This article addresses common questions and known limitations relating to the Signagelive Chrome Isolated Web App (IWA), the replacement client for the legacy Signagelive Chrome App on ChromeOS.
FAQs
What is the Signagelive Chrome IWA?
The Signagelive Chrome IWA (Isolated Web App) is the new Signagelive client for ChromeOS devices. It replaces the legacy Signagelive Chrome App, which is being deprecated by Google. For more information, please see our article on An introduction to the Signagelive Chrome IWA.
Why is Signagelive moving from the Chrome App to the Chrome IWA?
Google is removing support for Chrome Apps on ChromeOS, including Kiosk mode. To ensure continuity of service for our ChromeOS customers, we have built a new client based on Google’s modern Isolated Web App framework, which is the long-term successor to Chrome Apps.
When do I need to migrate?
Signagelive only supports ChromeOS devices running the LTS (Long Term Support) channel. Google will remove Chrome Apps support in Kiosk mode on the LTS channel in April 2027. You will need to migrate all your devices to the Signagelive Chrome IWA before this date.
We recommend planning your migration well ahead of the deadline, particularly for larger networks.
Do I need to deactivate my Player before migrating to the Chrome IWA?
No. You don’t need to deactivate your existing Player. The migration process preserves your Player’s licence automatically by recognising the device’s hardware ID (Directory Device ID). Your Player will continue to operate against its existing licence after migration.
Will my published content be preserved during migration?
Your published content schedules are stored on your Signagelive Network and are not affected by migration. However, the physical media files stored on your device cannot be carried over due to ChromeOS sandboxing – these will be re-downloaded automatically to your devices once they have migrated.
Can I revert my device from the Chrome IWA back to the Chrome App?
No. Migration is a one-way process and cannot be reversed. This is due to ChromeOS’s security model, which sandboxes data storage for every application, and to changes made to our backend records during migration. For more information, please see our article on How to migrate from the Signagelive Chrome App to the Chrome IWA.
My kiosk application is displaying “The required Chrome Extension is not installed. Please install the extension and relaunch Signagelive” – what do I do?
This message indicates that the Signagelive Companion Chrome Extension has not been installed alongside the Signagelive Chrome IWA. The Companion Chrome Extension is mandatory for the Chrome IWA to function.
To resolve this, please follow the steps in our article on How to install the Signagelive Companion Chrome Extension. Once installed, wait for the policy to re-sync (usually a few minutes) and then reboot your device.
What is the minimum Chrome version supported by the Chrome IWA?
The Signagelive Chrome IWA requires Chrome version 140 or newer. Older versions are not supported.
Are non-enrolled devices supported by the Chrome IWA?
No. The Signagelive Chrome IWA is only supported on ChromeOS devices that are enterprise-enrolled via Chrome Device Management (CDM). Non-enrolled devices are out of scope and are not supported.
Will the Chrome IWA update automatically?
Yes. Once installed via the Google Admin Console, the Chrome IWA will receive updates automatically in line with your CDM sync policy (usually every few hours). You can speed this up by rebooting your device a few times to trigger an immediate policy refresh.
Known Limitations
IPTV is not supported
In line with the legacy Signagelive Chrome App, the Chrome IWA does not support IPTV.
Frame synchronisation is not supported
The Signagelive Chrome IWA does not support frame-level synchronisation between Players. Whilst Sync Groups and Screen Takeovers are supported, minor timing drift between devices may occur. This is a pre-existing limitation that also applied to the Signagelive Chrome App.
For best results when using sync features, we recommend:
Using a wired (Ethernet) connection rather than WiFi, as WiFi can introduce additional latency.
Using devices of similar specification within the same Sync Group or Takeover Group.
Brief black screen on first boot when in a Sync Group
When the Signagelive Chrome IWA first boots as part of a Sync Group, the device will synchronise its time with the Signagelive Date Time API. To work around an issue where some devices report an inflated boot-time latency, the Chrome IWA performs a second time sync approximately one minute after the first.
During this second sync, you may see a brief black screen on the device. This is a known and intentional behaviour, and should only occur on first boot (or when a previously offline device regains internet connectivity).
Date/time corrections require user action when a device returns online
If a Signagelive Chrome IWA device falls offline and then regains its internet connection, it will not automatically resynchronise with the Signagelive Date Time API. To trigger a re-sync, you will need to do one of the following:
Issue a Player configuration update from the Signagelive Network.
Re-save the device’s Settings screen.
Reboot the device.
Synced nested assets with future-dated validity periods or recurrence rules may not display
There is a known issue in the current Signagelive Chrome IWA release whereby synced nested assets with a validity period or recurrence rule set to start in the future do not display on the Player when their scheduled time arrives.
This affects scenarios where all of the following are true:
The Player is part of a Sync Group or Takeover Group.
The published content contains a nested Playlist.
An asset within the nested Playlist has a validity period or recurrence rule that starts at a future date or time.
As a workaround, please avoid setting future-dated validity periods or recurrence rules on nested assets within synced Playlists until this is resolved.
Our development team is aware of this issue and a fix is planned for a future release.