Install Tilecast Player on Android TV

Tilecast publishes one signed APK for Android TV, Google TV, and Fire TV. You install it, open it once, and approve the code it shows in Studio. Everything after that runs without anyone at the TV, and the remote is the only input you need.

Install the APK

1. Download tilecast-player.apk from a Stable release on the Tilecast releases page. Releases marked Pre-release are Beta releases for testing.
2. Transfer the APK to the TV using your normal sideloading method and open it with the installer on the device.
3. If Android asks, allow the installer you used to install apps. The setting name and steps vary by device and Fire OS version.
4. Open Tilecast Player.

Connect and pair

1. The Player looks for Tilecast Server on the network. If it finds exactly one server, it connects by itself and shows a pairing code. If it finds more than one, choose yours from the list.
2. If no server is found, select Enter server address and type the address you use to open Studio, for example 192.168.1.50:8080 or signage.example.com. Press the keyboard’s action key to connect. A private network address without https:// connects over HTTP, and the pairing screen says the connection isn’t encrypted. Public hostnames need HTTPS.
3. In Studio, select Pair screen and enter the code shown on the TV, or scan its QR code with the Tilecast iOS app. See Pair a display.

Playback starts as soon as you approve. A new screen shows No content assigned until you assign a playlist or published Layout in Tilecast Studio.

The pairing code changes by itself every ten minutes until you approve it. If the TV can’t reach the server, it keeps retrying and shows when the next attempt runs.

If your launcher changes the native display orientation, the Player reports the current screen dimensions to the server. A launcher that only rotates its own interface does not change those dimensions.

Optional Android permissions

Two Android permissions make a TV more self-sufficient. Neither is needed for playback, and the Player never stops to ask for them.

• Accessibility Control lets Tilecast return to playback when another app opens and request sleep outside active hours. Fire OS doesn’t show this setting in its normal menu.
• Install permission lets Tilecast install signed Player updates. On Android 12 and newer, eligible updates install without anyone at the screen. Older installers may still ask for local confirmation.

Studio shows which of these a screen has on its Reliability tab. To grant them, open the maintenance menu on the TV and choose Accessibility Settings or Install permission.

Open the maintenance menu

On the remote, press Back, Back, Up, Down, then OK. The first time, the Player asks you to set a local PIN. Later it asks for that PIN.

The menu can restart the Player, clear safe mode, open the Android settings above, or forget the server so the TV pairs again. If an administrator turns off Allow Settings during maintenance in the managed kiosk policy, the menu hides the Android settings buttons. While the menu is open, Tilecast pauses its return-to-playback and sleep behavior for up to 15 minutes.

If the screen is revoked or moves to a new server

If you revoke the screen in Studio, the TV shows a new pairing code for the same server right away. Approve it to bring the screen back.

If the server address starts answering as a different Tilecast installation, the TV stops and shows This server has changed. It doesn’t send its credential to the new installation. Select Reset and search again to pair with the new server.

After setup

For later software releases, see Update a Player.