Player or Admin?
JellyWatch has two Android apps. JellyWatch Admin is for the person who manages the server. JellyWatch Player is the app you use to watch your Jellyfin or Emby library on your phone, tablet or TV. This page is about the Player.
| JellyWatch Admin | JellyWatch Player | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Monitor and manage your server | Watch your library |
| Typical user | The server admin | Everyone who watches |
| Platforms | Android phone and tablet | Android TV, Fire TV, phone and tablet |
| Google Play | com.jellywatch.app | com.jellywatch.tv |
| Extra unlock | Admin Features, then Watch Pass (bought by the admin) | Premium (optional, one-time) |
Most Player pages cover TV and phone together, with the phone differences stated where they matter. Start with the Introduction. The Admin app has its own documentation in the JellyWatch Admin tab.
Where things are on a phone or tablet
The bottom bar has five tabs: Home, Search, Library, Requests and Settings. On a tablet or in landscape the bar becomes a side rail, with your avatar at the top to open Who's watching?.
| I want to… | Go to |
|---|---|
| Resume a show | Home, Continue Watching |
| Find a title | Search tab. See Search. |
| Browse a library | Library tab. See Library browsing. |
| Open Music, Live TV, Watch Party, Books, Playlists or Achievements | Tiles on the Library tab |
| Request a movie | Requests tab. See Requests. |
| Get recommendations | The Recommendations button on Home. See Recommendations. |
| Download for offline | See Downloads |
| Change a setting | Settings tab. See Settings. |
| Sign a TV in with this phone | Settings → Connect my TV |
The video player
Tap the video to show the controls. There is no swipe gesture. Brightness and volume have their own icons on the screen. See Video player for the full list of controls.
- Pressing Home during playback keeps the video in a floating window (picture in picture).
- Settings → Playback → Lock landscape in the player keeps the player in landscape while a video is open.
Connect my TV
Sign a TV in without typing a password. On the TV, choose Sign in from JellyWatch app and note the 6-character code. On your phone, open Settings → Connect my TV, enter the code and select Connect my TV. The phone must be signed in with a Google account. See Connecting your server.
Play on TV and Cast
On a movie, episode or series page, the Play on TV button opens a sheet with two options:
- Play on JellyWatch TV sends playback to a TV where JellyWatch Player is open and signed in to the same server. If the TV is not signed in to that server, the app tells you to open that server first.
- Cast TV sends the title to a Chromecast on your network (Choose a screen). Once connected, you control playback from the phone: rewind, forward, pause, volume and stop. Cast is available in the Google Play build only.
Notifications
Allow notifications on Android 13 and later. The app can notify you about SocialWatch activity, available requests (with Premium and Watch Pass) and download progress. See Settings for the Notifications screen.
Android Auto
With the Google Play build, JellyWatch Player shows your music and audiobooks in the car. See Music and Android Auto.
Features that exist on TV only
Match frame rate, the screensaver, launcher channels, passthrough codec switches and the sidebar library customisation are TV features.
