Browsing and Discovering Content
GuardedContent gives you multiple ways to discover content:
Feed Your home screen shows a personalised feed of posts and content from creators you follow or subscribe to. Scroll through to see photos, videos, and live stream announcements.
Explore The Explore page surfaces trending and featured content from across the platform. Great for discovering new creators you haven't followed yet.
Search Use the Search bar to find:
Specific creators by username or display name
Content by keyword or topic
Live streams currently in progress
Simply type your query and browse the results. Click on a creator's name to visit their profile and explore their content.
Purchasing Content
Some creators offer pay-per-view or one-time purchase content in addition to subscriptions.
To purchase individual content:
Browse the Feed, Explore, or a creator's profile.
Click on a locked piece of content.
A purchase prompt will appear showing the price.
Click Buy and complete the Stripe checkout.
The content unlocks immediately after a successful payment.
One-time purchases are yours to access indefinitely (unless the creator removes the content). View all your purchases in the Purchased section of the app.
Viewing Purchased Content
All content you've purchased is saved to your Purchased library.
Click Purchased in the navigation menu.
Browse your purchased content by date, creator, or type.
Click on any item to start watching or viewing.
Purchased content is tied to your account. You cannot transfer or share purchased content with other users.
If a piece of content you purchased is no longer available, this may be because the creator has removed it. For refund requests in this case, please contact our support team at [email protected]
DRM and Content Protection
GuardedContent uses Digital Rights Management (DRM) technology to protect creators' exclusive content from unauthorised copying, downloading, or redistribution.
What this means for you as a viewer:
You can stream and watch content within the GuardedContent app.
Screen recording and direct downloading of protected videos may be blocked and or watermarked.
Your access is personal to your account and cannot be shared.
Why this matters:
DRM ensures creators are fairly compensated for their work. By protecting content, creators can confidently publish high-quality, exclusive material knowing it won't be pirated.
If you're having DRM-related playback issues, see the Troubleshooting playback issues section below.
Video Playback Quality
Summary: GuardedContent supports up to 4K video for the best viewing experience.
GuardedContent streams video at the highest quality your device and connection can support, up to 4K (Ultra HD).
Quality options:
Auto (Adaptive): The default. Quality adjusts automatically based on your internet speed.
Manual: You may be able to select a fixed quality from the player settings icon. (This feature is NOT available on the Apple Ecosystem due to how adaptive manifests are used)
Recommended internet speeds:
Quality | Minimum speed |
480p (SD) | 5 Mbps |
1080p (HD) | 15 Mbps |
4K (UHD) | 25 Mbps+ |
If video is buffering or degrading in quality, check your internet connection speed and ensure no other devices are heavily using your network.
Troubleshooting Playback Issues
Video won't load or shows a black screen:
Use the downloadable desktop app
Refresh the page and try again.
Clear your browser cache and cookies (Settings → Privacy → Clear browsing data).
Try a different browser
Try logging out and back into your account
Disable browser extensions, especially ad blockers, which can interfere with DRM.
DRM / license error:
Make sure you are logged in to your account.
Ensure your browser and operating system are up to date.
Reopen the desktop app to force an update
Audio but no video (or video but no audio):
Refresh the page.
Check your device's audio output settings.
Try a different browser.
Content keeps buffering:
Check your internet speed at https://fast.com/
Move closer to your Wi-Fi router or switch to a wired connection.
Close other applications or tabs that are streaming video.
If none of the above resolves your issue, contact support at [email protected] with details of your browser, operating system, and the content you're trying to watch.