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I am developing a TV application for the TV. One thing I have noticed is that TV apps, once installed, often present users an Activation Code. The user is asked to enter the Activation Code on the app's website. Once it is entered in the website, the TV app is able to proceed.

What is the purpose of this Activation Code? Why can't the app simply ask the user to log-in/register a user account? Is there some technical advantageous reasoning behind using an activation code in this way?

code
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You are looking at a pattern that eases the user's login procedure.

Imagine the hassle of having to type your full username, which often is your email address (with special characters like '@' or '.'), together with your password (which hopefully contains numbers and/or special characters). All of that in a TV screen, with clunky controls to move around and possibly not a full size keyboard.

For this reason, redirecting the user to a simple web page where he has to type only 4 or 5 numbers is extremely more convenient, not to mention simpler to understand and quicker.

You can, of course, drift away from this pattern and go for your own solution. But to me, this is one of the best approaches as a user.

Sebastiano
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  • Thank you dextor. That makes sense. I was thinking to myself wondering if there was some technical advantageous reasoning behind using an activation code. Thanks! – code Jan 19 '15 at 07:58
  • Dextor, can you please explain further? How will the web-site know which user entered the code? – burakk Feb 03 '15 at 12:09
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    The flow is roughly what follows. The client asks the backend a code, which is displayed to the user. The backend will keep that code associated to that client (based on some parameters) for a limited amount of time. So, when the user accesses the web page of the service (where he is already logged) and types the code, the backend will associate the mobile/tv client to that session. – Sebastiano Feb 03 '15 at 12:12