You can watch the video below to see how to set up your Chrome devices for digital signage, or you can follow along with the steps below.
1. A breakdown of what you will need and related costs
1.1. We highly recommend running ScreenCloud in kiosk mode when using a Chrome device. Chrome devices include all devices that run on ChromeOS, like Chromebits, Chromeboxes, Chromebases, and Chromebooks. Kiosk mode will allow you to run a single app on a Chrome device and lock it down so no one can interfere with it. It's useful if you're using the screen in a public area. Also, if there's a power failure or the app crashes for some reason, the device will auto-launch the app again.
1.2. All Chrome devices now require a Chrome license to run ScreenCloud in kiosk mode. There are 2 Chrome license options, we recommend either a Chrome Enterprise annual license or a Chrome Enterprise perpetual license. You can purchase your desired license via Google's Purchase upgrades for Chrome devices page, where you will need to pick and choose from one of Google's many Partners. A Chrome Kiosk & Signage Upgrade will cost you $25 annually per device, while a Chrome Enterprise Upgrade will cost you $50 annually per device (see here). To more deeply understand the service and subscription options for Chrome devices, read this help article from Google. You can also review the benefits of having a Chrome Enterprise license here.
1.3. The purpose of purchasing Chrome licenses is to get access to Chrome Enterprise, a set of device management features for Chrome devices in Google Admin that allows you to manage the Chrome devices you have licenses for. Google Admin is one of the products included with Google Workspace, so in order to use Chrome Enterprise in Google Admin, you will need to set up Google Workspace.
1.4. To set up Google Workspace you will need your own domain that you will connect with your Google Workspace account. While setting up Google Workspace you will also be required to set up at least 1 user account to be an administrator account. You can get either a Business edition or Schools and nonprofits. We recommend getting one of the Business editions (1 user or 2-9 users), or Nonprofit organization or Educational institution deployment if you are a nonprofit or school.
1.5. If you do not use ScreenCloud in kiosk mode the ScreenCloud player will simply work as a Chrome extension in desktop mode. However, there are some performance issues when running in this mode and most importantly, it will not support auto-start capability.
1.6. If you're feeling confused, don't worry, we understand there's a lot to take in here. Let's break down exactly what you will need and the related costs:
Firstly, you will need a Chrome device like a Chromebox or Chromebase. You can find the current ChromeOS recommendations on our hardware recommendation page.
Next, you will need to set up Google Workspace so you can use Google Admin, with at least 1 user account for administrative purposes. To set up Google Workspace, you will need your own domain, then when setting up Google Workspace, get either 1 Basic account ($6 per user per month) or Business account ($12 per user a month).
Finally, you will need to purchase Chrome licenses to get access to Chrome Enterprise features in Google Admin, which will allow you to use ScreenCloud in kiosk mode on your Chrome devices. Get either a Chrome Enterprise annual license ($50 annually per device) or Chrome Enterprise perpetual license ($150 per device for the lifespan of the device).
2. Set up Google Workspace and purchase Chrome licenses
There are 3 parts to this guide. If you already have Google Workspace set up and have Chrome licenses you need you can skip forward to Part 3.
2.1. Set up Google Google Workspace with at least 1 user account for administrator purposes
As noted above, to set up Google Google Workspace you will need your own domain that you will connect with your Google Workspace account. Then, while setting up Google Workspace you will also be required to set up at least 1 user account to be an administrator account. Google Workspace plans start as low as $6 per user per month for Business Starter, $12 per user per month for Business Standard, and $18 per user per month for Business Plus.
To learn more about setting up Google Workspace, visit this page.
2.2. Purchase Chrome licenses the manual way from Google Admin console (you will need to have a basic understanding of how Google Workspace works)
You can get a free 30-day Chrome Enterprise Upgrade trial which is limited to 50 devices
OR
Purchase Chrome Enterprise Upgrade without trial (annual subscription only)
To learn more about how to get Chrome licenses manually, read the "purchase upgrades using the Admin console" section of this help article from Google.
2.3. Purchase Chrome licenses the recommended way
To learn more about how to get Chrome licenses from a Google reseller, read the "purchase upgrades from partner" section of this help article from Google.
3. Set up ScreenCloud as your kiosk app in CDM
Once you have set up Google Workspace, have access to Google Admin and have purchased Chrome licenses, you need to go to the Chrome device Management (CDM) section of Google Admin and add ScreenCloud as the kiosk app for the devices you want to enroll. By doing this the ScreenCloud player app will automatically be installed on the devices you enroll and set to automatically launch and run in kiosk mode when the devices are turned on.
3.1. First, log in to your Google Admin console
3.2. Click on the ☰ icon beside Google Admin to open the Main Menu sidebar.
3.3. Select Devices.
3.4. Then select Chrome, Chrome will open the Chrome settings, where you can then select Device.
You will now be opened onto Devices > Chrome > Settings > Device Settings.
3.5. On the next page, scroll down to Kiosk settings and click on apps & extensions page.
3.6. Hover over the yellow circle on the bottom right corner and click the Add from Chrome Web Store icon.
3.7. Search for ScreenCloud and then select ScreenCloud Digital Signage Player.
If you can't find the ScreenCloud player app by name, then you can instead search with the app ID. The ScreenCloud player app ID for the Chrome web store is:
efdahhfldoeikfglgolhibmdidbnpneo
3.8. Click + Select to add the app to your Chrome device.
3.9. Next click on the ScreenCloud app extension to open up the app extension settings. We recommend that the options Enable Health Monitoring and Enable System Log Upload are toggled on for the best experience. Make sure to select Save when you are done.
3.10. And finally, please also ensure that the Auto-launch app is set to ScreenCloud Digital Signage Player. This means that the app will always start up as soon as the device is powered on.
4. Enroll and set up your device
Now that the ScreenCloud Player app has been added as the kiosk app for the devices in your account, you can start enrolling and setting up your Chrome devices.
4.1. If your Chrome device has been used before this setup, you will need to wipe your device. If this is a new device you can go to Step 3.2.
You can view the steps to take to wipe a Chrome device with this guide and then return to this page to follow the enrollment steps below. If you have another Chrome device, refer to the Google document here about how to wipe your specific Chrome device.
4.2. Enroll the device:
Turn on the Chrome device and follow the on-screen instructions until you see the sign-in screen. Don't sign in yet.
Before signing in to the Chrome device, press Ctrl+Alt+E to go to the enrollment screen.
Enter the username and password from your Google admin welcome letter, or the username and password for an existing G Suite user on your account that has eligibility to enroll.
Click Enroll device. You'll receive a confirmation message that the device has been successfully enrolled.
After the process, your Chrome device may reboot and ScreenCloud will start as a kiosk app. You can follow the process in the guide How Do I Add (Set Up) or Delete a Screen in ScreenCloud? to pair the screen to your account. You should also refer to the guide Chrome Licenses: Settings Overview & Benefits for the other settings you should be aware of on the Chrome Device Management console.