Apps let you display a specific tool or live data source, such as a stock ticker, live sports score, embedded dashboard, or slide deck, directly on your screens. This is different from a post, which is content you create manually, and a feed, which pulls in updates from a connected source like Slack. An app instead shows a single connected tool or live data point. There are two places you can add an app: inside a Collection, where it plays in the main rotation alongside your posts and feed posts, or inside a Layout, where it sits in a secondary zone alongside your main content.

Before adding an app, you'll need a collection to add it to. See Creating Collections for Your Screens if you haven't set one up yet.

Your app now appears in the collection's Apps tab and will rotate along with the other content in the collection. Any updates you make to the app's settings, or to the connected file itself, sync to your screens automatically.

See the full list of app available under Collections below.

Some apps, such as Clock, Weather, or Countdown Timer, are built for secondary zones and can be added directly to a Layout instead of a Collection. See the full list of Layout apps below. This is useful for supporting content, like a ticker or sidebar widget, that should stay on screen alongside your main rotation rather than playing within it.

Check the My Apps section to see every layout app instance you've already set up. This list shows everything currently active and ready to use in your layout zones.

If you need the same app in more than one place, for example two different image galleries, you don't need to set it up from scratch each time:

Use the Collection Preview feature to see how your app will look before it goes live. See Previewing Your Collection for the full walkthrough.

Open the app from a Collection's Apps tab so you enter it's editing mode. From there, click Preview to see it on any existing screen, or view a simple landscape or portrait orientation sample.

Layout apps sit outside a Collection, so previewing one takes an extra step:

How an app reaches a screen depends on where you added it.

An app added to a Collection is part of that Collection's content, so assigning the Collection to a screen puts the app on it. See Assigning a Collection to a Screen.

An app added to a Layout travels with that Layout, so assign the Layout containing your app to a paired screen. See Making the Most of Your Screen with Layouts for how to assign a Layout to a screen.

How you delete an app depends on where it was added.

This is only available from the Apps list view.

How long an app stays on screen depends on where it's added.

Apps in a Collection follow the same playback timing as posts: most display for approximately 15 seconds. A video app plays for the full duration of its video, and a multi-page app like Canva or Google Slides cycles through each slide for a few seconds. See Automated Playback and Content Rotation for full details.

Apps in a Layout zone display for a fixed interval of 12 seconds each.

These specialized apps are added directly to a Collection. Once that Collection is assigned to a screen, they play automatically alongside your standard posts and Feed posts within the main layout zone.

These apps appear in secondary layout zones, such as the Side or Bottom (Ticker) zones, and support your main content. Adding one requires Display > Layouts. See Making the Most of Your Screen with Layouts for how to set up your zones, including which apps are supported in each zone type.

Three of these apps also work as Collection apps in the Main zone, listed below. Use them as a headline display in the Main zone, or as a supporting strip in a Side or Bottom (Ticker) zone.

Each app relies on third-party APIs and connections. To ensure a stable connection and prevent display errors, check your app configuration against the following. If your network restricts outbound traffic, also confirm the required domains are allowlisted; see the apps section of Domains and Servers to Whitelist for ScreenCloud.

Use the correct URLs or embed links, and make sure you're using approved logins with the necessary permissions to share the data. For apps like Canva, Google Slides, or Geckoboard, you must be the owner of the content or have specific administrative access to the file or dashboard. Content that has simply been "shared with you," or is restricted to view-only for certain users, cannot be retrieved by the app for display.

Make sure your content is authorized for external display, as most platforms block private or restricted content from embedding on digital screens. YouTube videos, for example, must be set to Public to play correctly. All URLs or embed links must be reachable via the public internet; links hosted on private local networks or intranets, or that require a manual login or cookies, will fail to load. For smooth playback, always use embed-friendly links that don't require authentication.