Client-side fixes to the Android signage player, all validated end-to-end on a
Pixel-10 emulator (Android 16) against the alpha server.
- content download: a local item with "remote_url": null was mis-tagged as a
remote stream (org.json optString returns the STRING "null" for a JSON null),
so it was ack'd "ready" and NEVER downloaded — stranding the screen on
"waiting for content" and only ever playing 1 of N files. Guard with isNull().
- playback (#162): PlaylistController trusted isRunning+currentIndex as "already
playing" and never re-called playItem, permanently stranding a panel on
"waiting for content" after a restart/OTA/content-not-ready-at-first-start.
Guards now require hasContentOnScreen (a genuine render) before short-circuiting.
- provisioning: revert to the URL-entry screen if a connect attempt hangs >60s
(wrong/unreachable URL) instead of an endless "Connecting to server…".
- re-pair: a server rejection (device:unpaired / auth-error) left the device
connected-but-unregistered with no pairing code (stuck); a naive re-register
then stormed the #150 reclaim guard ~20x/s. Now: re-register once, debounced +
backed off; honor the reclaim-settle window with a stable "re-pairing available
in Xs" countdown; show the code only once the server accepts it (isPairingCodeLive).
- status: a fully-online device could sit on a stale "Connecting to server…" when
MainActivity was relaunched (CLEAR_TASK) after the service already registered —
it now pulls a fresh playlist on bind so the real state renders.
- setup: add a Default Launcher (HOME role) step so a kiosk can be set as the
default launcher without adb (prevents ~45s activity-recreate churn).
- debug: new DebugLog.v() streams the deep download/playback trace only while
live dashboard debug is enabled; silent in production.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
The player has a launcher (category.HOME) + a boot receiver, but auto-start was
unreliable where you can't set a home launcher (Android TV) and on Android 14+,
where USE_FULL_SCREEN_INTENT is auto-revoked for non-calling apps so the boot
full-screen launcher silently no-ops.
Boot launch:
- BootReceiver now does a direct background startActivity when 'display over other
apps' (SYSTEM_ALERT_WINDOW) is granted — a real exception to the bg-activity-launch
restriction, and the one path that works on Android TV. Full-screen-intent
notification kept as a fallback (locked screen / no overlay).
- Boot notification moved to a dedicated HIGH-importance channel (full-screen
intents are only honored from one), and it auto-dismisses once the UI is up.
Setup screen — new permission rows so operators can grant what boot-launch needs:
- Launch on Boot (USE_FULL_SCREEN_INTENT, shown on Android 14+)
- Background Activity (battery-optimization exemption)
- Display Over Apps (SYSTEM_ALERT_WINDOW)
Made the screen scrollable and ~50% smaller text/buttons so all rows + Continue
fit on one screen (incl. landscape signage). Install-Unknown-Apps subtitle now
states updates are signature-verified, so it doesn't read as 'install anything'.
Verified end-to-end on an Android 16 emulator: after reboot the app auto-launched
(Direct launch via overlay) and the boot notice cleared itself; all rows toggle.
ScreenTinker - open source digital signage management software.
MIT License, all features included, no license gates.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>
