You can learn more about ScreenCloud's advanced scheduling feature using Channels by clicking here.
Channel is not playing content
If your ScreenCloud channel isn’t playing content, it’s usually due to configuration or device issues. The following steps can help you identify and fix the problem.
Check if Interactive Mode (Touch) is enabled
If your screen shows only the ScreenCloud logo and a “Play” button, UI Interaction Mode is likely enabled. In this mode, playback is paused until you manually press Play. To resolve this, press Play to start playback. If that doesn’t work, review whether enabling Touch is necessary for your setup. If not, disable the feature to allow content to play automatically.
Verify your screen settings in ScreenCloud Studio
Log into your ScreenCloud Studio account and make sure your setup is correct.
Confirm that:
The screen appears online (Live) and is properly paired with your account.
The channel, and any playlist in the channel, has been published and assigned to screen.
These steps ensure your device is ready to play content as expected.
Verify that the hardware playing your channels content is compatible
Certain hardware models and OS versions are not compatible with every app, feature or item format. Please review the below articles to find a solution for the issue of your content not playing in a channel:
Channel is not playing content at scheduled times
If you are experiencing scheduling issues and content isn’t appearing when expected, it may be due to how your screen or channel is configured. Follow the steps below to troubleshoot and verify your scheduling setup.
Check Channel assignment
A common cause of scheduling issues is when a screen isn’t properly assigned to a channel.
Go to the Screens section in ScreenCloud and select the affected screen.
Open the Now Playing tab.
Look at the icon next to the current content:
If you see a video or media file icon (e.g., an MP4), the screen is playing a direct media file instead of a channel.
This setup overrides the channel’s schedule and causes time-based playback to be ignored.
To fix this, assign the correct channel (indicated by the lightning-bolt icon) to the screen.
Once the channel is correctly assigned, the channel’s schedule and time slots will automatically apply.
Verify Screen timezone and Channels scheduling
Each channel follows the device’s local timezone for scheduling. It doesn’t matter where you’re located, as content plays according to the device’s configured time.
If scheduled content isn’t appearing at the expected time:
Check your device’s Date & Time settings to confirm the correct timezone.
Open the Channel in ScreenCloud and review the scheduled entries:
Go to the Schedule or Timetable section.
Review the list of time slots (e.g., 8:00 AM).
Edit or adjust any incorrect entries and save your changes.
Review Availability and Expiration settings of Media
If you’re using the Availability & Expiration feature to set start and end dates for your media items (such as images, videos, or documents), make sure these settings align with your channel schedule, including media items added into playlists that are scheduled in the channel.
Content with an expiration date will no longer display once that date has passed. If your channel’s schedule attempts to play media outside its availability window, the content will not appear on screen.
To verify, open the media item in ScreenCloud, review its Availability settings, and adjust the dates if necessary to ensure it remains active during your scheduled playback times.
Channels are displaying as black while previewing content
You can review the Channel Preview Screen Not Working and Displaying as a Black Screen, How Can I Fix This? article to find a solution to this issue.
Channels are not displaying the correct resolution on the TV screen
If your channel is displaying the incorrect resolution size in correspondence to your television or monitor, please troubleshoot the resolutions available in your "Channels" section.
You can click on any channel and visit the right-hand settings bar under "Layout". From here, select "Change" and you'll be prompted to pre-set resolutions, or you can create your own custom resolution sizing. Please note, confirming these changes will immediately update the channel size to display the new resolution sizing selected.
Content is being skipped while previewing or displaying a channel
If you notice any content is being skipped or is unavailable while previewing a Channel, we recommend to please review if any media item(s) are set up with availability or expiration dates in your "Media Library". For example, if you've set an availability date that has not been reached yet on the calendar, the media will skip automatically as it's not available to display on your screens. This is also how the feature functions while setting expiration dates, the content will skip automatically as well as it's been set up to no longer display after a specific date/time.
Unable to make changes to or create a channel
Your ScreenCloud user profile might lack the required permissions. Please check in with an account owner or admin, as they have the highest control and permissions of your team's ScreenCloud account. Learn more about users roles and permissions here.
Unable to find your channel in an account
If you cannot access and find your channel, the issue may stem from using a duplicate account. Follow these steps:
Sign out and re-login: Log out of your current account and log in again, or click your username and click Switch Organization to see if you are connected to two accounts.
Check for Duplicate Accounts: Confirm that the duplicate account exists, and contact support to request the cancelation and removal of the duplicate account so you don't log in again.
Contact support for assistance
If you've gone through the troubleshoot guide and are still having a challenge with Channels, please reach out with the following information to our support team:
Verify your ScreenCloud account email address
Verify the name of the Channel(s) affected in your account
Specify if the channel is being used in a specific Space/Team
Specify the exact pieces of media/content which you're having trouble using on your channel(s)
Describe the exact issue and send a screenshot/video if available to help our team test further