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Pairing connects a physical Apple TV to your Piksel account so the dashboard can send it content. The process uses a 6-digit pairing code that the Piksel player app generates on first launch. You enter that code once in the dashboard, and the screen is permanently linked to your account.

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How pairing works

When the Piksel player app starts on an Apple TV for the first time, it registers itself with Piksel and generates a unique 6-digit pairing code, which the app displays on screen. In the dashboard, when you enter the code in Pair Screen and click Pair, Piksel finds the matching display, links it to your account, and marks it as paired. From that point on, the Apple TV is permanently associated with your account — the pairing code is not needed again.
The pairing code only works while the display is unpaired. Once paired, the same code cannot be reused, and the display is permanently associated with your account until you delete it.

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Pair a screen

1

Open the Piksel app on your Apple TV

Power on your Apple TV and launch the Piksel player app. On first launch, the app registers itself with the Piksel backend and displays a 6-digit pairing code in large text at the center of the screen.Leave the Apple TV on this screen — the code remains visible until you complete pairing.
2

Open the Screens page in the dashboard

Sign in to the Piksel dashboard and click Screens in the sidebar. Click Pair Screen (or Add Screen, depending on your dashboard version). A pairing dialog opens.
3

Enter the 6-digit code

Type the 6-digit code shown on your Apple TV into the pairing dialog. Double-check each digit before submitting — the code is case-insensitive but must be exactly six digits.Click Pair.
The code is tied to one specific Apple TV. Do not enter a code from a different device — it will pair the wrong screen to your account.
4

Confirm the screen is online

After a successful pairing, the screen appears in your Screens list with a status of Online. The Apple TV transitions from the pairing code screen to a standby state, ready to receive a playlist.Click the screen card to open the detail view, where you can rename the display, set its location, adjust rotation, and assign a playlist.

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After pairing

Once a screen is paired, it stays connected to your account in real time. Any change you make in the dashboard — assigning a playlist, updating a schedule, or triggering a smart rule — reaches the Apple TV within about one second. The Screens page tracks each display’s Online/Offline status based on heartbeat freshness. A screen that has not sent a heartbeat recently is shown as Offline.

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Troubleshooting

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The code does not match any screen

Make sure you are entering the code exactly as shown on the Apple TV. The code is six digits with no letters. If the dashboard returns an error saying no unpaired display was found:
  • Confirm you are reading the code from the Piksel player app, not a different app on the Apple TV.
  • Restart the Piksel app on the Apple TV to generate a fresh code and try again.
If you close and reopen the Piksel app on the Apple TV before completing pairing, the app registers a new display and generates a new pairing code. Always use the code currently shown on screen.

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The screen says it is already paired

Each Apple TV can only be paired to one account at a time. If the display record already exists in your account, go to Screens in the dashboard — the screen may already be listed there. If the screen is paired to a different account, you must delete the display from that account first, or restart the Piksel app on the Apple TV to register it as a new display with a new pairing code.

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The screen paired but shows as offline immediately

An Offline status right after pairing usually means the Apple TV lost its network connection during or just after the pairing process. Check the Apple TV’s Wi-Fi settings and confirm it can reach the internet, then wait up to 90 seconds for the heartbeat to register and the status to update to Online.
If a screen remains offline for more than a few minutes after pairing, restart the Piksel app on the Apple TV. It will reconnect and resume sending heartbeats to the dashboard.