Quick links

• The basics
• Sharing & privacy
• Tips & tricks
• Device/browser requirements
• Upcoming features
• Behind the scenes

Logging in to see Tweets

Twitter may now ask you to log in to see some Tweets within zeebox. You should only need to do this once – after that, you'll have full access to all Tweets.

Can I watch TV on zeebox?

No – zeebox doesn't replace your television, it enhances it.

zeebox is your TV sidekick – an interactive second screen that makes TV more social, clever, and fun.

Use zeebox to…

• See what your friends are watching, and invite them to watch with you
• Chat, share and Tweet around shows
• Get information on virtually anything talked about on TV with our handy live zeetags
• Play along with shows, follow celebrities, or get live stats for big sporting events
• Easily buy products you see on screen

There's no 'box' or other special hardware needed to enjoy zeebox – just go to zeebox.com/tv, or get the free zeebox app, and start enjoying zeebox right now.

Problems logging in on your iPhone, iPad or Android device?

Make sure your Facebook app is up to date and that your device's Facebook or Twitter account settings are correct. We've described this process in more detail here: Help – Logging In.

zeebox is available in the US, UK and Australia

If you're in another country, stay tuned for news of zeebox launching where you are. Of course, you're still welcome to check out the UK, US and Australian versions of zeebox.

Can I turn off sharing my TV viewing?

Sure – just go to the Settings menu and select Privacy Settings. You can set them to 'Nobody' to turn off sharing completely.

Or you can choose that only your Facebook friends and people you follow on Twitter can see what you're viewing.

You'll still be able to see what your friends are watching (unless they've gone private too).

Can I turn off chat?

Yes – if you don't want friends to start a chat with you, simply go to the Settings menu and select Privacy Settings. You can then adjust who can start a chat with you. If you select 'Nobody', no-one will be able to start a chat with you.

Can I turn off sharing to Facebook?

Of course. If you don't wish to post what you've viewed onto your Facebook timeline, go to zeebox's Settings menu, select Privacy Settings and turn off 'Share viewing on Facebook'.

Can I use zeebox without logging in or creating an account?

Sure – you can happily use zeebox without any need to log in.

You won't be able to connect with friends, but you'll still get great second-by-second information around what's playing on TV right now.

If you want to post any Tweets from zeebox yourself, you'll need to log in to Twitter. Twitter may also ask you to log in to view some Tweets within zeebox. You should only need to do this once – after that, you'll have full access to all Tweets.

How do I disconnect from Facebook or Twitter?

Your zeebox user can be linked to one Facebook account and one Twitter account. You can't use the same Facebook or Twitter account for multiple zeebox users.

If you want to connect a Facebook or Twitter account to a new zeebox user, you must first disconnect it from any other zeebox user it is already connected to.

To disconnect a Facebook or Twitter account:

• Log out of zeebox, then log in using the account you want to disconnect
• Click on the user menu, then click on your Facebook or Twitter account and select 'disconnect'.

Using zeebox as a remote control for your XFINITY set-top box

You can use zeebox to change channels on your XFINITY set-top box. Neat! You'll find everything you need to get started here.

Tip: If you want to change TV channels without jumping to the program page in zeebox, just click on the channel logo at the left of the zeebox program guide screen.

Buzz and Audience

We give each show a Buzz score by figuring out – minute by minute – how many Tweets are being sent about that show across the whole of Twitter. The more people are talking about the show right now, the higher the score.

For Audience numbers, we look at how many people are watching each show with zeebox. The most-watched show is given a score of 100 – everything else gets a score in proportion to that top show. Again, we update this number every 60 seconds, so you can watch those numbers rise and fall live as zeeboxers switch channels!

Push notifications

If you enable push notifications during the set-up process, we'll be able to keep you in touch with what's happening in zeebox, even when you're no longer in the app.

For instance, you'll be able to book a show that's coming up, and receive a handy reminder two minutes before it's due to start. Very useful!

(Please note – booking is currently not available on BlackBerry)

Switching in and out of zeebox

When you close zeebox it remains running in the background for a short while.

After about a minute, zeebox will update your status to 'Offline' so your friends will know that you may not be available for chat any more. Just return to the app to come online again.

Don't forget the handy four-finger swipe gesture on the iPad, which is really fast way to switch between your zeebox chats and your other apps.

Starwatch

Starwatch is a new feature from zeebox that brings TV's famous faces to your living room.

From Kim Kardashian to Kobe Bryant, from Ryan Seacrest to Rihanna – anyone who's anyone will appear on your zeebox TV Guide against the shows they're tweeting about.

Any time a star tweets about a show, you'll see their face highlighted with a gold border on both the main TV Guide, and the page for that individual show.

Click on any star's face to see what they had to say, then hit 'Watch with...' to join them on that show and read all their latest Tweets.

Are you a celebrity, or someone who reviews, writes, or Tweets about TV shows? Or perhaps you've spotted yourself on Starwatch already? Check out Starwatch for Stars to learn more about the TV tastemakers of the future.

Managing Channels

If you're not interested in seeing every channel in your TV Guide page, you can edit the channels that appear using our 'Manage Channels' feature.

To do this, go to the Settings menu and select 'Manage Channels'. You can then un-tick any channels that you don't want to appear. You can even re-order the channels by pressing and holding the icon to the right of each channel.

This works in the Android, iPad and iPhone versions of zeebox.

zeebox gets better and better

Over the coming months we plan to add a whole stack of features – including the ability to control your cable box using zeebox.

This is the beginning of the journey, not the destination – so stay tuned! We'll have updated versions of zeebox available every few weeks, with bug fixes and new features.

We love hearing your ideas for how zeebox can be improved! To give feedback or suggest an improvement, please visit our feedback forum.

When will zeebox support other TV service providers or channels?

There are many thousands of national, subscriber and local TV channels in the US. It's a complex task to provide the rich metadata and related information which bring you a great zeebox TV experience, so we got started with the 120 most popular channels.

We'll look to add additional providers and channels based on your feedback – so if there are any particular channels we're missing, please let us know.

When will zeebox support recorded shows, or video-on-demand websites?

Right now zeebox is focused on live broadcast television – it seemed the perfect place for us to start, since live TV's the natural home of the social viewing experience. We'd love you to tell us your ideas for how zeebox could work with on-demand TV.

What device do I need to run zeebox?

You can run zeebox on any computer or tablet that has an Internet browser – just head over to zeebox.com/tv. There's nothing to install, and it's totally free!

If you have an iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch or Android device, you should use our native zeebox app – also totally free. Get it in the iTunes store or Google Play store.

zeebox will work on your Mac, PC, laptop, or tablet so long as you use one of these browsers…

• Internet Explorer 8 & 9
• Firefox 3.5, 4 and later
• Safari 5 or later
• Chrome 4 and later
• Opera 12 and later

To run zeebox on your iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch you'll need iOS4.3 or later.

Our Android app supports version 2.2 (Froyo) and above. It's available on a huge range of phones, plus the Samsung Galaxy Note and the Google Nexus 7 tablet.

Our BlackBerry 10 app works on the BlackBerry Z10.