LOBBY
Rooms help

Set up a virtual screen on a tablet or TV

Show a room or a board on an iPad, Android tablet, smart TV or any device with a browser.

Plan: All plansWho can do it: Admins6 stepsVideo: 0:45

Narrated walkthrough with captions. The steps below cover the same ground with screenshots.

Before you start

  • A tablet, TV, laptop or spare phone with a modern web browser.
  1. 1

    Create the virtual screen

    Open Rooms, click the room, open the Screens tab and click Add a screen. Choose Virtual screen, then click Create virtual screen.

    Choose a TRMNL display or a virtual screen for the room.
  2. 2

    Or create it from the Screens page

    Go to Screens, click Add a screen and choose Virtual display. Under Content type, pick a single room or a board, select it, and click Create virtual display.

    Create a virtual screen for a room or a board.
  3. 3

    Get it onto the device

    On the screen's page, Get this display on your screen offers three ways: Pair with a PIN (easiest), Scan a QR code with the device's camera, or Open the link directly by pasting the URL into the device's browser.

    Three ways to get a virtual screen onto a device.
  4. 4

    Pair with a PIN

    Click Generate a PIN. On the tablet or TV, open a browser, go to app.usethelobby.com/tablet and type the 6-digit PIN, then tap Pair tablet. The PIN is valid for 15 minutes, and New PIN replaces it.

    A PIN is valid for 15 minutes.
  5. 5

    Choose the design

    Under the screen's settings, pick a Screen design: Modern (a warm, full-colour layout that scales to any screen) or E-ink (the classic TRMNL panel). For Modern, choose a Direction: Horizontal or Vertical. Click Save settings.

    Choose the Modern or E-ink design for a virtual screen.
  6. 6

    Keep the device on the page

    Lock the device to the browser so it stays on the room. On an iPad use Guided Access; on Android use screen pinning or a kiosk browser; on a TV use its kiosk mode if it has one.

What happens next

The page reloads by itself about once a minute, so the screen stays up to date without anyone touching it.

Tips

  • Keep the link private: anyone with it can view the display. If it leaks, click Regenerate link. The old link, QR code and any PIN stop working immediately.
  • Virtual screens count towards the 3 active screens on the Free plan, just like e-ink screens.
  • Virtual screens have no battery, so battery alerts and active hours don't apply.
  • With the E-ink design, set Color mode to Full color for tablets, TVs and kiosks.

If something goes wrong

The tablet shows 'Display locked'.

The viewer allowlist is enforced and the tablet's internet address isn't on it. Allow it from the screen's Viewer allowlist.

'That code didn't work. Ask the admin for a new one.'

The PIN has expired or was replaced. Click Generate a PIN or New PIN in Lobby and try again.

The link shows 'not found'.

The screen was deleted or the link was regenerated. Open the screen in Lobby and use the current link, QR code or a new PIN.

Related guides

Lock a virtual screen to your officeScreensCreate an overview boardBoardsManage your screensScreens

Still stuck?

Open Support at the bottom of the dashboard sidebar and send us a ticket. We reply by email, in the same thread.

Prefer email?

Write to support@usethelobby.com and include your organisation's domain.