What's new in Kiosk Satellite 2026.9.50
Two of the most popular requested features arrive in Kiosk Satellite: direct device-to-device intercom and TTS voice announcements. Also fixed a restart loop bug for devices missing a WebView.
New Feature: Intercom
- Kiosks on the same local network can now call each other or announce to all kiosks at once. The audio routes directly between them over the remote admin port.
- Enable it via the new Intercom page on the device or in Remote Admin. It uses a shared Intercom key (generated on first use, which you can paste manually or sync via Fleet Management).
- Answering Modes: Set devices to Ring, Auto-answer (after one ring and a countdown), or Do Not Disturb. You can also customize the ringtone.
- Talk Modes: Defaults to Push-to-Talk, but Hands-free (with mute) is supported on devices with echo cancellation.
- The kiosk menu now features an Intercom entry (with its own Allowed Actions switch), and we've added new gestures for quick calling. You'll also find a dedicated Intercom volume slider under Screen & Audio.
- Five new ESPHome entities to track and control intercom states, including Do Not Disturb switches and answer modes.
- Incoming calls wake the screen, draw over screensavers, duck background music, and pause wake word detection. Missed calls leave a toast notification with a "Call back" option. Devices in Lockdown Mode will automatically act as Do Not Disturb.
New Feature: TTS Voice Announcements
- You can now send text-to-speech (TTS) messages or audio URLs directly from Home Assistant to your kiosks via a new ESPHome action. Configure this in the new Announcements page under ESPHome.
- Pick your preferred existing TTS engine directly from your Home Assistant server.
- When a message comes in, it plays a chime (either the built-in two-note sound or a custom file), and a card pops up on screen displaying the text.
- You have full control over volume and repeat counts. The action also returns the clip's duration and will throw an error if announcements are disabled or fail to play.
Bug Fixes
- Fixed a major issue for devices lacking a WebView package entirely (like some repurposed smart displays). Previously, the dashboard would fail to load, causing the frame watchdog to trigger a process restart every 30 seconds for hours on end. The app now detects the missing provider, halts the watchdog to prevent the loop, and simply displays a notice explaining what needs to be installed.