Digital Signage FAQ
Answers to common setup and operating questions about Digital Signage.
For what the app is and how to set it up from scratch, see the
Digital Signage Overview.
Setup
What do I need to configure before screens start showing content?
Enable the app for your organisation, then register at least one screen. Out of the box, alerts, News Feed posts, and calendar events are turned on. Recognitions, open shifts, training reminders, and OKR progress are off by default — turn each one on in Settings when you are ready. If you plan to upload custom images or video, the approval workflow is also on by default, so your first upload will wait in Pending until an admin approves it.
Who can manage screens, media, and settings once the app is enabled?
Admins (admin or above) and anyone with a Digital Signage app-admin grant can manage screens, review media, view analytics, read the audit log, and change settings. Media authoring is wider: managers and above can always upload and edit media. You can broaden that further with the Who can publish content to screens? picker in Settings — set it to Everyone or add specific groups — but you cannot narrow it below managers.
Permissions and access
Why can’t a manager see the Screens or Analytics tabs?
The Screens, Analytics, Audit log, and Settings tabs are visible only to admins and app admins. Managers see Dashboard and Media (if the media library is enabled). If a manager needs full access, grant them the Digital Signage app-admin role under Access Management.
Who decides whether uploaded media needs approval before it goes live?
An admin controls this with the Require approval before media goes live toggle in Settings. When it is on (the default), new uploads start in Pending and only reach screens after an admin approves them. When it is off, uploads are approved automatically on save.
Day-to-day
How do I get a new screen running?
Go to Screens → New, give it a name, optionally pick a location, and save. The app generates a unique token URL. Open that URL fullscreen in any browser — a Fire TV, a smart-TV browser, a Raspberry Pi, a tablet, or a Chromecast — and the feed starts rotating. You can also paste the URL into a third-party signage platform (BrightSign, Scala, Signagelive, etc.) as a web-URL content slot.
Can I schedule media to appear only during certain hours or days?
Yes, two layers of scheduling stack together. One-shot dates: set a start and end date on a media slide so it appears only within that window. Recurring daypart: pick the days of the week (Sunday through Saturday) and a daily time window (e.g. 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM). Both must pass for the slide to show. Overnight time windows (e.g. 10 PM – 6 AM) are not supported — split them into two entries instead.
Per-screen content rules also support dayparting: you can turn an entire content stream (e.g. shifts) on or off by day and time window for each screen independently.
What content appears on screens, and can I control it per screen?
Screens can rotate up to eleven content streams: custom media, alerts, News Feed posts, broadcasts, recognitions, calendar events, open shifts, training reminders, OKR progress, contest leaderboards, and Live Boards tiles. Each stream is controlled at two levels: an app-wide toggle in Settings (on or off for all screens) and a per-screen override in the screen’s content rules. A stream must be enabled at both levels to appear. Alerts and news are on by default; recognitions, shifts, training, and OKR progress are opt-in.
How does the media approval workflow work?
An author uploads a slide and submits it. The slide enters Pending status and reviewers (admins and app admins) are notified. A reviewer can Approve it (it goes live on the next screen refresh), Reject it (the author sees the reason), or later Unpublish it (returns it to Pending without a rejection badge). If an author edits an already-approved slide, it automatically returns to Pending for re-review.
What happens when I edit an already-approved media slide?
The slide reverts to Pending and must be approved again before it reappears on screens. This prevents a swapped image or changed caption from bypassing sign-off.
How do I push an alert to all screens immediately?
When you send an alert through the Alerts app, it is pushed in real time to every active Digital Signage screen via a live connection. Urgent alerts are pinned to the top of the rotation and stay there until the alert is marked complete. Screens display up to five alerts at a time.
When something looks wrong
Why does my screen show “Offline” on the dashboard?
A screen is marked offline when it has not sent a heartbeat within the last 5 minutes. Common causes: the device lost power or network, the browser tab was closed, or the device went to sleep. Check the device physically, confirm it has network access, and reload the token URL. The dashboard sorts problem screens to the top so you can spot them quickly.
My screen went dark overnight — will I be notified?
Yes. A daily sweep runs at 8:00 AM UTC and emails admins when any screen has been offline for more than 24 hours. The email stops after 14 days of continuous silence so an intentionally retired screen does not email forever. A brand-new screen that has never connected gets a 24-hour grace period before the first alert.
A screen lost its network connection — what happens to the display?
A service worker keeps the screen rotating its last-known feed and media content — not a frozen single frame. When connectivity returns, the screen catches up automatically. An “Offline — showing last received content” badge appears on the display so anyone walking by can tell it is stale.
Why isn’t a media slide showing on my screen?
Check these in order: (1) The slide must be Approved — draft, pending, and rejected slides never reach a screen. (2) If the slide has a date schedule, today must fall within the start and end dates. (3) If the slide has a daypart schedule, the current day and time must match. (4) If the slide is scoped to a location, the screen must be at that location or the slide must be set to all locations. (5) If the slide has zone tags, the screen must share at least one matching tag. (6) The Show Custom Media toggle must be on in Settings.
Why can’t I see OKR progress, contest leaderboards, or Live Boards tiles on screens?
Each of these requires two things: the companion app (OKR Hub, Contests, or Live Boards) must be enabled for your organisation, and the corresponding content toggle must be turned on in Digital Signage Settings. Contest leaderboards and Live Boards tiles also have their own in-app signage switches. All three are off by default.
I rotated a screen’s token — what happens to the old URL?
The old URL stops working immediately. Any device still pointing at it sees a “screen not registered” message. Copy the new token URL onto the device to reconnect it. Token rotation is logged in the audit trail.
Licensing and limits
Does Digital Signage require a licence?
No. Digital Signage is pay-as-you-go, billed per registered screen. There is no per-employee fee and no licence to purchase. The app is available to every tenant.
What are the size and format limits for media uploads?
Custom media accepts images (PNG, JPG, GIF, WebP) and videos (MP4, WebM) up to 500 MB per file. Landscape (16:9) renders best in fullscreen. Header and footer branding images accept PNG or JPEG only, up to 10 MB. Media titles can be up to 200 characters.
Are there other limits I should know about?
| Setting | Range |
|---|---|
| Refresh interval (how often a screen polls for new content) | 30 – 300 seconds, default 60 |
| Rotation interval (how long each slide stays on screen) | 3 – 60 seconds, default 8 |
| Maximum slides in a single rotation | 1 – 50 items, default 12 |
| Image display duration (per slide) | 3 – 120 seconds |
| Screen name | Up to 100 characters |
| News Feed and broadcast recency window | 14 days |
| Recognition recency window | 30 days |
| Calendar events lookahead | 7 days |
| Open shifts lookahead | 7 days |
| Training/certification expiry lookahead | 30 days |
| Analytics date range | 1 – 180 days |
Videos always play to their full length regardless of the rotation interval.
More help
- Digital Signage Overview
- Ask AI — the built-in agent answers Digital Signage questions, shows which screens are offline or what media is pending approval, and can approve a slide for you with a confirmation step.