As of the first quarter of this year, Roku reported an estimated 71.6 million active accounts worldwide. The device offers incredible portability and has many helpful features that can enrich your viewing experience.
Given its increasing popularity and new features, here are some tried and tested tips for Roku users you can try for a better user experience!
Connect Roku to Alexa or Google Assistant
If you own an Amazon Echo, you can ask Alexa to control your Roku by linking both accounts. To do so:
- Open the Alexa app and select Skills & Games;
- Find Roku and enable it to sign into your Roku account;
- Choose the device you want to link.
You can also make voice requests with Google Assistant. Ensure your Roku player is running Roku OS 9.0 or higher or your Roku TV has Roku OS 8.2 or higher. Set up Google Assistant on your Google app or device. Then, sign into your Roku account on the app to control your device.
Enable Roku Private Listening
Do you want to watch something on your Roku without disturbing people around you?
Use the Private Listening feature. The Roku Gaming Remote, Voice Remote Pros, and Enhanced Voice Remote include built-in headphone jacks. Plug your headphones in and keep watching.
Use Your Phone to Discover Content
Detest using the clunky digital keyboard on your TV screen to find something to watch. Fret not! Sync your phone to your Roku so that you can look up whatever show you want to watch on your phone.
Continue Watching Where You Stopped
Want to pick up a show that you had to stop watching in the middle of a juicy episode but can’t seem to remember which streaming service it was on?
Head to Roku’s Home Screen and click “What to Watch.” Then, find “Continue Watching” and discover the list of shows you left in the middle.
Normalize the Sound Output
Do your fingers hurt from turning the volume up and down while watching your favorite horror movie?
Open “Advanced Sound Setting” on your device. Choose the “Leveling” option to normalize the sonic output throughout the episode or movie. The “Night” option is the best to level loud set pieces.
Browse Roku Zones for Cross-Channel Similar Content
Struggling to decide what to watch across your streaming services? Use Roku Zones to search for content across channels by specific genres. To do so:
- Head to Search from the Home Screen;
- Type in the genre you want to watch;
- Click on the search result to discover a screen of browsable content rows with labels, such as Free, New Releases, Rent, etc.
Use a VPN on Roku
Roku does not support VPN apps, but you can use a VPN on Roku by installing it right on your WI-Fi router connected to a Roku streaming stick. With a VPN, you can stream content that you cannot access otherwise. Pick either Surfshark or NordVPN and go with the one that suits your needs most.
Rewind & Turn on Closed-Captioning
If you find closed-captioning annoying but want to understand what’s happening on the screen, use Roku’s ingenious solution. If you missed the dialogue in a scene, head to the “Captions Mode” menu and check the “Instant Replay” box.
The dialogue will be annotated only after you hit the replay button. You can review the last 15 seconds with the closed captions at the bottom to understand the dialogue.
Talk to Your Roku Remote
The Roku Voice Remote, Roku mobile app, and the Roku Voice Remote Pro enable you to talk to your Roku directly. Press the microphone icon on the remotes and hold it down as you speak.
Alternatively, select the magnifying glass on the app to get to the search page. Tap the microphone, release it, make your request, and tap the middle of the screen.
Welcome Your Guests
Enable your guests to access their Roku at your place by accessing their settings through the Guest Mode. Here’s how you can do that:
- Head to my.roku.com and go to your account and then select “PIN;”
- Set up a new PIN and click the Home button on your Roku remote;
- Head to Settings and then select System;
- Choose Guest Mode and then enter Guest Mode;
- Enter your Pin and select Ok.
Find Your Lost Remote
Some Roku tips are meant for the most forgetful among us. Have you lost your Roku remote yet again? Worry not!
If your remote has a speaker grille, use the Roku app microphone and ask Roku to find your remote. The remote will start emitting a beeping noise.
For Roku Ultra, long-press the button on the device’s ride side for the remote to beep. If you have lost your Voice Remote Pro, ask Roku to find it, and the device will start beeping. Once you have located the remote, press any button on it to cease the beeping.
Use Google’s Cast Technology
Send videos, photos, and music from your mobile device to most Roku-connected devices via Google’s Cast technology. To do so:
- Open the content you want to share and look for the cast icon on your device;
- Click the icon and choose the Roku device you want to cast your content on from the pop-up menu.
Move Display Channels on Your Screen
Tired of seeing an old channel you don’t watch anymore pop up on your Roku Home Screen? You can move your favorite channels to the top by pressing the star on the Roku remote and selecting “Move Channel” from the pop-up menu. Use the directional pad to move the channel to the desired spot.
Connect to Live TV Streaming Services
Click the Home button on your Roku remote and head to Streaming Channels. Then, select Cable Alternative to log into live TV services. You can also head to Streaming Channels and click on Watch With Cable.
Alternatively, head to the Roku Channel to access Live TV Channel Guide and watch hundreds of channels without paying for them.
Customize Your Roku Remote Buttons
If you use a Voice Remote Pro, you must have noticed the buttons labeled 1 and 2. You can use these buttons to create all types of shortcuts for your watching experience. For instance, you can:
- Map the button to a show you are binge-watching to jump to the next episode
- Keep the buttons for specific shows
- Adjust a custom setting and access it with the button & so much more!
Roku is a popular streaming device for TVs as it offers its original content.
As much as we love it, we might feel that some features are missing sometimes. But maybe that’s because we just didn’t know how to add the right settings.
Use these Roku tips to optimize your streaming experience across all your connected devices.