Setup guides

Get your screens running.

Pick the device you've got, follow the steps, point it at your CREATE Displays URL. The whole setup takes about three minutes.

What we supply: a unique URL that plays your content. What you supply: a screen, a streaming device or computer, and Wi-Fi. CREATE Displays is software only — we don't manufacture or stock hardware ourselves. These guides walk you through pointing your own device at the URL.

Pick your device

Tap the device you've got.

Fire TV Stick Amazon · most popular Chromecast Google TV Smart TV Samsung · LG · Sony iPad / iPhone Apple iOS Android tablet Or Android phone Old laptop / Pi Mac, Windows, Linux, Raspberry Pi
Most popular

Amazon Fire TV Stick

Works on every Fire Stick from 2018 onwards, including Fire TV Cube. Around £40 from Amazon.

You'll need
  • A Fire TV Stick plugged into the TV's HDMI port
  • Wi-Fi the stick can reach
  • Your CREATE Displays URL (we email it to you on day one)
  1. 1

    Open Silk Browser

    From the Fire TV home screen, scroll up to the search bar and search for Silk Browser. It's free, made by Amazon, and pre-installed on most sticks. If it isn't, install it from the App Store.

  2. 2

    Type your URL

    Open Silk and type the URL into the address bar exactly as we sent it (e.g. createdisplays.uk/c/yourname). Hit Go.

  3. 3

    Make it the homepage

    Press the menu button on the remote (the one with three horizontal lines). Choose Set as homepage. Now whenever Silk opens, it lands on your screens.

  4. 4

    Go full-screen

    Press Menu again, then Full screen. The browser bars disappear and your content takes over the TV.

  5. 5

    Stop the screensaver

    Go to Settings → Display & Sounds → Screensaver. Set Start time to Never. Otherwise the Fire Stick will fade your content out after a few minutes.

Pro tip: if Silk Browser ever closes, the screen will go back to the Fire TV home menu. To reopen it automatically when the stick boots, install Silk Browser Launcher (free) from the App Store, or just unplug and re-plug the stick when needed.

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Google TV

Chromecast with Google TV

The 2020-or-later Chromecast that has its own remote and runs apps. Around £40 from Currys / Argos / Google Store.

You'll need
  • Chromecast with Google TV plugged into the TV's HDMI port
  • A Google account signed in on the device
  • Your CREATE Displays URL
  1. 1

    Install TV Bro

    From the Google TV home screen go to Apps → Search apps and look for TV Bro. It's a free browser built for TV remotes. Install it.

    If TV Bro isn't available in your region, Google Chrome works too — just less remote-friendly.

  2. 2

    Type your URL

    Open TV Bro, select the address bar, type your URL, hit Go.

  3. 3

    Bookmark and full-screen

    In TV Bro's menu, choose Bookmark, then Full screen. Press the home button on the Chromecast remote and TV Bro will stay open running your screens.

  4. 4

    Stop sleep mode

    Go to Settings → System → Power & energy and set When inactive to Never. This stops the Chromecast going to sleep and dropping your content.

Alternative: if you'd rather not install a browser, you can cast a Chrome tab from your computer. Open Chrome on a laptop, go to your URL, click the three-dot menu → Cast → choose your Chromecast. Less robust (the laptop has to stay on) but useful in a pinch.

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Built-in browser

Smart TV (Samsung, LG, Sony)

If your TV is from 2018 onwards, it probably has a built-in browser. No streaming stick needed.

You'll need
  • A Smart TV connected to Wi-Fi
  • The TV's remote control
  • Your CREATE Displays URL

Samsung (Tizen)

  1. 1

    Open the Internet app

    Press Home on the remote, scroll to Apps, find and open Internet.

  2. 2

    Enter your URL

    Use the address bar at the top to type in your CREATE Displays URL.

  3. 3

    Bookmark it

    Open the menu and choose Add to bookmarks so it's one click next time.

LG (webOS)

  1. 1

    Open Web Browser

    Press Home, scroll along the apps row, find Web Browser.

  2. 2

    Enter your URL and pin to home

    Type the URL into the address bar. Once it loads, the menu has a Pin to Home option that puts a shortcut on your TV's main screen.

Sony, Hisense, TCL (Android TV / Google TV)

  1. 1

    Install a browser

    Open the Google Play Store on the TV and install TV Bro or Google Chrome.

  2. 2

    Open it and enter your URL

    Same routine as the Chromecast guide above — type in the URL, bookmark it, go full-screen.

Stop the TV nagging you: on every Smart TV, find the Eco or Auto power off setting and disable it. By default most TVs nap after a few hours of "no activity" — the browser doesn't count as activity.

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Apple iOS / iPadOS

iPad or iPhone

A great option if you've got an old iPad lying around. Mount it in landscape on a wall and you've got a digital sign.

You'll need
  • An iPad 4 (2012) or newer, or any iPhone from the last 8 years
  • A power lead — the device needs to stay plugged in
  • Your CREATE Displays URL

Got an iPad 2 or iPad 3? Those are too old — Safari on iOS 9 can't render the modern player. The cheapest fix is a £30 Amazon Fire TV Stick (see the Fire Stick section above) — plugs into the TV's HDMI, runs the URL flawlessly, and uses less power than the iPad anyway.

  1. 1

    Open Safari

    Tap the Safari icon. Go to your CREATE Displays URL.

  2. 2

    Add to Home Screen

    Tap the share icon (square with an up-arrow), scroll down, tap Add to Home Screen. Give it a name like Cafe screen. Tap Add.

    This creates a homescreen icon. When you tap it, the page opens without the Safari address bar — properly full-screen.

  3. 3

    Stop the screen sleeping

    Go to Settings → Display & Brightness → Auto-Lock and choose Never. Apple only lets you do this when the device is plugged in — which it will be.

  4. 4

    Lock to one app (optional)

    If the screen is somewhere customers can reach it, turn on Guided Access so they can't accidentally close the page. Go to Settings → Accessibility → Guided Access, toggle it on, set a passcode. Then on your CREATE Displays page, triple-press the side/home button to lock, triple-press again to unlock.

Pro tip: a £15 wall mount and a £10 USB-C cable turns any old iPad into a permanent shop-window display. Far cheaper than buying a TV.

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Android

Android tablet or phone

Any Android device from the last 5 years. Most flexible option — Android has the best kiosk apps.

You'll need
  • An Android tablet or phone (Android 8 or newer)
  • A power lead
  • Your CREATE Displays URL
  1. 1

    Open Chrome and go to your URL

    Type the URL into Chrome's address bar.

  2. 2

    Add to Home screen

    Tap the three-dot menu, choose Add to Home screen. Name it and tap Add. You can launch it like an app.

  3. 3

    Better: install Fully Kiosk Browser

    If the screen will be in a public spot, grab Fully Kiosk Browser from the Play Store (free for one device). It auto-launches on boot, restarts itself if it crashes, and stops customers swiping out of the page. Set the start URL to your CREATE Displays URL.

  4. 4

    Stay-awake while charging

    Enable Developer Options (Settings → About → tap Build Number seven times), then in Developer Options switch on Stay awake. The screen will stay on as long as it's plugged in.

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Old laptop / Mac Mini / Raspberry Pi

Any computer with a browser

The most reliable option of the lot. If you've got an old laptop sat in a drawer, this is the easiest way to put it to work.

You'll need
  • A laptop, Mac Mini, NUC, or Raspberry Pi 4 / 5
  • An HDMI cable (for connecting to the TV)
  • Your CREATE Displays URL

Mac (laptop or Mac Mini)

  1. 1

    Open Chrome or Safari

    Go to your URL.

  2. 2

    Full-screen

    Press Cmd + Ctrl + F. Or in Chrome, View → Always Show Toolbar in Full Screen → off, then full-screen.

  3. 3

    Stop sleep

    Go to System Settings → Battery / Lock Screen. Set the display sleep to Never when on power.

Windows laptop

  1. 1

    Open Edge or Chrome

    Go to your URL. Press F11 for full-screen.

  2. 2

    Stop sleep

    Go to Settings → System → Power & battery → Screen and sleep. Set both Screen and Sleep options to Never when plugged in.

  3. 3

    Optional: kiosk mode

    If you want zero browser chrome, run Edge with the kiosk flag. Right-click the Edge shortcut, choose Properties, and add to the Target field: --kiosk https://your-url-here --edge-kiosk-type=fullscreen.

Raspberry Pi (4 or 5)

  1. 1

    Install Raspberry Pi OS

    Use the Raspberry Pi Imager to put Raspberry Pi OS (64-bit) on a microSD card. Boot the Pi and run through the setup wizard.

  2. 2

    Auto-launch Chromium

    Open a terminal and edit ~/.config/lxsession/LXDE-pi/autostart. Add a line:

    @chromium-browser --kiosk --noerrdialogs --disable-infobars --start-fullscreen https://your-url-here

    Reboot. The Pi will boot straight into your CREATE Displays content, full-screen, no browser bars.

  3. 3

    Disable screen blanking

    Run sudo raspi-config. Go to Display Options → Screen Blanking → disable.

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Stuck

Can't make it work?

Tell us what's going on and we'll usually have you running within an hour.

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