Set up an Android TV device or Android tablet

STQRY Signage runs on Android TV boxes, televisions with Android TV built in, Android tablets and Android phones. This article covers installing and configuring it.

Before you start

You'll need:

• An Android device running Android 7.0 (API 24) or later. Most deployed devices are Android 9 to 11.

• A network connection.
• A Google account on the device, to install from the Play Store.

Android TV boxes, Android TV sets, tablets and phones all work. A tablet on a stand makes a good small-format sign. A phone or tablet can also drive a large HDMI panel, covered in Screen orientation and external HDMI displays.

Step 1: Install from the Play Store

Search the Google Play Store for STQRY Signage and install it. On Android TV it appears in the launcher with its own banner alongside your other apps.

Step 2: Open the app and connect the display

Launch STQRY Signage. It shows a screen code like S-K4M2XP.

In STQRY Builder, go to Displays → Adopt display and type the code. The device picks it up within about five seconds.

Then set the display's project, timezone, license and content. See Connect a display to your account.

Adopt the display with its screen code, so there's no typing needed on the device.

Step 3: Change the device settings

Five Android settings keep a device behaving like a sign.

Screen timeout. In Android Settings → Display, set the screen to never sleep. The app requests a wake lock, but an aggressive device-level timeout can still win.

Screensaver / Daydream. Turn it off.

Auto-rotate. On a tablet, lock the rotation to the orientation you're mounting it in. STQRY Signage follows the device, so an unlocked tablet rotates if somebody knocks it.

Automatic updates. In the Play Store settings, decide whether you want the app to update itself. Automatic keeps screens current, manual keeps them predictable. See How updates reach your displays.

Battery optimization. On a tablet, exclude STQRY Signage from battery optimization so Android doesn't throttle it. A tablet running as a sign should also be plugged in permanently.

Using a remote

On an Android TV device with a remote, three inputs control the display.

See Using a remote control.

Using a touchscreen

On a tablet or a touch-enabled panel, two gestures are available.

• Five taps in the bottom-right corner within three seconds opens the settings overlay. The hotspot is invisible and covers roughly the bottom-right fifteen percent of the screen.

• A long press anywhere on the screen is the reset gesture. It asks for the PIN and then disconnects the display, and it does not open the settings overlay.

See Open the on-device settings overlay.

Restarting after a power cut

The app restarts into itself after a power cut or an overnight system update. On most Android TV devices this works out of the box.

If a device comes back to the launcher instead, check whether the manufacturer's firmware has an "auto-start apps" or "boot app" setting. Many Android TV boxes have one, and setting STQRY Signage as the boot app is the most reliable fix.

Portrait mounting

STQRY Signage supports portrait on every platform and locks nothing. On a tablet, rotate the device and lock the rotation. On an Android TV box driving a panel mounted vertically, set the rotation on the panel where it supports one.

See Screen orientation and external HDMI displays.

Driving an external HDMI screen

An Android phone or tablet with HDMI output, or with USB-C DisplayPort alt mode, can play signage on an external panel. Its own display shows a status screen at the same time.

When an external screen is attached, the app moves the signage onto it automatically. The device's own screen then shows a small status view with where signage is playing, the region, and a masked activation key. Unplug the cable and signage returns to the device's own screen.

The panel also keeps playing when the phone goes to its launcher or sleeps. A screen won't go dark because somebody pressed Home on the tablet.

See Screen orientation and external HDMI displays.

Good to know

• The app waits about 400 milliseconds after a cable event before reacting, so a panel renegotiating its HDMI connection produces one reload rather than several. Expect roughly half a second of dark panel and then content.

Managed deployments

A mobile device management system can push region, activation key, PIN and location settings at enrollment, which suits a fleet. Devices then never show a provisioning screen.

Managed configuration takes priority over anything set on the device, so a managed fleet can't be reconfigured locally. See Advanced: command-line options and managed configuration.

Troubleshooting

The app isn't in the Play Store on this device. Check the Android version is 7.0 or later. Very old or heavily customized Android TV firmware sometimes doesn't have the Play Store at all.

The screen sleeps. Check the device's display timeout and screensaver settings, and that the device is plugged in.

The device rotates unexpectedly. Lock the rotation in Android settings.

Content won't load. See Troubleshooting a display.

Next steps

• Quick start: from zero to content on screen

• Using a remote control

• Screen orientation and external HDMI displays