The audio companion lets visitors hear a display's audio on their own phone, in their own language, in step with what's on screen. The display shows a QR code, and scanning it opens a web page. This article covers turning it on and what visitors experience.
What the companion is for
The audio companion gives each visitor private sound while the screen itself stays silent. A gallery can offer commentary without it bleeding into the next room, and a busy lobby can offer it over the noise. A visitor who wants the audio described version has somewhere to get it.
Turn it on
The QR code is a per-device setting, turned on in the on-device settings overlay rather than in Builder.
Open the settings overlay on the display. See Open the on-device settings overlay.
- Tick Show QR code for audio companion.
- Close the overlay, then choose Reload display.
Note: The code does not appear until the display reloads. Ticking the box on its own changes nothing you can see.
The setting is remembered on that device, so it survives reloads and restarts.
The companion QR is enabled per display, on the device itself.
Because it's per-device, two screens showing the same playlist can differ. You can put the code on the screen at seated eye level and leave it off the one above the door.
What appears on screen
A QR code appears on the display, captioned "Scan to listen along."
The caption is a themeable string. If you'd rather it said something else, or mentioned headphones, or carried your venue's name, override it in your theme. See Themes, branding and custom wording.
Visitors scan the code to hear the display's audio on their own phone.
What a visitor gets
A visitor scans the code with their phone's camera and a web page opens. There's no app to install and no account to create.
The page:
Plays the display's audio, synchronized with what's on screen.
- Lets them pick a language, if your project has more than one.
- Remembers their language choice, so scanning a second display later doesn't ask again.
- Follows your theme, including background, text and button colors, and every piece of wording.
A visitor can listen in Spanish while the screen itself is showing English. The two are independent.
Turn it off
Open the settings overlay on the device and untick the box. The code disappears immediately.
Good to know
Put the code where a phone can reach it. A QR code four meters up behind a rope is technically visible and practically useless.
- Visitors need a network. The companion is a web page, so a phone needs mobile data or your guest Wi-Fi.
- Headphones help. A note on the screen, or on a nearby label, asking visitors to use them is worth adding.
- Turning the companion on doesn't mute the screen. For a silent screen, use content with no audio track or turn the display's own volume down.
FAQ
No code appears. Why?
Check the box is ticked in the overlay on that display. The setting is per device, not per project or per playlist. Check too that you reloaded the display after ticking it.
Scanning does nothing. Why?
The phone can't reach the network. Check mobile signal or guest Wi-Fi.
The audio is out of step with the screen.
The companion syncs to the display's clock. If the phone was scanned mid-item, give it a moment to catch up. Persistent drift on a display that also has Sync display on is worth reporting to us.
The wording is wrong, or in the wrong language.
Caption text comes from your theme's string overrides, per language. See Themes, branding and custom wording.
Next steps
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