When it comes to managing digital signage screens, the ability to remotely manage your digital signage devices can be important. When you have digital signage devices in remote locations it’s important to have control of them in case something goes wrong. Windows and Chrome OS devices come with remote device management capabilities built-in or come with support for 3rd party remote device management apps and services, but on Android, it’s a bit more tricky. Many Android-powered devices like Amazon’s Fire TV Stick devices or Android TV devices like Xiaomi’s Mi Box do not support remote device management apps and services, but Android-powered industrial PCs specifically made for business use cases come with a more full-featured version of Android that does.

We’ve tested a wide range of remote device management services for Android and we recommend AirDroid Business as the best option for managing digital signage media players. AirDroid Business makes it possible to remotely view or control your device, which gives you control in the scenario that something goes wrong. You can also get additional features via their Kiosk Mode and Application Management add-ons.

Note: As noted earlier, if you want to use an Android-powered device that supports remote device management apps and services, you’ll want to use an Android-powered industrial PC specifically made for business use cases. We recommend the Ugoos AM6, and Ugoos X4 Cube, which we have tested with both ScreenCloud and AirDroid Business (you can read more about it here).

In this guide, we’ll outline how to get started with AirDroid Business and set it up with your Android-powered digital signage device.

2.1. You can get started with AirDroid Business by signing up for a free trial on their website. Go to https://www.airdroid.com/en/bizHome.html and click on the “Get Free Trial” button on the main banner.

2.2 Next, fill in the necessary information like an email, password and other information for your account and then click “Submit”.

2.3. After that, you will see a notice saying that “a verification mail has been sent to your email account”.

2.4. Check your email and click the “Start Now” button in the email you received.

2.5. The link will take you directly to the AirDroid Business admin console and log you in, giving you the opportunity to add some more information about your account. Enter the required information and select “Save”.

2.6. You will then be taken to the main page of the AirDroid Business admin console, where you can get started using AirDroid Business.

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In order to use AirDroid Business, you will need to buy licenses for each of your devices. Prices start at $10/device/year for the Basic license. If you want additional features such as the App Management and Kiosk Mode features (which can be useful for managing digital signage devices) it will cost an additional $5/device/year for each feature.

To see full pricing and feature information and the difference between the Basic, Ultimate and Enterprise licenses you can visit AirDroid Business’ Pricing & Features page here, or you can read this blog post from them that explains their pricing in more detail.

3.1. To purchase licenses, select your account name in the top right of the AirDroid Business admin console and then select “Purchase”, or go to this link here.

3.2. Next, select the “Purchase” next to the license type you want to purchase and on the next page choose how many licenses you want to purchase and your payment details and then select “Purchase” at the bottom of the page.
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Once you’ve purchased licenses, it’s time to add the Android-powered devices you want to manage.

Note: As noted earlier, we recommend Geniatech’s APC395X, Ugoos AM6, and Ugoos X3 Cube, which we have tested with both ScreenCloud and AirDroid Business. The following steps will not work for some other Android-powered devices.

We recommend using a keyboard and mouse combo to set up your Airdroid Biz Daemon app. When using a mouse with this device, use the left-click button to select things and the right-click button to go back.

Unfortunately, AirDroid has recently removed its application from the Google Play Store, so to install the Airdroid Biz Daemon app, follow the provided steps below.

There are two different ways to download the AirDroid Biz Daemon app onto your Android-powered devices; You can either download the app by signing into your Airdroid Business Console directly from your device, or you can type in the specific download link given in your Airdoird Business Console. To find the specific download link skip ahead to step 4.5.

To download the file directly from the website continue following along with the steps below.

4.1. On your Android-powered device, using an attachable mouse and keyboard, go to the Google Chrome app or any browser and type in this URL https://biz.airdroid.com and log-in to your Airdroid business console account.

4.2. On the homepage of the AirDroid Business admin console, select “Add Devices”.

4.3. Then on the devices page select the “Add Device Wizard” or “Add” button.

4.4. Next you must select how you want to download the Airdroid Biz Daemon app. We suggest using the "Auto-Enroll Package" or in other words the "Bulk-Deployment" Version.

The difference between the "Basic Package" and the "Auto-Enroll Package" is when using the auto-enroll package, once you download the app it will automatically bind to your Airdroid Admin Console account, taking away the need to manually enter the deployment code used to add your devices. This is very useful when adding numerous devices.

To download via the Auto-Enroll Package version, select the "Auto-Enroll Package" link highlighted in the red box below. This will automatically copy the download link. Next open another tab in your browser and paste this link and select "Enter" on your keyboard like so:

4.5. Or select the "Auto-Enroll Package" link highlighted in the red box below to automatically start downloading. This is a unique link speicifcally used to bind devices to your admin console. It will look something like this https://airdroid.at/XXXXXX

4.6. If you choose the "Basic Package", you will need to enter a deployment code upon opening the Airdroid Biz Daemon app for the first time in order to bind your new device to your account, allowing you to remote control it. To download the Airdroid Biz Daemon app through the Basic Package, select the link highlighted below:

4.7. To find the deployment code, seclect the second tab that says "Deployment Code" which will give you a unique code located under the QR code like so:

4.8. After selecting the link you would like to use to download the app, your device may ask you to give storage access in order to download files. Go ahead and select "Update Permissions".

Go ahead and select "Allow" to give Chrome acess to photos, media and files on your device.

4.9. After giving permissions to download files, You will then be notified that the APK might be harmful to your device but go ahead and select "OK" as this application will not harm your device.

4.10. Next go ahead and select "Download" when prompted.

4.10. After you download the Airdroid Biz Daemon app you will then be directed to another page where you must enable installation from unknown apps. Select "Settings" when prompted, enable the option that says "Allow from this source", and then select "Install".

If you are using a Geniatech device you do not have to do this skip so feel free to move on to step 4.11.

4.11. Next select “Install” when prompted. After the app finishes installing, select “Open” to open it.

4.12. After the app opens for the first time, it will most likely show that there is an update available. Select “OK” to download the update.

4.13. After the update finishes downloading, the installer will open. Select “Install” to install the update. Once the installation is finished, select “Open” to return back to the AirDroid Business Daemon app.

4.14. At this point, your Airdroid Biz Daemon app will begin automatically binding the app to your Airdroid admin console account where you can control this device.

If you did not use the Bulk-deployment option and used the "Basic Version" to download the app, you can find your Deployment Code inside your Airdroid admin console. See step 4.7.

4.15. You will see a notice that “the device is bound successfully” to your company. Next select “OK” to start the process of giving the AirDroid Biz Daemon app permissions to device resources.

The app will start by “checking necessary permissions”.

4.16. The app will then show you a list of permissions you will need to grant. We recommend setting up a basic setup first for your device which only uses remote device management features. To do this simply scroll down to the bottom of the page and select "Skip", wait 5 seconds, and then select "Skip" again.

If you wish to use the extra Airdroid Biz Daemon features later on, you may do so by enabling features in the future.

4.17. Next name your device and click on "Complete".

You will then be brought to the Biz-Daemon main page. This process is a lot faster in deployment, and most importantly, the Biz-Daemon can be updated anytime there's a new package. The only downside here is your Biz-Daemon will see certain functions with the exclamation marks like so:

4.18. Please Note! You must root your device if you wish to access the device at any time. Turning this feature OFF will require someone at the scene of the device to select allow on the screen to allow the remote controlling session. This is usually used for privacy protection.

4.19. To root your device go to the main home screen by selecting back. Locate the settings menu by selecting the gear icon, then select "X3 settings".

If you are using a Geniatech device, you will not need to root your device as it is manufactured with rooted settings.

4.20. Next select "Root".

4.21. Next, you will see whether your device is rooted or not rooted. If it is not rooted select "Install Root".

4.22. Select the "Silent" option. This option will allow you to take control of your device automatically without any on-screen confirmation needed. This is important if you are controlling a device remotely and do not have any on-site personnel who can select confirmation when you want to connect.

Select back and you will now see your device is rooted.

4.23. Now head back to the Airdroid Biz Daemon app and select "Remote Control" and enable "Root".

Good work, you’re done installing the AirDroid Business Daemon app, binding it to your AirDroid Business account, and giving it the necessary permissions to operate optimally.

4.24. If you return to your AirDroid Business admin console you will see that on the Devices page a new device has been added.

You can change the device name by clicking the edit button (the second button for the device under “Operations”) and setting a “Device Name”.

5. Additional Airdroid Biz Daemon App Configurations

5.1. These next steps are applied to all devices. If you would like to enable Screenshots, start by turning the “Screenshot” option on. A dialog will appear. Select “don’t show again” and then select “start now”.

5.2. Next, turn the “Location” option on. On the next screen, select “Mode”, then change the option from “Device only” to “High accuracy”. Select “agree” when prompted and then select back until you return to the AirDroid Business Daemon app.

5.3. Next, turn the “Device admin apps” option on. On the next screen, select “Activate this device administrator”.

5.4. Next, turn the “Allow collect app usage data” option on and select “OK” on the pop-up that appears.

On the next screen, select “Biz Daemon” and then turn the “Permit usage access” option on, then select back until you return to the AirDroid Business Daemon app.

5.5. Next, turn the “Apps notification” option on. On the next screen turn the “Biz Daemon” option on and select “Allow” when prompted, then select back until you return to the AirDroid Business Daemon app.

5.6. Next, turn the “Set as default launcher” option on and select “OK” on the pop-up that appears, and then on the next pop-up select the first option and select “Always”.

On the next screen, select the “Home app - No default app” and then select the “AirDroid Business Kiosk” option. Then select back until you return to the AirDroid Business Daemon app.

5.7. Next, turn the “Ignore battery optimizations” option on, choose to complete the next action using “Battery optimization”, then select “Always”. Then select “Yes” on the next pop-up.

5.8. Finally, click the “Complete” button at the bottom of the page and then click “Complete” on the pop-up that appears.

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Now that you’ve set up your AirDroid Business account and adding a device, you can remotely control this device at any time using the AirDroid Controller app on your Windows or macOS PC, or Android or iOS (beta) tablet.

Note: If you are a company that has a fleet of devices in numerous locations, you may need to remotely access your devices to either refresh your screens, set certain settings or make changes to your content.

Airdroids “Restricted Access” is a safety measure programmed into the app that forces the user to manually accept using a mouse or remote to give permission, allowing you to remotely access a device using the Airdroid Business app. This is very useful and gives a second layer of security for customers, but this can cause many problems if the location of the screen is in a different city as there is no one to manually accept this permission.

To disable this feature follow the next couple of steps. If you would like to keep this feature enabled and learn how to remotely control your device continue to steps 5.5.

6.1. Open your Business Airdroid web page and select “Devices” next select the “Default” group on the left-hand side.

6.2. Next, select the “Permissions” button and ensure the box is NOT ticked to Disable the “Restricted Access” feature, then click OK.

5.3. Now head over to your Android-powered device and open the Biz-Daemon app.

6.4. Scroll down the list of enabled permissions until you see the "Restricted Access" button and select "Off" like so:

By disabling these two features, you will no longer have to manually select accept to remotely control your device.

6.5. In your AirDroid Business admin console, click the download button in the top right.

6.6. Next, scroll to the bottom of the download page and download one of the available Controller app (for the purpose of this guide we will be downloading the Windows version).

6.7. Once the installer file has downloaded it, open it and run the installation. After the installation is completed the AirDroid Business Controller app will automatically open.

6.8. Enter your username and password to login to your AirDroid Business account.

6.9. Once logged in, you will see your available devices on the left. Select the one you would like to remotely control to see all the control options, which include “Remote Camera”, “Files”, “View Mode” and “Remote Control”.

To remotely control your device, select “Remote Control”. The AirDroid Business Controller app will connect to your device and allow you to control the device with the mouse, keyboard and/or touch.

You can use the remote control feature to control the ScreenCloud player app, access and change the device’s settings and more.

6.10. If you would like to reboot the device, use the remote control feature to open the Biz Daemon app, click the three-dot menu item in the top right and select “Reboot device” and then select “Confirm reboot”.

While the device reboots you will see a “Connection failed” message.

Give the device some time to restart and then select “Retry”. The AirDroid Business Controller app will re-connect to the device.

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AirDroid Business has a Kiosk Mode add-on that allows you to lock down the device environment of your Android-powered devices.

The Kiosk Mode add-on allows you to replace the default launcher and homepage with on from AirDroid Business which allows you to do things like only show and allow certain apps to be opened, auto-launch a specific app on startup, hide system settings and block access to the device’s system with password protection. This is useful for scenarios where your Android-powered devices are in a public space and you do not want them tampered with.

To find out more about AirDroid Business’ Kiosk Mode add-on, check out the following guides:
- What is Kiosk Mode?
- What features does Kiosk Mode include?
- How to set up your Kiosk
- Other Kiosk Mode guides

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AirDroid Business has an Application Management (AMS) add-on which allows you to manage installing apps on your remote devices.

The Application Management add-on allows you to create a library of apps that you manage and install, force install apps, manage app updates with scheduled releases and staged rollout features.

To find out more about AirDroid Business’ Application Management add-on, check out the following guides:
- Getting started with AMS
- How to create and update apps
- App release on demand
- Staged rollout
- What is forced installation?
- What is scheduled release?

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AirDroid comes with a wide array of other features, management, and organizational options. You can find out more at their help center here or submit a support ticket here or by clicking the “Ticket” text link at the top right of your AirDroid Business admin console.