A question about using a PIN on the AppleTV 4K ...

[Felix8217 1]

I recently started using the emby app on my first generation AppleTV 4K. I have a PIN set up on my account, and the app does indeed ask for the PIN when I first log in, but after that I can exit the app and go back in without needing to re-enter the PIN. Consequently, in order to prevent unwanted people from viewing my content, I must either reboot the AppleTV, or sign out of my account (requiring me to re-enter my full password to get back in). Is this how it is supposed to behave? This is different than how it works on my Roku. On the Roku, every time I exit the emby app and go back in, it asks for my PIN again.

Edited January 16, 2025 by Felix8217

[Luke 42077]

@SamESare you able to reproduce?

[SamES 1056]

6 hours ago, Luke said:

@SamESare you able to reproduce?

Yes, this is normal if the app keeps running in the background.  @Felix8217, how do you 'exit the app'?  Are you just pressing back to get to the ATV Home screen, or do you open the app switcher and 'swipe-up' to close the app?

[Felix8217 1]

On 1/21/2025 at 6:01 AM, SamES said:

Yes, this is normal if the app keeps running in the background.  @Felix8217, how do you 'exit the app'?  Are you just pressing back to get to the ATV Home screen, or do you open the app switcher and 'swipe-up' to close the app?

Yes, I've been exiting the app by hitting the back button to return to the home screen. This is how I do it on the Roku as well, but it still asks for the PIN when you return to the app. I didn't realize you could use the app switcher to force close apps on the Apple TV. Unfortunately, there is no way for me to "swipe-up" because I'm using a third party remote control that doesn't have a touch pad like the OEM remote. Is there another way to force close apps without rebooting the Apple TV?

Edited January 22, 2025 by Felix8217

[SamES 1056]

I'm not sure how you activate the app switcher on a 3rd party remote.

On Roku, the app terminates whenever you return to the home screen, so you are forced to enter the pin at startup.

On ATV, it keeps running in the background, so the app process is paused, and resumes when it comes back to the foreground, The app didn't really exit and wasn't restarted. 

@Luke, should we consider using an app resume event to check and present the PIN entry (or user selection screen) if required whenever the app returns to the foreground? I feel like this will be quite disruptive for many users, but if they have bothered to set a PIN entry, then maybe this is the preferred behaviour.  

[Luke 42077]

Yes we will be doing  that.

[Felix8217 1]

17 hours ago, SamES said:

On Roku, the app terminates whenever you return to the home screen, so you are forced to enter the pin at startup.

On ATV, it keeps running in the background, so the app process is paused, and resumes when it comes back to the foreground, The app didn't really exit and wasn't restarted. 

Ah. Thanks for the explanation! The behavior on the Apple TV makes perfect sense now.

17 hours ago, SamES said:

@Luke, should we consider using an app resume event to check and present the PIN entry (or user selection screen) if required whenever the app returns to the foreground? I feel like this will be quite disruptive for many users, but if they have bothered to set a PIN entry, then maybe this is the preferred behavior.  

If someone feels the need for a PIN, then I would think that the ability to protect certain content from unwanted eyes would supersede any inconvenience created by forcing you to re-enter the PIN every time you return to the app. And to be honest, re-entering the PIN isn't much of a hardship. It takes like 5 seconds. 

Of course, the other option would be to allow you to PIN protect individual Emby libraries on a case by case basis. Ideally, I'd love to see both options available. 

[Luke 42077]

HI, please try Emby for Apple TV 1.9.5 and let us know how things compare. Thanks !

[mapotter99 0]

This seems like it is still an issue on Apple TV. I rarely force-close apps unless they are having a problem. I exited to the Home Screen on my Apple TV, waited 20 minutes, and then reopened the Emby app, and it did NOT prompt for a pin. 
 

I only get prompted for a pin if I force-close the app and then open it. 
 

The default behavior should require the pin whenever the app is resumed from the background… i.e I leave the app and then re-open the app. 
 

Any updates on this?

Edited December 14, 2025 by mapotter99

[Luke 42077]

On 12/14/2025 at 4:06 PM, mapotter99 said:

This seems like it is still an issue on Apple TV. I rarely force-close apps unless they are having a problem. I exited to the Home Screen on my Apple TV, waited 20 minutes, and then reopened the Emby app, and it did NOT prompt for a pin. 
 

I only get prompted for a pin if I force-close the app and then open it. 
 

The default behavior should require the pin whenever the app is resumed from the background… i.e I leave the app and then re-open the app. 
 

Any updates on this?

Hi, how have you configured the startup behavior option in the app?

[mapotter99 0]

On 12/17/2025 at 11:50 PM, Luke said:

Hi, how have you configured the startup behavior option in the app?

Sorry for the late reply… the holidays, and then I had surgery. 
 

The same behavior occurs for both “remember last user” and “show login screen”. 
 

Has suggestion from @SamESto use an “app resume event” to check when the app is resumed from the background been implemented?

[Luke 42077]

3 hours ago, mapotter99 said:

Sorry for the late reply… the holidays, and then I had surgery. 
 

The same behavior occurs for both “remember last user” and “show login screen”. 
 

Has suggestion from @SamESto use an “app resume event” to check when the app is resumed from the background been implemented?

Hi, yes it has.