AndroidTV Google Play Store Deployment

Using Google Play to download TelemetryTV's Media Player App

Kelli avatar
Written by Kelli
Updated over a week ago

Please see this guide to identify whether your Android device is rooted and supports APK install.

We have a Google Play Store version of our application. However we do not recommend using Google Play for anything other than small deployments. Each device with the Google Play Store version requires a Google login. This is difficult to maintain for a large number of devices. There’s also a number of shortcomings for the Google Play Store version and full functionality is only available through the APK version.


Setting Up the TelemetryTV Android Media Player

Installing the Android App

Ensure your device has access to the Google Play Store and search for “TelemetryTV”. Install the app on your device. You may find the application here:

Starting TelemetryTV On Boot

In order to get the full kiosk experience, you must configure your device to automatically open the TelemetryTV application when the device powers on and boots up. There are two methods to do this, either through setting TelemetryTV as the launcher or allowing the device to boot and having the TelemetryTV app automatically start itself once the device has fully started up. The method you will use depends on your particular Android device, so we will cover both below.

Android Version

The minimum version is version 7.1.1 however we strongly recommend using Android 8 or 9.

🚨 Android 10 and later have eliminated a key method that allows apps to automatically start after the device boots. Option B below will not be supported on Android 10+.

Option A: Setting TelemetryTV as the Launcher

The launcher is the grid of icons you see when your Android device starts up. Some devices allow you to change the launcher to another application so that the other application is started instead of displaying the default icon grid. TelemetryTV is able to act as a launcher on compatible devices. The first time you manually start TelemetryTV you will be given the option to set TelemetryTV as a launcher (on most devices):

This means that the TelemetryTV Media Player is the app that your device runs after booting. This also means that you can easily access the app through using the ‘Home’ button on your Android device.

☝️Note: If your particular Android device does not support setting TelemetryTV as the Launcher, or Home app, you can enable Auto Start Functionality (outlined below).

Option B: Enabling Auto Start Functionality

If your device does not support setting other applications as a launcher, then you can rely on TelemetryTV’s Auto Start functionality. We recommend enabling both Launch on Boot and Auto Restart App settings for a better experience (both are enabled by default).

  • By using the ‘Launch on Boot’ option you can ensure that your Android device will boot into the app, even if the device does not support changing the ‘Home’ app. With this setting, you will see your device launcher show, and around 30 seconds later, TelemetryTV will automatically startup.

  • By setting ’Auto Restart App’ you will also ensure that the app will reboot in the event of exiting. This is useful for maintaining uptime in the event of an unexpected crashing of the app. With this setting, TelemetryTV will also automatically restart itself if it crashes or is exited.

Open the App’s settings menu, check “Launch on Boot” and "Auto Restart App":

☝️Important note: We do not suggest turning on "Auto Restart App" until your device is installed in its final destination and is connected to the wifi network which it will use. This setting can make it difficult to set up wifi as the app will try to restart if you exit it.

Pairing or USB Provisioning

To connect your device to your TelemetryTV account, you will either need to pair or provision the device. The TelemetryTV Android app supports both Pairing and Provisioning, however USB provisioning will only be available on Android devices with a free USB port.

Pairing is suitable when you’re setting up a small number of devices (e.g. less than 10). However, if you have many devices to set up, you should use Provisioning.

Option A: Pairing

  1. To pair your device, ensure you have your TelemetryTV account open to the Devices page on your computer.

  2. Turn on your device and open the TelemetryTV Media Player that you downloaded to your Android device. When the player is running, a 6-digit pairing code will appear on the screen.

  3. On your computer, click the “Pair” button on your TelemetryTV Devices page and type in the code.

Option B: USB Provisioning

USB Provisioning is an efficient and effective way to provision multiple devices without needing to enter a pairing code for each one. We recommend using this for deployments of 5+ devices.

Your AndroidTV device will need an extra USB port to use this method, so it will not be available on all AndroidTV devices. Read the guide at the link below:

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