Sign in on a TV with a QR code
Walk a viewer through signing a TV in by scanning a code with their phone, and help when the code expires or the TV won’t sign in.
This page is for the staff who answer viewer questions. Nobody should have to type an email address and password with a TV remote. The TV shows a QR code, the viewer scans it with a phone that’s already signed in, and the TV signs itself in a few seconds later.
How a viewer signs a TV in
- 1Open sign-in on the TV
The viewer opens your TV app and chooses to sign in. The TV shows a QR code.
- 2Scan the code with a phone
The phone’s camera opens your site’s device pairing page. If the phone isn’t signed in, the page asks the viewer to sign in first, then brings them back.
- 3Check the device
The page asks Sign in this device? and shows the TV’s name and platform, so the viewer knows which set is asking.
- 1Approve
The viewer taps Approve & sign in, or Reject if they don’t recognise the device. After approving, they see Device approved.
- 2Watch the TV sign in
Within a few seconds the TV signs in to the account that approved it. The viewer can close the page on their phone.
Why it’s safe
- The credential that signs the TV in is delivered to the TV itself, never to the phone that scanned the code. Photographing someone’s screen achieves nothing.
- A code stops working after 120 seconds, or as soon as it’s been used.
- The viewer sees the device’s name before they approve, and can reject it.
- Each approval is recorded in your activity log.
When it doesn’t work
| The viewer sees | Why | What to tell them |
|---|---|---|
| Code expired or invalid | More than 120 seconds passed, or the code was already used | Show a new code on the TV and scan again straight away |
| Request rejected | Reject was tapped on the phone | Start again on the TV and tap Approve & sign in |
| No pairing code | The pairing page was opened without scanning | Scan the QR code shown on the TV instead of typing the address |
| Device limit reached, on the TV | The account is now over its plan’s device limit | Sign one device out from the list the TV or website shows |
| The TV signed in to the wrong account | The phone was signed in to someone else’s account | Sign the TV out, sign the phone in to the right account, and scan a new code |