Aura — how it works

How it works

Aura plans an evening across the streaming services you already pay for, then opens each title in its own app at the right time.

It doesn't play anything itself and it never asks for your Netflix or Disney password. Think of it as the running order for your night, and the person calling the next item.

Setting it up

Once, and then never again.

Create an account. Email and a password. This is your Aura login and nothing else — it is not connected to any streaming service.
Tick the services you pay for. Max, Prime Video, Paramount+, Disney+, Apple TV, Hulu, YouTube TV, BritBox, PBS — whatever you have. The most common ones are shown first; type a name in the search box at the top of the list to find any other. Aura only ever suggests things you can actually watch, so this list matters more than anything else you'll set.
Add who watches. Under Who watches in the top bar, add yourself and anyone else in the house, with a line about what they like. Optional, but it's what lets Aura pick for the room rather than for a generic viewer.

Your services can be changed any time from Services. If you drop a subscription, untick it and Aura stops offering things from it.

Programming a night

Two fields and a button.

Set the time you're starting. The Starts at box at the top. Everything is timed from there.
Say how long you have. One hour, two, three, four.
Say what you're in the mood for, in plain words. British crime. A forensic mystery. An adult cartoon. Something like Slow Horses. 90s comedies. Haunted Hotel. Name a show and Aura puts it in; describe a kind of show and Aura searches your services for it. You can leave it blank.
Press Build my night. Give it fifteen seconds or so.

Aura works out what you asked for, searches your services for it, remembers where you got to in every series you're part-way through, and lays out a running order that fits the time you've got. It shows the start time for each item, how long each runs, and what time you'll be off air.

Browsing and adding something specific

The Browse & add something specific panel on the right works like the home screen of a streaming app. Tap a category — Trending Now, New & Popular, Top Rated, Just Released, Popular TV Shows, Popular Movies — or pick one from Browse by Genre. Everything except Trending Now is limited to your services. The service buttons underneath narrow it to one service.

If you already know what you want, type the title in the search box. An exact title comes up first, marked Exact match. For a series you pick the season and episode. Mix and match freely — build a night and then add one thing by hand.

Changing the rundown

Nothing is fixed. Each row has four buttons on the right:

↺ make this repeat every week on this day
↑ and ↓ move it earlier or later
× take it out

Every time you change something, the clock recalculates. Move a 110-minute film earlier and every start time after it shifts.

Don't like the whole thing? Press Build my night again. You'll get a different order.

Running the night

Press Start the night and the screen goes full width. It works in three states.

UP NEXT

A short break with a countdown, and what's coming up next. You can skip it.

NOW PLAYING

The title, what it's on, how long it runs, what time it's out, and a live countdown. Press the big button to open it in its own app. Then go and watch.

Time's up

When the time is up, Aura plays a short tone and sends a desktop notification — "Reacher is off. Lioness next on Paramount+." Come back, and it moves to the next item.

Turn notifications on

Open Settings and press Turn alerts on, then Send a test alert to confirm. Without this Aura can only tell you on screen, and if you're watching in another window you won't see it.

Leave the Aura tab open while you watch. Close it and the clock stops.

Try a dry run first

The Practice run button runs your whole night with each item lasting one minute instead of its real length. Same breaks, same alerts, same handoffs. Three minutes and you'll know exactly how the evening will behave.

Shows that repeat

If you watch the same thing on the same night every week, press ↺ on its row. From then on, when you build that night, that show is placed first and everything else is planned around it.

Weekly shows in the top bar lists everything set up this way. Press ↺ again on the same day to stop it.

Planning the week

The seven days across the top are your week. Each shows what's booked and how long it runs. Click any day to work on it — set a start time, build it, adjust it.

Plan Thursday on Sunday afternoon if you want. It'll be waiting.

Who's watching

Tap the names above Build my night to say who's in the room tonight. The picks change to suit.

If anyone marked as a child is selected, Aura keeps the whole night suitable for the room, and nothing marked adults-only will be shown.

Breaks

Aura is free, and a short break plays between titles. Where it's allowed, you can skip it.

Watching without breaks will be available as a paid plan. Break length is set by Aura, not per account.

Questions

It opened the show but on the wrong episode.: Expected, for now. The link takes you to the series or season page rather than the exact episode, because episode-level links aren't available on the free data plan Aura currently uses. The rundown tells you which episode you're up to — pick it inside the app. Everything else, including tracking where you got to, still works.
It went to a "where to watch" page instead of the app.: That title's link hasn't been resolved. Open it in the app yourself, copy the page address, and paste it into the box on the NOW PLAYING screen. Aura remembers it permanently. You'll only ever do this once per title.
The next episode started playing on its own and I lost the plan.: Streaming apps autoplay; Aura can't see inside them. That's what the off-air alert is for — it tells you the moment your item is due out. Turn notifications on in Settings.
The alert never came.: Three things to check. Notifications may not be granted — Settings will tell you. The Aura tab may have been closed, which stops the clock. Or the item simply wasn't due yet; a 49-minute episode takes 49 minutes. Use Practice run to test in three.
Aura suggested something I don't get.: Your service list is probably out of date, or you named a title that isn't on any of your services — Aura includes it anyway and shows where it is. Check Services.
The button opened the wrong store, like Amazon instead of Apple TV.: Fixed in the October update. Rebuild that night and the button opens the right app. If it still lands somewhere wrong, paste the correct page address into the box on the NOW PLAYING screen and Aura keeps it.
The night came up short.: Build again — you'll get a different order. Or add something by hand from Browse & add something specific.
It picked things that don't fit what I asked for.: Be a little more specific about the kind of show — British detective drama rather than something good. If only a few titles on your services fit, Aura fills the rest of the window with popular picks; shorten the window or add the rest by hand.
Can Aura schedule live sport or my local channels?: Not yet. Aura's guide covers on-demand shows and films on your services, so it will tell you when you ask for a live game rather than guess. Live sport and local channels are coming next. Until then, build the rest of the night around the game.
Can Aura record a show?: No. Aura doesn't record or play anything; it plans the night and opens each title in the app you already have.
"Recently added" — is that new to my service?: Just Released shows the newest titles on your services by release date. The services don't publish when a title arrived on their app, so Aura can't show that.
Do I need to keep the tab open?: Yes, while a night is running. The clock and the alerts live in that tab. You can switch to other windows freely; just don't close it.
Does Aura know my streaming passwords?: No, and it never asks. It opens apps that are already signed in on your device. Aura stores your Aura login, which services you have, your rundowns, and where you got to in each series.
Can I use it on my phone?: Yes. Same address, same account, same nights. Anything you plan on one device appears on the other.
What happens to last night's rundown?: It's kept. Click back through the week to see it. Series you marked as finished have already moved forward an episode.