Troubleshooting & FAQ
People can't connect from outside
- Double-check
MOOVO_PUBLIC_URLmatches the address they use, including the port. - If you port forward, test from your phone on mobile data (not your Wi-Fi). If it fails, you may be behind CGNAT: use a tunnel or Tailscale.
- Make sure the machine isn't asleep and Docker is running.
"Update Moovo to keep watching"
The app is older than the server needs. Click Update now: the app downloads the new version, checks it and restarts. Downloaded movies keep playing offline in the meantime. If the update can't download, get the latest app from the download page and install it over the old one. See which app works with which server.
"This server needs an update"
The server is older than the app needs. Only the owner can fix it: members see "Ask the server owner to update Moovo", and the owner and admins get Open Admin → Updates. Update from there, or with docker compose pull and docker compose up -d (updating the server). Downloads still play until then.
Someone can't find a person on the server
That's on purpose: search only lists your own connections. Type their exact username to send a request, ask someone connected to both of you to introduce you, or ask an admin, who can introduce you from Admin → People → Connections. If a request never arrives, the other person may have turned off requests by username. See People & privacy.
Posters are missing
Add a TMDB key in Admin → Settings (it's free), then Admin → Library → Refresh metadata. Check that folders follow the naming layout.
A title was matched to the wrong movie
Open it in the app → More → Fix match, search for the right one, and it sticks through future scans.
A show or movie appears twice
Two folders of the same title merge into one after the next scan (Scan now on Admin → Overview if you don't want to wait). If they stay apart, the folders name different years or IDs, so one was matched wrong: open the wrong one and use More → Fix match, and it merges.
Downloads are slow
Downloads go from your server's upload to their download. Check the upload cap in Admin → Settings, and remember everyone downloading at once shares your upload. The apps pace themselves and resume after interruptions, so a slow download still finishes.
Watch Together says someone is "downloading"
Everyone plays their own copy. The session starts automatically once everyone's copy is ready, and the lobby shows each person's progress.
Someone left in the middle of the movie
If a laptop sleeps or the Wi-Fi drops for about 20 seconds, the others see "Sarah left" and the movie carries on without waiting. As soon as her app is back online she rejoins at the same moment as everyone ("Sarah is back"). Closing the player is a real leave; she can join again from the invite.
Watch Together drifts out of sync
Small differences are corrected by speeding up or slowing down a hair, which nobody notices. If one computer keeps falling far behind, the app stops correcting and shows Out of sync? Resync, which lines up just that computer again. If it happens more than once, ask everyone in the session to send their diagnostics right after, so the owner can see what each app did.
"Windows protected your PC"
Windows shows this for apps that aren't signed with a code-signing certificate. Those cost hundreds of dollars a year, and Moovo is free and makes no money, so it isn't signed yet. Click More info → Run anyway once and it won't ask again. When tips and Supporters cover the certificate, we'll sign the app and the warning goes away.
The setup code doesn't work
It's single-use and only valid while the server has no owner. Restart the container to print a fresh one, or use MOOVO_ADMIN_USERNAME/MOOVO_ADMIN_PASSWORD for a scripted setup.
Still stuck?
Email us at the address in the footer with what you tried and the relevant lines from Admin → Logs → Download logs (or docker compose logs). Remove anything private (addresses, names) first. For problems in someone's app, ask them to send you their diagnostics first.