Troubleshooting

Most problems come down to the connection, the browser or the device’s settings. Find what you’re seeing below.

“Connection lost” or “Recovering…”

The device can’t reach shotimer.io for the moment.

• Stage screens keep counting from their last update, so the speaker still sees a running timer. A warning appears if the connection stays down.
• On the Controller, playback buttons pause until the connection returns. Commands are never stored up and replayed late. Press Reconnect now to try straight away.
• Check the device’s Wi-Fi or mobile data. On busy venue Wi-Fi, try mobile data or a wired connection.
• If it doesn’t recover, refresh the page.
• To plan for bad Wi-Fi, see If the internet drops.

A screen says “Waiting to connect”

The room already has as many screens as its plan allows. The Free plan allows 3. The screen connects by itself as soon as another one disconnects. To free a place now, remove a screen you don’t need from Screens. See Screens and access.

If it says the screen is already open in several tabs, close the extra tabs showing that screen. It connects by itself within a few seconds.

“This link does not grant access”

The link is incomplete, or the room’s links have been replaced since it was sent. Ask the person running the show for a new link or QR code from Share links & QR codes. Copy the whole link, including everything after the #.

The Controller’s buttons are greyed out

• View only: another device has control. Press Take control at the top. See Using two devices.
• Lock editing is on: the rundown can’t be changed, but Start and Pause still work. Press Locked to unlock.
• No connection: see “Connection lost” above.

A screen went to sleep or dimmed

Turn off auto-lock and the screen saver in the device’s settings, switch off battery saver, and plug the device in. See Keep it on for the whole show.

No warning chimes

• Chimes play on the Controller that has control, not on stage screens.
• Click anywhere on the Controller once, because some browsers only allow sound after that.
• Check Mute audio in the three-dot menu at the top right, the computer’s volume, and that the timer’s chimes are switched on in its settings.

A scheduled start didn’t happen

• The room needs an event date, and it must be that day. The date at the top of the rundown warns if there’s none or it has passed. Set it in Room settings.
• The timer’s trigger must be Scheduled: click its start time to check. A Manual timer waits for Play.
• The timer must be the selected one when the time comes.
• After a reset, scheduled starts are paused. Press Resume scheduled starts under the Start button.
• Times use the room’s time zone, shown under the preview, not the clock of your computer.

I can’t add another timer or room

The Free plan allows 3 rooms and 3 timers per room. Change or delete an existing timer, or see Free and Pro. Shotimer Pro is coming soon.

An older iPad or phone doesn’t work properly

Shotimer works on Safari 14 and later. Update the device if you can, refresh the page, and try adding it to the Home Screen. See System requirements.

Sign-up or password emails don’t arrive

• Check your spam or junk folder for an email from Shotimer.
• Links work once and expire after a short time. If one says it has expired, request a new one.
• Use the newest email if you asked more than once.