Setting up an Android player

Introduction

You are in the right spot if you want to create your Digital Signage player based on Android.

Keep in mind, though, that this process requires some basic IT skills.

Beta Version

Android is currently in Public Beta.

Prerequisites

Make sure that you have everything you need:

  • An Android TV, box, tablet, or mobile phone running Android 5 and above.

Before Starting

Below you can find 2 setup guides. The simple setup guide can be followed by anyone, and it comes with some limitations. The advanced one (that we highly recommend) requires an IT background.

Follow the Advanced Setup if you want to:

  • Remotely Reboot or Shutdown your device
  • Remotely Set the device’s time zone
  • Use Kiosk Mode (for tablets)

Simple Setup

Get the registration code

  1. Download the Downloader App from your Google Play store and install it on your Android device.
  2. After installing the application mentioned above, open the Downloader App, go to the Settings section and enable all permissions.
  3. On the Downloader app, go to the Home section and type the below URL to download the latest APK:
  4. Follow the installation process and allow all needed permissions on the device.
    • You will need to enable the Content module on the device.
    • You will need to enable the Demo mode on the device.
  5. The setup will take a few minutes. Once the setup process is complete, you will see the Android player running on your screen with the 9-digit registration code showing up on the screen.
  6. Check the below section on registering your Android player under your account.

Advanced Setup

Step 1 – On your PC

  1. Download Platform SDK tools from this page.
  2. Unzip the files in a directory.
  3. Download the APK file HERE and save it to the same directory you extracted from the SDK tools.
  4. Open a Terminal and navigate to the extracted folder.

Step 2 – On the Android Device

  1. Turn on Developer Options
    If you haven’t already, enable Developer Options on your Android. More details on how to do that are here.
  2. Connect your Android device via a USB cable to your PC and ensure that your PC can “locate” the Android.

Step 3 – Back to your PC’s Terminal

  1. Type adb connect <<ANDROID_IP_ADDRESS>> To find the Androids’ IP address, check this link here.
  2. On the Android, check the box to trust this source and Click ‘OK’
  3. Type adb devices – You should see the IP address of the TV
  4. Type adb install ./latest.apk – This will install the Android Application.
  5. On Android, make sure to follow the APK installation process.
  6. Type adb shell am start io.signageos.open – This will start the application

Run the below commands one by one to give the required permissions in the application

  1. adb shell appops set –uid io.signageos.android PROJECT_MEDIA allow
  2. adb shell appops set –uid io.signageos.android WRITE_SETTINGS allow
  3. adb shell appops set –uid io.signageos.android READ_DEVICE_IDENTIFIERS allow
  4. adb shell appops set –uid io.signageos.android SYSTEM_ALERT_WINDOW allow
  5. adb shell pm grant io.signageos.android android.permission.WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS
  6. adb shell dpm set-device-owner io.signageos.android/.dpc.AdminReceiver

Step – 4 Back to the Android Device

  1. Re-Launch the application from the App menu
  2. Grant ALL runtime permissions, it may ask.

Registering an Android Player on your Account

After seeing the registration code on your Android TV screen, you must register the player to your Account.

  1. Login to your Account and Go to the “Monitors” section.
  2. Create a new Monitor entry by clicking the “+Add Monitor” button.
  3. A new window will pop up. Choose the Android Player option.
  4. In the “Registration Code” field, type in the 9-digit registration code you see on your TV screen and click the “Save” button.
  5. After a minute or so, your player should register with your Account, and it should start showing the assigned content on the screen.

Kiosk Mode

Kiosk Mode locks down a device to a single app, in our case, the app, which means that it prevents misuse of a tablet when customers have physical access to it.

  • You can enable/disable the kiosk mode from Monitor’s settings
  • Tip: In power loss, most devices auto-start with the app. Please manually set up the app as the auto-start (link) if your device doesn’t.

Android Limitations

Android comes with some limitations compared to the Player.