Install a kiosk (Device Owner)

For a public screen or a shop window you often want the device to show only the gibeon.io app: no home button, no status bar, nobody accidentally opening another app. That is kiosk mode. You set the kiosk version of the app as “Device Owner” once, via a laptop. After that the screen is locked, it recovers by itself after a restart or a hiccup, and it updates itself automatically over the air without you having to install again.

What you gain and what you give up

	Regular installation	Kiosk mode (Device Owner)
Locked to the app	no, the home button works	yes, no way out
Status bar and settings	reachable	blocked
Starts after a restart	usually, depends on the device	yes, always (becomes the home app)
Weekly maintenance restart	no	yes
Device usable for other apps	yes	no, only gibeon.io
Installing	browser, USB or ADB	ADB on an empty device
Switching it off again	remove the app	only with a factory reset

Choose the kiosk for a screen that hangs fixed and unattended. For a TV you also use normally, choose the regular installation.

What you need

• A fresh or reset Android device (Android 11 or newer) without a Google account
• Android platform-tools (ADB) on a laptop, on the same network as the device
• The kiosk version of the app. Note: this is a different download than the regular APK.
• Your activation code from the CMS (Screens → Connect screen)

Step by step

1. Start from an empty device (fresh out of the box or right after a factory reset). Do not add a Google account.
2. Download the kiosk version on your laptop: https://cdn.gibeon.io/player/android/gibeon-player-kiosk-latest.apk
3. Connect to the device and install:

   adb connect <IP-ADDRESS>:5555
   adb install -r gibeon-player-kiosk-latest.apk

4. Set the app as Device Owner:

   adb shell dpm set-device-owner io.gibeon.player.kiosk/io.gibeon.player.AdminReceiver

   If you get an error here, there is still an account on the device. Reset first and try again.
5. Restart the device with adb reboot. The app comes back locked, becomes the home app and immediately schedules the weekly maintenance restart.
6. On the screen, enter your activation code and connect the screen in Screens.

Unlock without a laptop

Do you need to reach the Android settings on site? Then no laptop is needed. Within 5 seconds, press this sequence on the remote’s direction keys:

up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right.

A Developer settings window opens in large letters. Choose the option to unlock the kiosk: that temporarily removes the lock so you can reach the Android settings. The same window also shows device diagnostics (version, network, sync status), to read out to support. All options are described under developer settings via the remote.

Works with a physical remote or a keyboard with direction keys. On a touch screen without direction keys the sequence is not available.

Free the device again (factory reset)

You cannot switch off Device Owner via the settings, that is exactly the point of a kiosk. If you want to free the device again or set it up again, a factory reset is the only way. ADB and the factory reset deliberately stay open on a gibeon.io kiosk, so you are never locked out.

There are two ways:

• Via the settings, after unlocking: Settings → System → Reset options → Erase all data. On an Android TV this is under Settings → Device preferences → Reset.
• Via a laptop: adb reboot recovery, then choose Wipe data / factory reset in the recovery menu.

After the reset the device is empty again. You can then set up kiosk mode again, or install the regular app.

What if it does not work