Android TV: kiosk mode and remote reboot (Device Owner)

On a normal install, the CastWize player on Android runs full screen and starts when the device boots, but anyone with the remote can press Home and leave it, and Studio can't restart the device. Making the app the device's Device Owner fixes both: the screen is locked to the player (kiosk mode), and Reboot in Studio really restarts the device.

What Device Owner gives you

• Kiosk lock: the Home and Recents buttons can't take the screen away from the player.
• Remote reboot: choose Reboot from the screen's menu in Studio and the device restarts.
• Silent updates: new player versions install without anyone confirming on the TV.

Before you start

• This dedicates the device to CastWize. Android only allows a Device Owner on a device with no accounts on it, so you normally start from a factory reset and skip signing in to Google.
• The only way to undo it is another factory reset.
• You need a computer with Android's adb tool (part of Google's free Android SDK Platform Tools) and a USB cable or network connection to the device.
• Android 7.0 or newer. Amazon Fire TV is not supported.

Steps

1. Factory reset the device from its settings, and finish the setup without adding a Google account.
2. Turn on developer options. In Settings, find About (on Android TV under Device Preferences) and click Build seven times. Then turn on USB debugging in the new Developer options menu. Menu names vary a little by brand.
3. Connect adb from your computer and allow the connection on the TV when it asks. Check with:

   adb devices

4. Install the player. Download the Android player from the support page to your computer and install it:

   adb install CastWize-Player.apk

   (Use the actual file name you downloaded.)
5. Make the player Device Owner:

   adb shell dpm set-device-owner com.castwize.player/.admin.CastWizeDeviceAdminReceiver

   A message starting with "Success" means it worked. If it says there are already accounts on the device, remove them (or factory reset) and try again.
6. Open the CastWize player and pair it as usual. See Pair a screen. From now on it opens locked to itself.
7. Turn off the device's screensaver and sleep timer in its settings, so the TV doesn't dim during the day.

How do I reboot the screen from Studio?

In Screens, open the screen's ... menu and choose Reboot, then confirm. The command reaches the player when it next checks in, within about 15 seconds, and the device restarts. The player starts again by itself after the boot.

What happens if I press Reboot without Device Owner?

Nothing on the screen. The player can't restart a device it doesn't own, so it reports "Reboot command failed: this device is not enrolled as Device Owner" as a playback error instead. You see it if you have a Playback error alert rule on the Dashboard.

What is the difference between Refresh and Reboot?

Refresh reloads the player and syncs straight away; the device itself keeps running. It works on every player and doesn't need Device Owner. Reboot restarts the whole device.

Do I need Device Owner at all?

No. Without it, the player still runs full screen, starts on boot, and a background watchdog relaunches it if it hangs. You may see Android's screen-pinning message when the player opens. Device Owner is worth it for screens in public places, where someone might pick up the remote.