All help topics
TVCP Help Center
Short answers and step-by-step guides for the TVCP app on your TV and the Guardian app on your phone.
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Set up TVCP: install the apps and pair your TV
Install the Guardian app on your phone and TVCP on your TV, then pair them with the QR code or the pairing code.
Turn on protection: two quick settings on your TV
Grant Display over other apps and Usage access on the TV so TVCP can show the lock screen and block apps.
Can't find "Display over other apps" or "Usage access" on your TV
Where the two settings TVCP needs are on most TVs, and what to do when the setting page does not open.
My TV isn't responding to the app
What to do when the Guardian app can't reach your TV or shows it as offline.
I blocked an app but my child can still open it
Why a blocked app can still open, starting with the most common cause: another version of the same app.
Cancel your subscription, and refunds
You subscribe through Apple or Google, so you cancel there. Here are the steps, and where to ask for a refund.
Getting started
How TVCP works
Two apps, one system: you set the rules in the Guardian app on your phone, and the TVCP app on the TV enforces them.
Which TVs work with TVCP
TVCP works on Google TV and Android TV devices with the Google Play Store. Here's how to check yours.
Set up TVCP: install the apps and pair your TV
Install the Guardian app on your phone and TVCP on your TV, then pair them with the QR code or the pairing code.
Turn on protection: two quick settings on your TV
Grant Display over other apps and Usage access on the TV so TVCP can show the lock screen and block apps.
Set your PIN
Your 4-digit PIN unlocks the TV at the TV itself and protects TVCP's settings on the TV. Set it during setup or change it later.
Advanced Protection (optional): turn on debugging on your TV
What Advanced Protection adds, and how to turn on debugging in the TV's Developer options to set it up.
Everyday use
Lock and unlock the TV
Lock the TV from the Guardian app, unlock it with a slide, or unlock it at the TV with your PIN.
Set a screen time timer
Give a TV session a time limit from your phone. When it runs out, the TV goes to sleep or locks.
Set a schedule (unlock hours)
Choose the hours the TV can be used on weekdays and at the weekend. It locks itself the rest of the time.
Block apps like YouTube or Netflix
Choose which apps your child can't open on the TV, from the Apps tab of the Guardian app.
Limit the volume
Set how loud the TV can go from the Guardian app, and where the limit doesn't apply.
Stop apps being uninstalled (Uninstall Blocking)
Uninstall Blocking stops apps being removed and keeps your child out of the TV's Settings and the Play Store.
Fix a problem
My TV isn't responding to the app
What to do when the Guardian app can't reach your TV or shows it as offline.
I blocked an app but my child can still open it
Why a blocked app can still open, starting with the most common cause: another version of the same app.
The TV stays locked
Work out what locked the TV (a schedule, a timer or a lock from your phone) and how to unlock it.
The TV says "Protection unavailable"
Why a TV with Advanced Protection locks itself with Protection unavailable, and how to get it back.
I forgot the PIN (or my child knows it)
See your current PIN in the Guardian app, or set a new one if your child has learned it.
Pairing doesn't work
What each pairing message means, on the TV and on your phone, and how to get past it.
Can't find "Display over other apps" or "Usage access" on your TV
Where the two settings TVCP needs are on most TVs, and what to do when the setting page does not open.
Keep TVCP running (battery optimization)
Stop the TV from closing TVCP in the background to save power. Optional, but it helps on TVs that close apps.
Update the TVCP app on your TV
Update TVCP on the TV from the TV's Play Store, or send the update from your phone. Your settings are kept.
Plans and billing
How the free trial works
New subscribers get 7 days free. What you pay, when you get a reminder, and how to cancel before it ends.
Plans and prices
One subscription with every feature, for 1 to 5 TVs, monthly or yearly. The store shows your local price.
Change your plan: more TVs, fewer TVs, or yearly
Move to a plan with more or fewer TVs, or switch from monthly to yearly, from Settings in the Guardian app.
Cancel your subscription, and refunds
You subscribe through Apple or Google, so you cancel there. Here are the steps, and where to ask for a refund.
The app says I don't have a subscription
Restore your purchase when the Guardian app doesn't see a subscription you've paid for.
What happens when your trial or subscription ends
Which controls need a subscription, what stays free, and how to renew. Unlocking the TV is always free.
Your TVs and account
Add another TV
Pair a second (or third, fourth, fifth) TV to your account, and copy the rules from a TV you already set up.
Remove a TV, or move TVCP to a new TV
Disconnect a TV from your account, what to do if it's switched off, and how to set up TVCP on a new TV.
New phone or lost phone
Your settings and TVs are stored with your account, not on your phone. Sign in on another phone to carry on.
Delete your account and data
How to ask us to delete your TVCP account and data, and what to do about your subscription first.