Check Displays first

On your phone, open Displays. Each TV’s card has a picture of its screen and says what it’s doing right now, like Playing Sunday in Kids. That tells you whether the problem is the TV in the room or what it was given.

Three TVs on Displays: Check-in and Lobby, each with a green Wi-Fi, a green speaker and Playing Lobby welcome; and Café, with a red Wi-Fi with a slash, a green speaker and Offline. Each card has a picture of what its screen shows, and Manage Display.

If the card has a red or grey Wi-Fi icon, or says Needs adding again, see When a TV needs attention. It says what to do about each.

A black screen

Nothing at all, not even Displayte’s mark: the TV isn’t getting a picture from the Apple TV.

  1. Check the TV is on, and set to the Apple TV’s input, like HDMI 1. Use the TV’s own remote.
  2. Wake the Apple TV: press the centre button on its remote.
  3. If you see the Apple TV’s Home Screen, open Displayte.
  4. Still black? Check the cable between the Apple TV and the TV, at both ends, and that the Apple TV is plugged in.

While Displayte is open, the Apple TV doesn’t go to sleep or show a screensaver by itself.

A dark screen with Displayte’s mark

A dark screen with Displayte’s mark, faint, in the middle: Displayte is open and paired, and is waiting for something to show.

  • Its card on Displays says Starting and a presentation’s name: the presentation plays by itself, and its first pictures are still on their way. They start as soon as they arrive.
  • Otherwise, it hasn’t heard from Displayte yet. Hold the remote’s centre button: if Settings says Can’t reach Displayte right now, it’s off the internet: on the Apple TV, go to Settings, then Network, and check the Wi-Fi.

“This TV hasn’t been assigned any presentations.”

(Before the TV’s update in October 2026, it said “Add files, or ask your ministry leader to add files to this TV.”)

The TV is paired and connected, but has no presentations. If someone unticked its last one on Displays, they were asked first (like Nursery will show a message that it has no presentations.) and chose Save anyway. Give it one:

  1. On Displays, choose the TV’s Manage Display.
  2. Under Presentations on this TV, tick a presentation.
  3. Choose Save. The TV changes within a minute.

Owners, admins, editors and operators can do this. See Put a presentation on a TV.

“Pair this Apple TV”

The TV isn’t paired with your church any more: someone removed it. Add it again with the code it shows. See Add a TV.

  • If it shows Show a pairing code and no code, it has been waiting more than 30 minutes. Press the centre button for a new code.
  • If it says Connect this Apple TV to the internet to get a pairing code, check its Wi-Fi.

A notice about your church’s plan

  • This TV isn’t on your church’s plan. Please contact your church’s admin. The plan covers fewer screens than the church has TVs. See Plans and screens.
  • This screen’s subscription has ended. Please contact your church’s admin. The plan has ended. An owner or admin can start it again in Billing. See Change or cancel your plan.

Last week’s presentation

Once a presentation’s date has gone by, the TV leaves it off its list. Last week’s still shows only when every presentation on the TV has gone by: the TV keeps them all rather than go blank. Give it this week’s:

  1. On Displays, choose the TV’s Manage Display.
  2. Under Presentations on this TV, tick this week’s presentation. Last week’s is under Past, still ticked: untick it.
  3. Choose Save. The TV changes within a minute.

If the TV has two or more presentations, someone may have opened another one with the remote. Press Back until you see the list, and choose the one you want. The soonest is at the top.

A picture that isn’t there yet

Not on this TV yet under a picture means it’s still on its way. It shows by itself once it arrives. If it’s still there after a few minutes, check the TV’s card on Displays: Storage full there means the Apple TV is out of room. See Storage full.

The app doesn’t answer the remote

If the remote isn’t working in Displayte, close Displayte and open it again:

  1. Press the remote’s TV button, the one with a TV on it, twice, quickly. The open apps appear.
  2. Swipe to Displayte, then swipe up on the remote’s touch surface to close it.
  3. Open Displayte again from the Home Screen.

It opens straight into its presentations, still paired, with nothing to sign in to. If it still doesn’t answer, restart the Apple TV: go to Settings, then System, then Restart.

Good to know

  • What a TV shows is chosen on Displays, never on the TV. The remote only moves through what the TV was given.
  • If the Wi-Fi drops, the TV keeps showing what it has, and gets changes once it’s back.
  • Nothing on the TV ever shows an error to the room. When something needs attention, Displays says so.
  • More about the remote: What the remote does on the TV.

Still stuck? Email support@displayte.com. A person answers.