⚠️ Important Note
Signagelive's Chrome IWA is releasing on June 1st, therefore, if you are reading this article prior to this date, you may find that some installation steps are missing. From June 1st, you'll be able to install the Chrome IWA.
The Signagelive Companion Chrome Extension is a mandatory companion application required for the Signagelive Chrome Isolated Web App (IWA) to function. Without it, the Chrome IWA will not display an activation code on screen, and your device will not be able to communicate with your Signagelive Network.
This article will walk you through the process of installing the Signagelive Companion Chrome Extension via the Google Admin Console.
What does the Signagelive Companion Chrome Extension do?
Due to security restrictions in Google’s new Isolated Web App framework, the Chrome IWA cannot directly access certain ChromeOS system-level APIs. The Signagelive Companion Chrome Extension acts as a proxy for these requests, enabling the following functionality:
Reporting of system metrics (such as device information and hardware ID)
Remote reboot commands
Screen on/off controls
Widget functionality (for widgets that rely on system-level APIs)
If the Companion Chrome Extension is not installed alongside the Chrome IWA, the Chrome IWA will display the following message in place of an activation code on your device: “The required Chrome Extension is not installed. Please install the extension and relaunch Signagelive.”
Before you begin
Before installing the Signagelive Companion Chrome Extension, please ensure the following:
The Signagelive Chrome IWA has already been added to your Organisational Unit (OU). See our article on How to install the Signagelive Chrome IWA on ChromeOS if you haven’t done this yet.
You have administrator access to your Google Admin Console at admin.google.com.
How to install the Signagelive Companion Chrome Extension
To install the Signagelive Companion Chrome Extension, please carry out the following steps:
Log in to your Google Admin Console at admin.google.com.
Navigate to Devices > Chrome > Apps and Extensions > Kiosks.
Select the Organisational Unit (OU) where you have installed the Signagelive Chrome IWA.
Find the Signagelive Chrome IWA in the kiosk list and, under the Extensions section, click Add Extension > Add from custom URL.
Enter the following Extension ID: kgljlebopalmllppjkkhlpjpobikigec
From the dropdown, select From a Custom URL and enter the following: [TBC – Production Custom URL to be provided by Signagelive]
Press Save.
[Screenshot: Google Admin Console – Add Extension > Add from custom URL dialog, with the Extension ID and Custom URL fields populated]
Once added, you should see a new entry under the Extensions section of your installed Signagelive Chrome IWA, with the Extension ID listed above as its reference.
How long does it take for the extension to apply to my device?
The Signagelive Companion Chrome Extension will sync with your device based on your CDM sync policy (usually within a few minutes to a few hours). Once the policy has applied, you should reboot your device to ensure the extension is loaded correctly.
How do I check if the extension is installed?
If the Signagelive Chrome IWA displays an activation code on launch, the Companion Chrome Extension is installed and functioning correctly.
If you see the message “The required Chrome Extension is not installed. Please install the extension and relaunch Signagelive”, the extension is either missing, has not yet synced, or has failed to install. To resolve this:
Confirm the Extension ID and Custom URL are correctly entered in your CDM.
Wait a few minutes for the policy to re-sync.
Reboot the device.
Please Note
Without the Signagelive Companion Chrome Extension, you will not be able to activate or publish content to your Chrome IWA device. The extension is not optional.