink from Rostelecom. Let's see how to install the latest version of the Wink application on your TV or set-top box running Android TV and use it.
Main characteristics of the mod application
Wink Ultimate is a multimedia platform for viewing interactive TV. Using the application, you can watch hundreds of TV channels on your device. The mod was originally created for TV boxes and Android TV, but it also works on phones. The device model does not matter.
Registration for the mod version is not required.
The main characteristics of the modified Wink Ultimate application and its system requirements are presented in the table.
| Parameter name | Description |
| Developer | Rostelecom. |
| Category | Multimedia. |
| Interface language | Multilingual, including Russian. |
| Supported devices and OS | Devices running Android OS with version 5.0 and higher. |
| Year of creation | 2018. |
| Installer type | APK file. |
| License | Free. |
| Homepage | https://wink.rt.ru/apps. |
Differences between the latest version of Wink Ultimate and the previous ones:
- there are 555 channels with archives (playlist taken from https://pastebin.com/raw/Lm41DLMs with edits);
- Under each TV channel logo its name is indicated;
- added a new list of categories with icons;
- unnecessary list updates have been removed (the image is no longer distorted);
- added scroll bar and night mode (dark background).
The application has an official forum - https://4pda.ru/forum/index.php?showtopic=903473. There you can find useful information and ask questions about the application or problems with it. The developer and experienced users answer on the forum.
Technical characteristics of Sercomm STB122A
Let's start by looking under the hood of this gadget and see what kind of hardware is hidden there. It is much more interesting than those STBs that are issued when connecting to regular cable television from Rostelecom. True, the price is higher...
Platform:
- Chip/CPU – Amlogic 905X-BV ARM Cortex A53 Quad-Core 64bit with a frequency of up to 1500 MHz
- Graphics chip/GPU – Mali 450
- RAM RAM – 2 Gb
- Built-in ROM memory - 8 Gb
Connectors:
- CVBS video output + analog stereo audio output (TRRS mini-jack);
- Digital video + audio output HDMI 2.0a with HDCP 2.2 support;
- USB 2.0 type A - 1 pc.
- Power supply connector (BP 12V 1A).
Net:
Wired - Ethernet 10/100Mbit Base-T Wireless - dual-band adapter, supports 802.11ac, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n. Operating mode - 2x2 Bluetooth - yes, BTLE
A fairly large number of Android TV boxes are built on this platform. For example, Tanix TX5 Pro, Mini M8S II, NEXBOX A95X. Other Russian providers also do not neglect it - these are ZTE B700V7 from MGTS and RASSE-001 from Beeline TV.
Interface and features of the Wink Ultimate mod
Wink Ultimate has a comfortable and intuitive user interface optimized for TV devices. But in this version of the mod, the developers did a good job not only improving the interface, but also modernizing the functions of the application, so it is very convenient to use.
The main features of the Wink Ultimate modification:
- you can add TV channels to the “Favorites” section without logging into your account;
- it is possible to quickly find the channel that was last viewed - when you turn on the application, it will be marked in color, which is very convenient;
- a full list of TV channels is available - sports, children's, news, educational, historical, entertainment, culinary, 18+, religious, men's and women's;
- the TV program is displayed in the time zone set on the device;
- thanks to the convenient division into categories, you can quickly find what you want to watch now (there is a separate category with HD channels);
- There is a “Help” section where you can go if you have any problems with the application;
- There is full support for Android TV, so you can use the remote control to control all functions of the application.
This is what categories look like in the Wink Ultimate application (menu on the left) and the internal component of categories (using the example of the “Entertainment” collection):
You can see basic information about each film/series/show/other content that is being broadcast now or will be broadcast later—just click on the desired line in the TV program.
Account and subscriptions
In the last section, you can view materials that have been added to your favorites, as well as manage subscriptions and set up parental controls to limit children from adult materials.
Here you can register for the service and log into your account.
Why is it needed? In order to be able to buy one of the many thematic subscriptions and watch much more content of different types.
Tariff plans have a price range from 200 to 1800 rubles per month, so everyone can choose a suitable option for themselves that will not hit their wallet too hard.
Features of the Wink Ultimate mod
The modified Wink Ultimate application has its own features and advantages in comparison with the free official version of Wink. Here are the main ones:
- completely free;
- no advertising;
- movies and TV series have been removed from internal search and ATV search;
- the “Submit a bug report” button and various push notifications with advertising have been removed;
- Analytics and logging, which overwhelm the memory, are disabled;
- some channels have been moved to other categories: “Men’s Cinema” has been moved to the “Film” section from “Men’s”, the “FAN HD” channel has been moved to the “Children’s” section from “Film”;
- more ergonomic design;
- translucent lists of TV channels and programs;
- the category menu is on the left side and is completely hidden when viewing TB;
- there are purely football and erotic TV channels that work without interruption;
- a full-screen patch is built in so that there is no curtain and nothing distracts from viewing content on the big screen;
- high quality of the content offered.
If you do not want to uninstall the official Wink application, but still want to download the Wink Ultimate modification, you can install it along with the original. They will not interfere with each other's work.
Ways to download the latest version of Wink Ultimate
Wink Ultimate can only be downloaded via an APK file. There are versions with and without erotic channels. The latest versions of the application for TV devices can be downloaded from the following links:
- Wink Ultimate 2.8 v7a with erotica. Direct download link - https://www.tvbox.one/tvbox-files/Wink-Ultimate-1.16.1-v2.8-full-armv7.apk.
- Wink Ultimate 2.8 v7a without erotica. Direct download link - https://www.tvbox.one/tvbox-files/Wink-Ultimate-1.16.1-v2.8-noero-armv7.apk.
- Wink Ultimate 2.8 v8a with erotica. Direct download link - https://www.tvbox.one/tvbox-files/Wink-Ultimate-1.16.1-v2.8-full-arm64.apk.
- Wink Ultimate 2.8 v8a without erotica. Direct download link - https://www.tvbox.one/tvbox-files/Wink-Ultimate-1.16.1-v2.8-noero-arm64.apk.
If you have a non-rooted TB box, use one of the following links (without root fix):
- Wink Ultimate 2.8 v7a with erotica. Direct download link - https://www.tvbox.one/tvbox-files/Wink-Ultimate-1.16.1-v2.8-full-lite-armv7.apk.
- Wink Ultimate 2.8 v7a without erotica. Direct download link - https://www.tvbox.one/tvbox-files/Wink-Ultimate-1.16.1-v2.8-noero-lite-armv7.apk.
- Wink Ultimate 2.8 v8a with erotica. Direct download link - https://www.tvbox.one/tvbox-files/Wink-Ultimate-1.16.1-v2.8-full-lite-arm64.apk.
- Wink Ultimate 2.8 v8a without erotica. Direct download link - https://www.tvbox.one/tvbox-files/Wink-Ultimate-1.16.1-v2.8-noero-lite-arm64.apk.
Older versions of the application are also available for download. They can be downloaded if the latest variations for some reason do not want to be installed on your device. The best previous versions of Wink Ultimate for TV devices:
- Wink Ultimate 2.7 v7a with erotica. Direct download link - https://www.tvbox.one/tvbox-files/Wink-Ultimate-1.16.1-v2.7-full-armv7.apk.
- Wink Ultimate 2.7 v7a without erotica. Direct download link - https://www.tvbox.one/tvbox-files/Wink-Ultimate-1.16.1-v2.7-noero-armv7.apk.
- Wink Ultimate 2.7 v8a with erotica. Direct download link - https://www.tvbox.one/tvbox-files/Wink-Ultimate-1.16.1-v2.7-full-arm64.apk.
- Wink Ultimate 2.7 v8a without erotica. Direct download link - https://www.tvbox.one/tvbox-files/Wink-Ultimate-1.16.1-v2.7-noero-arm64.apk.
Versions of Wink Ultimate suitable for mobile devices:
- Wink Plus Mobile v.1.1 with erotic channels. Direct download link - https://www.tvbox.one/tvbox-files/Wink-Plus-Mobile-1.11.2-v.1.1.apk.
- Wink Plus Mobile v.1.1 without erotic channels. Direct download link - https://www.tvbox.one/tvbox-files/Wink-Plus-Mobile-1.11.2-v.1.1-noero.apk.
You can try installing higher versions on your phone/tablet, but they may not function on certain models of mobile devices.
Video instructions for installing an APK file on mobile devices:
Appearance (Screenshots)
All screenshots were taken on ATV Mi Box S. Unfortunately, the set-top box cut out the broadcast and there is no picture of the channel, but you can take my word for it that the image is super:
If you have any questions, suggestions, wishes - write in the comments!
How to update Wink Ultimate on TV?
The Wink Ultimate mod update process involves a few simple steps. You need to do the following:
- Go to the settings, select the name of the mod from the list and remove its old (installed) version by clicking the corresponding button. Then click “Ok”. Wait for the removal to complete.
- Register from your computer on the 4pda forum and follow the link - https://4pda.ru/forum/index.php?showtopic=903473&st=17200.
- Find the latest version on the page. Download it to your computer.
- Copy the downloaded file to the USB flash drive.
- Insert the flash drive into the TV and transfer the file to the TV device.
- Install the application as usual.
Video instructions for updating the Wink Ultimate mod:
Analogues of Wink Ultimate
Such multimedia platforms are now at the peak of popularity. Therefore, new services for viewing interactive TV appear regularly. Wink Ultimate and regular Wink have similar applications. The most popular of them:
- Light HD TV. All channels are provided free of charge. A simple, convenient and lightweight application for watching TV online.
- Digital TV. The application allows you to watch 20 all-Russian digital TV channels for free in excellent quality on any device.
- Online TV. This is a free service for watching online TV channels, popular TV series, thousands of high-definition films, and children's cartoons.
- TV+ online HD TV. Free application with the main Russian TV channels, as well as various types of others. By agreement with the copyright holder, paid TV channels can be used legally here.
- Lime HD TV. This is online television with a large number of free channels (you can further expand the list for a fee).
- MTS TV. Original series, thousands of movies and more than 180 TV channels. Convenient user interface, can be used simultaneously on 5 devices.
- SPB TV. This is online television, films and series on mobile and television screens. Excellent image quality, stable performance, free legal content and a simple interface.
Wink Ultimate is a modified Rostelecom application for viewing TV. With it, you can watch more than 500 channels on your Android TV or TV box, as well as mobile devices. To do this, just download the mod from one of the links presented in the article and install it as a regular APK file.
Why did Wink Ultimate stop working in January 2021?
On January 11, 2021, the Wink service made a one-time blocking of all its old versions, because of this, mods based on them also stopped functioning.
After the blocking, most mods began to show a “stub” or not turn on at all - before that, a similar problem was encountered only outside of Russia.
This is what the “stub” looks like:
What exactly did the January restrictions affect:
- all older versions of the Wink user agent have been blocked;
- new encryption has been introduced;
- now the service is available only in Russia and Ukraine - for other countries there is geo-blocking, and instead of all channels a “stub” is shown (the problem can only be solved by installing a VPN or signing up for a paid subscription);
- erotic and 4K channels, as well as “Football” (1,2 and 3) do not work in all mods;
- mods with root fixes periodically crash, the same problem is observed on devices with root rights or a test signature of the firmware;
- The application began to be shown only after registration and payment for the tariff plan (or through a promotional code) - now working free mods have already appeared.
