# Showly: Open Source Movie and TV Progress Tracking

> Showly is an open source Android application for tracking progress through movies and television series. It supports Trakt and TMDB data while staying separate from playback, downloading, and streaming services.

**trakt/showly** — Showly is a modern and slick Movies and TV Shows manager.

- Repository: https://github.com/trakt/showly
- Website: http://www.showlyapp.com
- Stars: 1,471 · Forks: 101
- Language: Kotlin
- License: GPL-3.0
- Published: 2026-10-16 · Updated: 2026-10-16 · Language: en
- Canonical page: https://hysenlabs.com/projects/trakt-showly

## Showly's role in a personal media library

Showly solves the bookkeeping problem that appears after someone starts watching a series or film. It records what has been watched, provides screens for shows, movies, episodes, progress, statistics, and lists, and presents those records in a dedicated Android application. The intended audience is people who follow television and movies across multiple sources and want a separate history of their viewing rather than tracking embedded in a streaming service.

The boundary is important. The README explicitly says that Showly cannot watch, stream, or download programs. It does not scan local media files or act as a player. Users still need another source for the actual video content. Showly is the catalog and progress layer around that activity.

The repository describes the Android version as free of all Google services. That makes the source build a different path from the Google Play edition, particularly for users who do not want Google dependencies in the application. Availability through Google Play, IzzyOnDroid, and the App Store is also documented, although the source repository itself is specifically the Android project.

## Trakt, TMDB, and Showly's data path

According to the README, Trakt.tv is Showly's main data source. TMDB supplies an API key as well, and the project setup requires credentials for both services. This indicates that Showly is a client that depends on external APIs rather than shipping an independent entertainment catalog.

The missing-title FAQ follows directly from that design. If a show, episode, or movie is absent, the documentation directs users to the "Import Show" or "Import Movie" option at the bottom of the Trakt.tv website, or to Trakt support. In other words, catalog correction begins upstream. Showly is not documented as maintaining its own ingestion route for every record.

That dependency also creates an operational limitation. The setup requires a Trakt client ID and a TMDB API key, while the FAQ reports that TMDB API access may be blocked for users in India. The latter is presented as a known issue involving access to TMDB, not as a Showly offline mode. Users adopting the application should therefore distinguish between progress stored in the app and the availability of remote metadata.

## Android source setup with Trakt and TMDB

The README gives a source-build tutorial rather than installation from a package archive. Open the cloned repository in the latest version of Android Studio, then create `keystore.properties` inside the `/app` folder. The documented placeholder values are for local setup; they are not release signing material.

Create this file with:

```ini
keyAlias=github
keyPassword=github
storePassword=github
```

Next, place the Trakt and TMDB credentials in `local.properties` at the project root. The repository requires a Trakt client ID and a TMDB API key, specifically identified as a v4 key:

```ini
traktClientId="your trakt client id"
tmdbApiKey="your tmdb api key (v4)"
```

After rebuilding and starting the app, the expected result is an Android build connected to the APIs represented by those properties. The README does not provide a command-line build invocation, emulator configuration, release signing procedure, or troubleshooting output for a failed Gradle build. For an already packaged application, the documented alternatives are the Google Play, IzzyOnDroid, and App Store links.

## Feature modules reveal the application's scope

Based on the repository layout, Showly is divided into many feature-oriented modules rather than residing entirely in the `app` module. The top-level entries include `ui-backup`, `ui-base`, `ui-comments`, `ui-discover`, `ui-discover-movies`, `ui-episodes`, `ui-gallery`, `ui-lists`, `ui-movie`, `ui-my-movies`, `ui-my-shows`, `ui-navigation`, `ui-people`, `ui-premium`, `ui-progress`, `ui-progress-movies`, `ui-search`, `ui-settings`, `ui-show`, `ui-statistics`, `ui-streamings`, `ui-trakt-sync`, and `ui-widgets`.

Separate data modules include `data-local`, `data-remote`, and `repository`, while `common`, `common-test`, and `ui-model` appear to provide shared layers. The module names describe a broad application surface, including discovery, synchronization, statistics, lists, and progress. They do not by themselves prove every feature works in every build, so the repository structure is best treated as architectural evidence rather than a complete user manual.

The developer notes openly acknowledge that the codebase has grown rusty and needs a stricter feature-based architecture. Several use cases violate the single responsibility principle, Retrofit could be replaced with Ktor Client, and the unit test suite needs expansion. Those comments are relevant to prospective contributors and maintainers. They also make a large refactor a foreseeable upgrade cost rather than presenting the existing architecture as settled.

## Why Showly differs from Trakt.tv

Trakt.tv is the closest concrete alternative named by the project, but it occupies a different role in the documented workflow. Showly uses Trakt.tv as its main data source and offers dedicated Android screens for tracking shows, movies, episodes, progress, statistics, and lists. The README presents Showly as the progress-tracking application.

Trakt.tv is where the documentation sends users when a title is missing and where its "Import Show" and "Import Movie" options are located. The README does not document Trakt.tv as a media player or download service, and it does not provide a detailed feature comparison with Showly. The defensible distinction is therefore source versus client: Trakt.tv supplies and corrects catalog data, while Showly is the separate application built around progress tracking.

This distinction matters for organizations selecting software. A user satisfied with managing activity directly on Trakt.tv may not need another client. A user who wants a dedicated Android interface for progress may still depend on Trakt for the underlying records. The README does not state whether every Showly feature is available without a Trakt account, so that should not be assumed.

## Maintenance, licensing, and contribution limits

The repository is not archived, and its last push was on 2026-10-15. Recent releases listed in the repository include 3.61.0 on 2026-09-30, 3.60.0 on 2026-09-28, and 3.58.1 on 2026-05-02. These dates show recent repository and release activity, but they do not establish how quickly any particular bug or user request will be addressed.

The project uses GPL-3.0. This is a material constraint for developers planning to modify or redistribute the software, although the repository's licence file should be reviewed for the applicable terms. The documentation invites issues, feature discussions, and pull requests. Translation work is handled through separate Android and iOS CrowdIn projects.

Upgrade work may involve more than updating a dependency. The developer notes call for architectural simplification, correction of single responsibility violations, a possible Retrofit-to-Ktor Client migration, consideration of a Jetpack Compose migration, and more unit tests. The README does not publish a migration guide, support policy, compatibility matrix, or rollback procedure. Users planning to build from source should treat those omissions as part of the maintenance assessment.

## Where Showly is the wrong choice

Showly is the wrong tool if the requirement is to stream, watch, or download a film or episode. Its own FAQ rules out those functions. It is also a poor fit for someone who expects the app to repair missing metadata independently, because the documented correction path leads to Trakt.tv and Trakt support.

Network access is another boundary. The project setup explicitly requires Trakt and TMDB credentials, and the FAQ acknowledges a TMDB blocking issue affecting some Indian users. The README does not describe a fully offline catalog or a documented offline workflow, so Showly should not be selected on the assumption that all metadata is bundled in the APK.

For contributors, the source is workable but not technically settled. The README describes an older codebase with architectural debt and incomplete test coverage. A team that requires strict feature boundaries, broad unit-test coverage, or a documented migration path would need to account for that work separately. The Android build instructions also stop after rebuilding and starting the app, without detailing CI secrets, release signing, or failure diagnosis.

## Conclusion

Showly fits Android users who want a focused progress tracker and are comfortable supplying their own Trakt and TMDB credentials. It is unsuitable for playback, downloads, or users seeking a public service without external API configuration. Evaluate the current Android build in Android Studio first, then confirm that Trakt and TMDB access works from the intended network before adopting it.

## FAQ

### Can Showly stream or download movies and television shows?

No. The README identifies Showly as a progress-tracking application and explicitly says that watching, streaming, and downloading are not available.

### What should I do if a movie or show is missing from Showly?

Use the "Import Show" or "Import Movie" option at the bottom of the Trakt.tv website, or contact Trakt support. Showly uses Trakt.tv as its main data source.

### What is required to build Showly from source?

The README requires the latest version of Android Studio, a `keystore.properties` file in `/app`, and a root `local.properties` file containing a Trakt client ID and TMDB API key.

## Sources

- [License: GPL-3.0](https://github.com/trakt/showly/blob/master/LICENSE)
- [Project website](http://www.showlyapp.com)
- [README](https://github.com/trakt/showly/blob/master/README.md)
- [Releases](https://github.com/trakt/showly/releases)
- [trakt/showly on GitHub](https://github.com/trakt/showly)

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Hysen Labs editorial analysis, written from the project's own repository and release notes. Cite the canonical page: https://hysenlabs.com/projects/trakt-showly