Troubleshooting

Something not working? Find it below. If it isn't here, ask on the GitHub repository.

A video won't play

VueGram already does a lot by itself here:

1. When the TV's hardware decoder refuses a file, the built-in player tries another decoder, then Android's software decoders.
2. If none of them can play it, VueGram hands the video to mpv-android at the same position.

So if you see "This video's format cannot be played here, and mpv is not installed", install mpv-android on the TV and play the video again. You can also open any video in mpv yourself: hold OK on it and choose Play in mpv.

If a video starts but stalls, it is usually the connection: Telegram streams the video while you watch. Give it a moment, or try again a little later.

Login is stuck

• The QR code doesn't log in. Scan it from Telegram on your phone, under Settings › Devices › Link Desktop Device, not with the phone's camera app. The code refreshes itself, so an old photo of it won't work: scan the one on the screen now.
• Telegram asks for a login email, or a paid SMS. This happens on the phone-number route. Use Log in with a QR code instead: it needs neither. See Logging in.
• It asks for a password you don't know. That is your Telegram 2-step verification password (the cloud password you set in Telegram), not your phone's lock code. You can reset it from Telegram on your phone, under Settings › Privacy and Security.
• The API ID or hash was wrong. Check both on my.telegram.org under API development tools. The ID is only digits; the hash is a long string of letters and digits. If VueGram keeps rejecting them, clear VueGram's data in the TV's settings (Settings › Apps › VueGram › Clear data) and enter them again. This logs you out and resets your pinned and hidden chats and where you stopped.

FLOOD_WAIT

If VueGram says "Telegram asked VueGram to slow down. Try again in … seconds" (Telegram calls this FLOOD_WAIT, or error 429), wait that long, then press Try again. VueGram never retries by itself, so it can't make the wait longer.

Telegram limits how many requests one account can make in a short time. VueGram is careful to send its searches and lookups one after the other, never in bursts, but a lot of searching in a short time can still hit the limit. It clears up by itself after a short wait; how long is up to Telegram.

The library is empty

• "No groups or channels yet". By default VueGram lists only groups and channels, never private chats or bots. If you only have private chats, the library is empty. Join a channel in Telegram, or turn on Show people.
• Did you hide them? Hidden chats only show up behind the Hidden channels card. See Hidden channels.
• "Could not load your chats". The message says why. Check the TV's internet connection; if it mentions FLOOD_WAIT, see above.
• A chat says "No videos in this chat". VueGram shows a chat's videos and video files only (unless Show messages is on). A chat with only text and photos has nothing to show.

An update fails

When an update can't be installed, VueGram says The update was not installed and why:

Message	What to do
the download does not match the release's SHA-256 checksum	The download was damaged or incomplete. Try again later.
the release has no SHA-256 checksum, so it can't be checked	The release is missing its .apk.sha256 file. VueGram refuses to install it unchecked; wait for the release to be fixed.
the download is not signed with VueGram's key	VueGram only installs updates signed with the same key as the installed app. Don't install this file.
GitHub answered … or download failed (…)	GitHub couldn't be reached or refused the request. Check the TV's internet connection and try again later.

If you are asked to Allow VueGram to install its updates, that is the one-time "Install unknown apps" permission: see Updates.

If nothing else works, you can always install the new version by hand, the same way as the first time (see Getting started). Install it over the existing app; don't uninstall first, or you will have to log in again.