Table of contents
With Fugo’s player app for Android, you can use a wide range of Android devices to run your digital signage: media boxes, smart TVs, and tablets.
If you don’t have a smart Android TV, Android boxes come in a range of prices and capability and mostly offer you a great bang for your buck - allowing you to run Android OS on any standard TV screen, effectively transforming it from “dumb” to smart.
This guide will walk you through how to install Fugo on an Android device, set up a Fugo account, and publish your content.
Set up your Android device for digital signage
Setting up an Android-powered TV or an Android TV media player follows the same process, as both operate on the identical underlying system. This is because they share the same OS but come in distinct form factors. If you already own an Android TV, there's typically no need to purchase a separate Android TV box, as it's unlikely to enhance functionality significantly.
Android TV boxes from OEMs feature a setup process akin to Android TVs, as official Android TV operation requires Google certification. You can find the list of certified OEMs offering Android TV hardware here, or refer to our Android hardware directory here for recommended Android TV-powered TVs.
However, it's worth noting that not all available hardware may run the latest Android TV version, but this guide serves as a good starting point for setup.
How to set up your Android TV smart display
If you've already set up your Android TV display & are ready to get started using the Fugo app, you can jump ahead to these instructions.
We used a Sony TV to complete the following steps, but don't worry if you have another other model - the setup process should be very similar.
Once you power on your Android TV for the first time, you will be taken through a few steps to get your TV ready. First, select your preferred language.
Here, you will also have the option to set up your Android TV using your existing android phones or tablets. Please follow the steps shown on your TV or select Skip if you don't have a compatible device or would prefer a manual setup.
Next, connect to your WiFi network. On the next screen select Sign In to sign-in to your Google account and follow the steps shown on your TV.
You will now have the option to enable Google Assistant, Google's own voice assistant. We recommend that if you are going to use this TV solely for digital signage purposes, Google Assistant is turned off.
With newer Android TV models, Google Assistant can be triggered just by voice alone, therefore to minimize the chance of someone activating Google Assistant accidentally, we suggest disabling this feature.On the next screen, choose the name for your TV or create one manually by selecting Enter custom name. This will help you identify your TV when casting or connecting it from other devices.
Now depending on the model you have, you may be presented with some additional settings, please follow the steps shown on the screen to complete the setup process.
How to set up your Android TV box
If you've already set up your Android TV box & are ready to get started using the Fugo app, you can jump ahead to these instructions.
We used a Mi Box S Android TV Box to complete the following steps, but don't worry if you have another other model - the setup process should be very similar.
Unbox your device put the included batteries into the remote.
Connect your device to a power socket with the included adaptor, then connect it to an available HDMI input on your TV with an HDMI cable.
Next, turn on your TV and select the channel that matches the HDMI input you plugged your device into.
Once you power up your device for the first time, you will be taken through a few steps to get your device ready, this includes setting up your preferred language, your WiFi settings, and signing-in to your Google account.
If you don't already have a Google account, you can create one now.
How to set up your Android tablet
If you've already set up your Android tablet & are ready to get started using the Fugo app, you can jump ahead to these instructions.
We used a Samsung Galaxy Tab A to complete the following steps, but don't worry if you have another other model - the setup process should be very similar.
Unbox your tablet and connect it to a power source using the included adaptor and USB cable.
Once you power on the device for the first time, you will be greeted with the setup screen, please follow the steps as shown on the device, here you will also have an option to restore a back up if you have an older device, if not you can skip this step and connect the tablet to your preferred wireless network.
Next, sign-in to your Google account. You will now also have the option to restore a backup from your older devices. If you don't want to, just select Skip.
Now, depending on the model you have, there are a few security unlock options for you to choose from, select the option you prefer and continue with the setup.
In newer versions of Android, you will have the option to subscribe to various Google Assistant Services. We recommended that if the tablet is going to be used solely for digital signage, that all of these options are unchecked. You can also uncheck all the apps suggestions from Google Play Store in the next steps as well.
Next, you will have the option to create a Samsung account or sign in if you already have one. This can be helpful if you have multiple Samsung Galaxy devices as it makes backup and restoring between devices easier. Samsung also provide some extra services to their registered users, and from our side, we see no harm in creating a Samsung account.
Install Fugo on your Android device
1. Open the Google Play store from the home screen of your device by clicking Apps
2. Click Get More Apps to explore the Google Play apps.
3. Search for “Fugo Digital Signage Player”
4. Install our app onto your device.
5. Click Open to launch the Fugo app on your screen.
6. Launching the app will automatically generate a pairing PIN. We’ll cover where to enter this PIN in the next section.
Pair your device to Fugo CMS
💡 Note: to pair your screen, you'll need a Fugo account. If you haven't registered a Fugo account yet, you can head over to fugo.ai/app to start your 14-day free trial.
1. Once you're logged in, you can click Create > Screen on the Welcome page.
Alternatively, you can navigate to the Screens page in the top navigation bar and click Create Screens.
2. Enter the PIN from the Fugo player window into the space provided.
3. To finish the pairing process, give your screen a name and add a location if you want to be able to find it on Fugo's map view.
Configure your screen settings to run Fugo optimally
Before you finish the pairing process, you'll be prompted to configure a few settings that will allow the Fugo app to run optimally on your device.
1. First, you’ll be prompted to turn off the energy saver on your display.
By default, Android 11 will automatically turn off your display after 3 hours of inactivity - this will turn Fugo off too. We recommend you disable this.
Press the HOME button on your Android TV remote.
2. This will exit the Fugo app and take you back to your player’s home screen. Go to your player Settings in the top right corner of the screen.
3. Open Device Preferences (or System).
4. Then Energy Saver (or Power and energy).
5. Set "Turn off display" (or "Automatically turn of when inactive" ) to Never.
6. Back in Fugo CMS, click Next when you’ve finished this step.
7. Now, you'll be prompted to enable the auto-start permission, which will allow Fugo to automatically start when you boot up your player and be displayed over other apps.
Click Open player settings in the prompt.
8. Fugo will now automatically open the player settings on your screen so you can enable this permission.
Use your remote to toggle this permission on for Fugo:
💡 In case the prompt doesn't trigger your screen to open the app settings, or in case you want to complete this step later - you can also manually navigate to these settings on your screen at any time:
Click Settings from your home screen.
Select Apps.
Under Permissions, select Special app access.
Select Display over other apps.
Find the Fugo app & toggle the permission to Allowed.
9. Back in Fugo CMS, click Next when you’ve finished this step.
10. And lastly, you’ll be prompted to enable kiosk mode for the Fugo app. This will help with the stability of the app. It will also prevent anyone from interfering with the app on screen, and auto-launch Fugo again in the case of a power failure or crash.
Just click Yes on the prompt & it’ll automatically enable Kiosk mode for you.
👆 Note that you can disable kiosk mode any time from your screen’s settings tab in the the CMS:
11. With setup complete, your new screen will now be listed on your Screens page, and you’re ready to push content to it from Fugo.
How to close the Fugo app
When you're running the Fugo app on an Android player in Kiosk mode, there is a slight difference in how you close the Fugo app on your device as opposed to other platforms and operating systems.
Rather than hitting the "home" button the way you might with other apps on your player, you'll just need to press the "back" button three times.
Publish content with Fugo CMS
With your player all set up, you’re ready to give it something to play!
Fugo allows you to display several types of content:
Images
Videos
4K & HTML 5 content
3rd party integrations from our app store
TV dashboards like Looker, Tableau, Power BI + more
You can use our Design Studio to create screen-ready content like digital posters & menu boards without having to leave Fugo for a 3rd party tool - learn how here.
When your content is ready to go on screen, you can use our friendly playlist builder to publish your content.
💡 Check out our Playlists guide collection for the full scoop on:
Sending your content to the right screen (or screens)
Filling out your playlist with more content items
Configuring the content items in your playlist
Scheduling content for specific days & times
Setting a playlist to expire in advance
Need more help?
Reach out to support@fugo.ai or send us a message in the handy chatbot inside Fugo CMS.
Happy publishing!