Setting up a TV
What do I need?
You need a Roku TV or a Roku streaming device that is connected to the internet, and a phone, tablet or computer with a web browser. Family members who send photos only need the web browser. Nobody needs to install an app on their phone.
How do I add FriendFrame to my Roku?
The FriendFrame channel is coming soon to the Roku Channel Store. We will add the link to this page as soon as it is available.
How do I connect my TV to my account?
Open FriendFrame on the TV. It shows a six-character code and a QR code.
- On your phone, scan the QR code with the camera, or go to my.friendframe.com and choose Add a frame.
- Sign in or create a free account. You need to confirm your email address before you can connect a TV.
- Check the code, give the TV a name such as "Living Room" or "Grandma's TV", and continue.
The TV connects within a few seconds. In FriendFrame each connected TV is called a frame.
The code on my TV changed. Is that a problem?
No. Each code is valid for 15 minutes. If it is not used in time, the TV shows a new code on its own. Use the code that is on the screen now.
Can FriendFrame be my Roku screensaver?
Yes. Connect the TV first by opening the FriendFrame channel. Then on your Roku go to Settings, Theme, Screensavers and choose FriendFrame. Your photos will then appear whenever the TV is idle.
Can I change settings from the TV?
Yes. While photos are showing in the channel, press OK or the * button on the remote. You can change the slide speed, shuffle, captions and names, the clock, the new photo badge, or unpair the TV. The same settings are on the frame's page in the app under On the TV.
How do I move a frame to a different TV?
Open FriendFrame on the new TV so it shows a code. In the app, open the frame, choose Replace TV and enter the new code. The frame keeps its name, albums, people and settings. The old TV goes back to showing a pairing code.
Sharing and approvals
How do I invite family?
Open a frame or an album and choose Share. Enter the person's email address and choose what they can do. They receive an email with a link that is valid for 14 days. They must accept it with an account that uses the same email address the invite was sent to. Pending invites also appear on their home screen in the app.
What can each person do?
- View: sees the photos.
- Add photos: can also send photos to the frame or album.
- Manage: can also approve photos, change settings and invite other people.
The person who created a frame or album is its owner and can do everything.
Why hasn't a photo appeared on the TV yet?
Photos from people who can add photos but are not marked as trusted wait for approval. The owner or a manager approves or declines them from the home screen in the app. A declined photo is deleted. Photos from owners, managers and trusted people go straight to the TV.
How do I skip approval for someone I trust?
When you approve their photos, choose Approve and always trust. You can also turn on Trusted when you invite them, or change it later on the frame's or album's Share page.
How often will I get approval emails?
When photos are waiting for you, FriendFrame sends one summary email after the uploads have stopped for a few minutes, and no more than one an hour. You can turn these emails off under Account, Notifications.
Why can I see an album name but not its photos?
People who share a frame can see which albums are on it, but they only see the photos in albums that were also shared with them. Open the album to accept a pending invite or to ask the owner for access.
Plans and billing
What is included in each plan?
The Free plan includes 1 TV frame, up to 500 photos and up to 5 family members. The Family plan costs $4.99 a month and includes up to 5 TV frames, 10,000 photos and unlimited family members. See Pricing for details.
Does everyone in the family need a plan?
No. Only the owner of a frame or album needs a plan, and the limits count what that person owns. Family members you invite can view and send photos without paying anything.
How do I upgrade?
In the app, go to Account, Plan & storage and choose Upgrade to Family. Payment is handled securely by Stripe. We never see or store your card number.
How do I cancel or update my card?
Go to Account, Plan & storage and choose Manage. From there you can update your card, view invoices or cancel. If you cancel, the Family plan stays active until the end of the period you have already paid for.
What happens to my photos if I go back to Free?
Nothing is deleted. Your frames, albums and photos stay as they are. While you are over a Free limit, you cannot add more frames, photos or people until you are back under it.
Privacy
Who can see my photos?
Only the people you invite to a frame or album, and the TVs connected to frames that show it. FriendFrame has no public profiles, no search and no feed. Photos are stored at long, randomly generated web addresses that are not listed or published anywhere.
Is location data removed from my photos?
Yes. Before a photo is uploaded, your browser makes a resized copy for the TV. The copy does not include location or other camera data, and the original file never leaves your device.
How do I delete my account?
In the app, go to Account and choose Delete account. This permanently deletes your account, every frame and album you own with all of their photos, and the photos you sent to other people's frames and albums. A Family subscription is cancelled right away, and paired TVs go back to the pairing screen. This cannot be undone.
How do I get a copy of my data?
In the app, go to Account, then Your data, and choose Email me a download link. We email you a link to a file with your profile, frames, albums, sharing, and a list of your photos with their captions, dates, and links. The link works for 7 days, and you can request one copy a day. Photo files are not included in the download; open the links in the file to save them.
Your other options are described in the Your Rights section of our Privacy Policy. The full Privacy Policy explains what we collect and how it is used.
Troubleshooting
My TV says "Can't reach FriendFrame"
The TV could not connect to FriendFrame to get a pairing code. It tries again every few seconds on its own, so the message often clears without any action.
- Check that other channels on the Roku can play video.
- On the Roku, go to Settings, Network and choose Check connection.
- Restart the Roku and your internet router, then open FriendFrame again.
If the message stays for more than a few minutes while other channels work, please contact us.
New photos are not showing on the TV
The TV checks for new photos about once a minute. If a photo has not appeared after a few minutes:
- Open the frame in the app. Under TV it shows Online, or when the TV last checked in. If the TV has been offline, it keeps showing the photos it already has and catches up once it reconnects.
- Check whether the photo is waiting for approval.
- Check that the photo's album is turned on under Albums on this frame.
My TV is showing a pairing code again
This happens when the TV was unpaired, either from the TV's settings or from the app, or when the frame was deleted. Connect it again with the new code. If the frame still exists, open it in the app and choose Pair a TV so it keeps its albums and settings.
Why do some photos have blurred edges?
FriendFrame never crops faces off a photo. Tall photos, square photos and other photos narrower than the TV are shown whole, with a soft blurred copy of the same photo filling the space at the sides. Wide photos fill the whole screen.
How do captions work?
When you send photos, you can type a message, and it appears on the TV as the caption. The person who sent a photo, and anyone who manages its album, can add or edit the caption later by opening the photo in the app. Captions can be up to 140 characters. If a photo has no caption, the TV shows the album name instead, along with the first name of the person who sent it.
To show or hide captions and names, open the frame in the app and use Captions & names under On the TV, or change it in the TV's settings.
A photo says "this photo format isn't supported"
Your browser could not open that file. Most phones convert photos automatically when you choose them from the photo library. On a computer, save the photo as a JPEG and try again.
I didn't receive an email from FriendFrame
Emails come from noreply@e.friendframe.com. Check your spam or junk folder. Verification links are valid for 48 hours and password reset links for 1 hour. You can ask for a new verification email from the banner in the app.