Tutorials

Setup

Enabling Kiosk Mode

The kiosk mode is a feature available from Android 5 and up locking the device to only run OnSign TV. This is a security feature particularly useful for touch devices, preventing users to access any other Android feature or setting.

Once the Kiosk mode is configured the device will:

  • Not allow users to leave the OnSign TV App
  • Block users from accessing the setup menu by performing a swipe on the top of the screen
  • Not show the Android navigation bar

For maintenance, it is possible to set a password so only authorized personal can exit the OnSign TV player. This is explained at the end of this tutorial.

SAMSUNG DEVICES:

For Samsung devices, OnSign TV offers a different kiosk mode setup with several advantages over the method described in this tutorial. Click here to learn more.

To configure your device to kiosk mode you need:

  • A device running Android 5 or higher
  • OnSign TV Android Player 5.1.6 or higher
  • To have ADB installed. (ADB is a command-line tool which lets you communicate with an Android  device.) Learn how to install ADB.
  • Your device set to run OnSign TV as Device Owner App.
    Please note, once OnSign TV is configured as "Device Owner", the only way to remove it is performing a "Device Factory Reset".

There are three steps required to configure your Android device to Kiosk mode

  1. Factory reset
  2. Install OnSign TV App
  3. Run adb dpm command

1 - Factory reset

  1. A factory reset returns the device to an empty default state. In "Android Settings", click on the "Backup & reset" option.
    kiosk mode 1
  2. Select "Factory data reset" and wait for the process to finish. Your device will reboot when ready.
    kiosk mode 2
  3. Once the device reboots, you will need to re-enable the Developer Mode as described in the ADB tutorial.

2 - Install OnSign TV App

When the Developer Mode is enabled, it is time to use the ADB to install OnSign TV and activate it as a Device Owner.

  1. Download the latest OnSign TV version from the website.
  2. Connect your device to your Computer using a USB cable.
  3. Open the Command Prompt and install OnSign TV by typing the following command: adb install OnSignTV-N.N.N.apk

    *OnSignTV-N.N.N.apk is the name of the file you downloaded. The N.N.N is a placeholder for the OnSign TV version.
    kiosk mode 3

3 - Run adb dpm command

  1. Once the apk is successfully installed, activate the Device Owner by running the following command:
    adb shell dpm set-device-owner tv.onsign/.services.sync.hw.owner.SignageAdminReceiver

    kiosk mode 4

    From this point on, OnSign TV is active as the Device Owner and cannot be removed.

  2. Associate the player with your account by entering the code displayed on screen:
    kiosk mode 5
  3. During association, you will be presented with an optional extra password field (lock password). This password is used for exiting OnSign TV App when running in Kiosk Mode.
    kiosk mode 6

How to Exit Kiosk Mode

  1. On your device app, click on the bottom-left corner 7 times to exit.
    kiosk mode 8
  2. If you chose to add a password on the player setup, an input box will request it.

    kiosk mode 7
    If you did not set a password, OnSign TV will just leave without asking for the password.