Updating Players and Keeping Versions in Step

The CMS and the player app on each screen are updated separately, and they need to stay roughly in step. We look after the CMS and most of the players, so there is less for you to do than you might think.

Who updates what

Software	Who updates it	How
The CMS	Us	easyCMS is hosted: we update, patch and back it up, and tell you when a release changes something you would notice.
Android, LG webOS and Samsung Tizen players	Us	A player build is assigned to the settings profile your screens share, and each player installs it in its own update window. Tell us when you want screens moved and we will schedule it.
Windows players	You	There is no central push. The installer runs on the machine, so plan for remote access or a site visit.

Good to know That split decides whether a hundred screens is a phone call to us or a hundred site visits.

The version rule

Run players on the same major version as easyCMS where you can: that is the full feature set, and what we test. The previous major version still works and gets security fixes, a fair holding position for hard-to-reach screens. Older than that, things break.

What drifting looks like:

Newer widget types show as blank areas on older players.
Something you set in easyCMS quietly does nothing on the device.
At worst, the player rejects a layout and falls back to whatever it can still play.

Layout works on one screen and not another? Compare player versions first: in Studio, My screens, then Details, shows it on the Player line. In classic easyCMS, sort Displays by the player version column.

Before a major version jump

On Android, LG webOS and Samsung Tizen, a new major version can need a licence entitlement, not just a download. Ask us before planning one. Windows players have no licence to worry about.

Rolling out without breaking a network

Pilot on one screen you can reach, ideally not the one customers look at.
Give it a day. Version problems show up in a day of real scheduling, not ten minutes.
Go in batches. Ask us to move a subset first, not every screen at once.
Check afterwards. Every player should report the new version and check in normally. If one does not, tell us before moving anything else.
Avoid the week before a campaign. No update is more urgent than a screen that already works.

When an update goes wrong

A screen will not start, or went dark after an update. Send us the screen’s name and what it shows and we will roll that screen or group back. Do not reinstall over a broken smart-display player: it usually slows recovery.

The player is online but nothing plays. Usually a layout made unplayable by a changed widget, not the update itself. Read the player status window and check whether the layout is still valid.

A Windows player will not launch after updating. Reinstall the version that worked, check the screen plays again, then tell us what happened before retrying.