Frequently asked questions

No. Guests scan a QR code and the audio opens in their phone’s web browser. There’s no app, no account and nothing to install.

Yes. Scan To Listen sends audio directly from our unit to each guest’s phone over your venue’s local network, and it is never streamed over the internet. That’s a deliberate design choice: it keeps the audio from your TVs on your own network rather than relaying it anywhere else.

So a phone needs to be on your guest Wi-Fi to listen. On cellular data the page may open, but the audio won’t play. Your table cards tell guests which network to join, and can include a Wi-Fi QR code so joining is a single scan.

A phone with a modern web browser, such as Safari or Chrome. An iPad, tablet or laptop with a modern browser works too.

Headphones, wired or Bluetooth, are recommended so guests don’t disturb the people around them, but they can also listen through their device’s speaker. Bluetooth hearing aids paired to the guest’s phone work too. (Scan To Listen is not a certified assistive listening system, and hearing aids that use only a telecoil cannot use it.)

Audio typically reaches the phone in a fraction of a second. Bluetooth headphones add some delay of their own, which varies by model.

On iPhone, audio kept playing with the screen locked in our testing. On Android, audio stops when the screen locks, so keep the screen on while listening.

For each unit: a power outlet, a wired Ethernet port, and TVs or receivers with an optical audio output. You also need guest Wi-Fi for your guests to join.

We’ll confirm the details for your venue before quoting.

Most likely. Scan To Listen works with most TVs and DirecTV receivers, as long as they have an optical audio output: a small square port usually labelled “Optical” or “Digital Audio Out”. We’ll confirm your equipment before quoting and check its audio settings during setup.

Usually a short change: put the units on your guest network and make sure guests’ phones can reach them. Nothing needs to be opened on your internet firewall. Everything is on our network requirements page, and we’re happy to work with your IT team directly.

The units need an outbound internet connection. The listener page and the brief connection setup travel over it, and it lets us support and update the system remotely. The audio itself doesn’t; it goes directly across your local network. If your internet is down, guests who aren’t already listening may not be able to start.

There’s no fixed limit in the software. In practice your Wi-Fi sets the limit, so we’ll look at your network with you before quoting.

Your venue is responsible for having the right licenses for what you play, for example a commercial TV subscription and music performance licenses where they apply. Scan To Listen keeps audio on your venue’s network, but it doesn’t change what your licenses cover, and they should cover everyone who can listen on that network. If you’re unsure, check with your providers or your attorney.

Only if they’re connected to your network. Our device refuses to send audio to phones that aren’t on your local network, so a phone on cellular data or at home can’t listen.

Anyone who is on your network can, though, and Wi-Fi often reaches a little past your walls, onto a patio or into a parking lot. If your guest Wi-Fi also serves other buildings or businesses (common at resorts, campuses, malls, hotels and airports), tell us before install.

Please don’t make the system reachable from outside your venue, for example over a VPN, through remote access, or by extending your network to another location, unless your content licenses expressly allow it and we’ve agreed in writing. See our network requirements.

Yes. All connections are encrypted, and guests get a trusted, secure connection in their browser, with no security warnings to click through. Nothing needs to be opened on your internet firewall, and the admin page requires an approved sign-in.

For the highest level of security, follow our network recommendations: keep your guest Wi-Fi and the Scan To Listen units on a network that has no access to your other systems, such as point-of-sale or data storage. More detail is on our network requirements page.

Very little. Listening statistics are aggregate counts, such as how many people listened and for how long, plus a general device type (iPhone, Android or other). No accounts, names or device identifiers are stored.

Your team installs the units, and we guide setup remotely or on site. On-site visits are quoted separately.

Support is by email. We can update the system and diagnose most issues remotely, without a site visit.

Our goal is to offer the service at a price that works for venues big and small, and that beats the competition. Launch pricing is $15 per TV per month, plus a one-time setup fee of $120 per TV ($1,000 minimum), and your first month is free. Churches and non-profits may qualify for discounted pricing. See our pricing page for examples and what’s included, or get in touch for a quote.