STQRY Signage runs on iPadOS, iOS and macOS. An iPad on a stand makes an excellent small-format sign, whether that's a label beside an exhibit, a wayfinding panel or a reception screen. A Mac Mini drives a large panel neatly.
Before you start
You'll need:
An iPad or iPhone running iPadOS or iOS 16 or later, or a Mac running macOS 14 Sonoma or later.
- A network connection.
- An Apple Account, to install from the App Store.
Step 1: Install from the App Store
Search the App Store, or the Mac App Store, for STQRY Signage and install it.
Step 2: Open the app and connect the display
Launch the app. 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.
Step 3: Configure iPadOS for unattended running
Four iPadOS settings keep an iPad awake and locked to the app.
Auto-Lock. Go to Settings → Display & Brightness → Auto-Lock and choose Never. This option only appears when the device is out of Low Power Mode, so turn that off first.
Keep it plugged in. Use a permanently powered iPad on a stand. An iPad running as a sign on battery won't last a day.
Guided Access. Go to Settings → Accessibility → Guided Access, turn it on and set a passcode. Then triple-click the side or home button while STQRY Signage is running, which locks the device into the app. That stops a visitor exiting to the home screen.
Note: Guided Access restricts touch input, so exit it before doing maintenance on the display.
Auto-updates. Go to Settings → App Store → App Updates and decide whether you want the app to update itself. See How updates reach your displays.
Step 4: Configure macOS for unattended running
Five macOS settings do the same job on a Mac.
Energy / Battery settings. In System Settings → Displays → Advanced, and in Energy, prevent the display from sleeping and prevent the Mac from sleeping automatically when the display is off.
Automatic login. In System Settings → Users & Groups, set Automatically log in as. Use a dedicated account, not your own.
Open at Login. In System Settings → General → Login Items, add STQRY Signage.
Software Update. Set updates to install outside your opening hours, or turn automatic restarts off.
Screen saver. Go to System Settings → Lock Screen → Start Screen Saver when inactive and choose Never.
Opening the settings overlay
Tap or click five times in the bottom-right corner of the playing screen, within three seconds. On a Mac you can also press Esc.
That opens the PIN prompt and then the settings panel. From there you can reload the display, read its diagnostics, turn the audio companion QR on, and disconnect the display. See Open the on-device settings overlay.
Resetting the display
Apple devices have a second gesture that disconnects the display from your account and returns it to the provisioning screen. It is not the settings overlay.
iPad or iPhone: a two-finger long press anywhere on the playing screen.
- Mac: the menu item Configure Display… (⌘,).
Both ask for the PIN first, then reset.
A two-finger press on an iPad will un-adopt the display. Use five taps in the bottom-right corner for the settings panel.One finger doesn't trigger the reset, and that's deliberate. A single-finger long press is claimed by iOS for text selection and link previews, and the system wins. Two fingers is a gesture nothing else competes for.
Command-line options (Mac)
This section is for IT admins deploying STQRY Signage across multiple Macs without touching each screen. If you're adopting displays with screen codes in Builder, you can skip this.
The Mac app accepts these launch options.
| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
--region <code> | Set the region |
--license <key> | Set the activation key |
--fullscreen | Start full screen |
--location-url <url> | Location feed URL |
--location-poll <seconds> | Location poll interval |
On macOS, configuration is resolved in this order, highest first: managed configuration (MDM), command-line options, the config file, the on-screen setup. A managed Mac can't be reconfigured locally.
Command-line options are read fresh on each launch rather than saved, so pass them every time. Put them in whatever starts the app at login.
See Advanced: command-line options and managed configuration.
Portrait mounting
Both platforms support portrait and neither is locked, including upside down for a device in a ceiling or under-shelf bracket.
On an iPad, lock the rotation to the orientation you're mounting in. Swipe down from the top-right corner for Control Center, then tap the rotation lock. Otherwise a knock will rotate the sign.
On a Mac, rotate the display in System Settings → Displays.
Managed deployments
Both platforms support MDM configuration, with region, activation key and location settings pushed at enrollment. Devices then never show a provisioning screen, and managed configuration takes priority over everything else.
For a fleet of iPads this is much the best approach. See Advanced: command-line options and managed configuration.
Troubleshooting
The iPad screen keeps turning off. Auto-Lock isn't set to Never, or the device is in Low Power Mode, or it isn't plugged in.
Auto-Lock has no "Never" option. Turn off Low Power Mode first.
The two-finger press doesn't open the settings overlay. It isn't meant to. It's the reset gesture. Use five taps in the bottom-right corner for the settings panel.
A copy/share menu appears when I hold a finger down. That's the system text-selection callout. The app suppresses it on content but keeps it on form fields, so activation keys can still be pasted. Use two fingers.
Content won't load. See Troubleshooting a display.
Next steps
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