Start in Studio with the right TV

Sign in, choose the paired TV you mean to work with, and understand the difference between a saved app-list snapshot, copied banners, and a layout backup.

1. 1

   Sign in with your Pro code

   On the TV Google Play edition, open Settings → “UPGRADE TO PRO”, then choose “PURCHASE PRO” or “RESTORE PURCHASE”. After a successful purchase or restore, the TV provides “YOUR STUDIO ACTIVATION CODE”. Enter that same code on Studio’s “Activation code” form and choose “Enter Studio”. The website code-purchase and TV redemption route remains available too; its activation code also works for Studio.

   If the code is lost, use “Forgot your code? Request recovery” or open the recovery page. For a Google Play purchase, use “RESTORE PURCHASE” on the TV to retrieve the code unless you already added and verified an optional recovery email in Studio. Google Play does not share its purchase email with Studio, so it cannot be used for recovery unless you add and verify it there. Do not send your full activation code in a support ticket.

2. 2

   Choose the TV whose saved data you want to inspect

   When more than one TV is paired, use “Selected TV · app list, backup and wallpaper-update target” and choose the intended TV. Studio does not guess which TV to use based on which one sent data most recently.

   Compare the displayed full device ID with the six-character Studio ID shown on the TV under Settings → Website Sync & Backup. TV names can be identical.

   The selected TV determines which app-list snapshot and device layout backup Studio displays, and which TV receives a wallpaper-only update. The shared website layout and account backup are separate from that selection.

3. 3

   Choose which TV data to send from the TV

   For only the installed-app list, open Settings → Website Sync & Backup on the TV and choose “SEND APP LIST TO STUDIO”, then confirm “SEND APP LIST”. In Studio, choose “Refresh last-sent app list” to fetch that saved list. This standalone action updates the app list only.

   To send both the active profile layout snapshot and the installed-app list, choose “SEND THIS TV LAYOUT TO STUDIO” and confirm “SEND TO STUDIO”. This replaces that TV’s previously sent snapshot and app list only; it does not change the TV, another paired TV, the shared website layout, or the account backup.

   To copy banners, choose “SEND TV APP BANNERS TO STUDIO”, then confirm with “SEND TV APP BANNERS”. This action refreshes the installed-app list first, then sends available banner images for Studio’s visual artwork. The app list and banners remain separate data with their own update times; if banner preparation or sending fails after the refresh, the app-list update may still have succeeded.

   Check that the selected TV has eligible banners before confirming: if no eligible banners remain, the TV sends an empty banner snapshot, which clears that TV’s previously stored Studio banners.

   To bring the TV’s layout into Studio, use “Load this TV’s layout backup” on Layout after sending “SEND THIS TV LAYOUT TO STUDIO”. That combined TV action updates both the per-TV layout snapshot and the app list; loading it puts the layout in the editor draft only.

4. 4

   Read the snapshot timestamps before editing

   The app list is labelled as a last-sent snapshot, not a live inventory. “Refresh last-sent app list” fetches the saved snapshot from Studio’s service; it does not poll or live-read an offline TV.

   The app list, copied banners, and layout snapshot are distinct data with separately displayed update times. “SEND THIS TV LAYOUT TO STUDIO” updates both the layout snapshot and app list; the standalone “SEND APP LIST” updates only the list. “SEND TV APP BANNERS TO STUDIO” refreshes the list first and then uploads banners.

   Refreshing TV data does not replace or clear your current editor draft.

Video walkthroughs live on the TVApplaunchЯ YouTube channel ↗.