Get Varunsh running on your screen
Pick your device below for numbered steps, what you should see at each one, how to pair your phone, and what to do when something does not work.
Read this first
- The app is not on any store yet. Listings are in progress, so TV and Android builds are supplied directly by us. That means a couple of extra steps on Android and Fire TV, and it means Samsung and HiSense currently need us to help.
- The web player needs no install. If you want to start watching in the next minute, that is the route.
- One TV and one phone are included on your number, on the trial and on every paid plan.
Before you start
- Your mobile number — it is how the account and your device slots are identified.
- The TV and phone on the same Wi-Fi, if you want to pair them the simple way.
- About ten minutes. Most of it is the TV asking you to confirm things.
- Optionally a Google AI Studio key, if you want the assistant running on your own quota. It is skippable.
Which device are you setting up?
Setting up Android TV
Sony, TCL, Xiaomi, Realme, OnePlus and other Google TV / Android TV sets, plus Android TV boxes.
How you get the app: We send you the signed app file directly, because the Play listing is still in progress. You install it once; updates come the same way.
Install on Android TV
On the TV, open Settings → System → About and select "Build" seven times to enable developer options.
What you should see: A toast appears saying you are now a developer.
Go to Settings → Apps → Security & restrictions → Unknown sources and allow installs for the file manager or browser you plan to use.
What you should see: The toggle for that app switches on. This is what lets a non-store app install.
Get the app file onto the TV: copy it to a USB stick and plug that in, or open the download link we sent you in the TV browser.
What you should see: The file manager lists the Varunsh app file, or the browser finishes downloading it.
Select the file and confirm the install.
What you should see: An install prompt, then "App installed". Varunsh appears in your apps row.
Open Varunsh and enter your mobile number. Type the code we text you.
What you should see: The number is verified and the app claims this TV as your included TV device.
Wait for the first catalogue load.
What you should see: Varunsh Vista builds the home screen — a billboard on top and rows underneath. Live rows fill in first.
Pair your phone with the TV
The TV shows a six-character code and you type it into the phone. That is the whole flow — there is nothing to scan.
On the TV, open the companion or pairing screen in Varunsh.
What you should see: A six-character code, in large type. Codes never contain characters that are easy to misread, so there is no guessing between O and 0.
On your phone, open Varunsh and start the setup wizard, or go to the companion screen if you are already set up.
What you should see: The wizard checks your network and then asks for the code.
Type the six characters shown on the TV into the phone.
What you should see: The phone confirms the pairing and the orb switches to its connected state.
Try the remote — move around with the D-pad and change the volume.
What you should see: The TV responds. If it does, pairing is done.
Hold the voice button and say something like "what is on now".
What you should see: Your phone acts as the TV microphone and the answer plays on both devices.
- A code is valid for ten minutes. If it lapses, ask the TV for a fresh one — nothing is broken.
- On the same Wi-Fi the phone talks to the TV directly. Otherwise it relays through our server, so pairing still works on mobile data or guest Wi-Fi.
- Each TV-and-phone pair gets its own token and reconnects by itself after a dropout.
- You can revoke a pairing at any time, which is what to do if you hand the TV on to someone else.
Add your own AI key (optional)
Skip this and the assistant still works. Add a key and your requests run on your own Google AI Studio quota.
Decide whether you want this at all. The assistant works without your own key; adding one means your requests run on your own quota.
What you should see: Skipping is offered as a normal choice in the wizard, not a warning.
Create a key in Google AI Studio. The wizard shows the link on screen.
What you should see: A long string starting with "AI". Treat it like a password.
Paste it into the API key step of the wizard and save.
What you should see: The key is checked once and the assistant confirms it is ready.
Ask the assistant something to confirm it works — "what is on now" does the job.
What you should see: A real answer naming things in the catalogue. If the key is rejected, the assistant says so instead of failing silently.
Start the 7-day trial
No card, one trial per mobile number.
Choose the free trial rather than a paid plan when you first sign in.
What you should see: Seven days of full access. No card is requested at any point.
Verify your mobile number.
What you should see: The trial starts. One trial per number and one per device, so a factory reset does not reset the clock.
Install on your TV and your phone within the trial if you want to test both.
What you should see: Both claim their included slot. The trial covers the same 1 TV + 1 mobile rule as a paid plan.
Subscribe before day seven to keep everything, or do nothing.
What you should see: If you do nothing, you drop to the free tier — news, religious and basic sports channels with ads — rather than losing the app.
- Every plan and the trial include one TV device and one mobile device, tied to your number.
- A second TV is refused and names the device holding the slot, so you can release it yourself.
- Extra devices are add-ons bought per device rather than a second subscription — see the pricing page for the current rate.
If something goes wrong on Android TV
The install is blocked as an unknown source
The TV says the app is not compatible
The remote will not focus something on screen
Still stuck? Contact support with your device model and what you saw on screen, and we will walk through it with you.
Once you are in
Varunsh Vista builds your home screen on first launch — 10 rows arranged automatically and refreshed every 5 minutes, so live channels, movies and shows are all one click from the front page. Sign in with the same mobile number on your TV and your phone and both are covered.