Roku products are packed with features and settings to improve your streaming experience. Here are some must-have tips and tricks.
Roku makes some of the best streaming devices for your TV. The Roku platform is easy to use and offers a wide range of apps and content. The installation and general setup process is quick and easy. And while you might be tempted to immerse yourself in your favorite series, your Roku has some really cool tricks to help you enhance the experience.
Use Roku search to compare prices for shows and movies across apps.
Sometimes you know what you want to watch but don’t know where to find it. Is it available on some streaming service or does it need to be rented? What platform is it on and at what price? Using Roku search helps answer this question. You can search for movies, TV shows, actors or directors and the Roku platform will tell you exactly where and how much it costs.
Use Roku Zones to find content that matches a specific category.
What if you know what you want to watch? Digging through service directories isn’t exactly fun, and it can be time consuming. Roku Zones tries to make it easier to find by grouping content by genre or topic.
To access the zones, go to the search on the main screen and then enter the genre. Then click on the offer you are interested in and you will be taken to a screen with more content organized according to different criteria – latest releases, included in subscription, free, rent/buy.
Use your smartphone as a remote control
All Roku devices come with a remote control that works well but gets tricky when it comes to entering passwords or search terms. Some devices have a remote with a microphone to make things easier, but if that’s not your case, you can use the Roku app, available on iOS and Android, to use your phone as a remote control and a virtual keyboard for your recordings.
After installing the app, open it. Make sure your Roku is turned on. At the bottom of the screen, you will see menu options. Tap Devices. The app will then search the network for your device. This one must device. Click on it to connect to your phone. Then the “Remote”, “Channels”tabs and another “Media”tab should appear on the screen. Click on Remote to get a copy of your remote. At the very top, there is a gear icon, consisting of two lines of dots and a solid bar. Click on it and you will see a virtual keyboard.
The Roku app remote has all the features of a physical remote with some extra features like voice recognition. Tap the microphone icon and you can dictate your search or control your Roku with your voice.
Listen to TV through headphones or headphones
Sometimes you want to watch TV without disturbing the rest of the house. Roku’s private listening feature lets you use headphones or headphones. Some Roku models have this feature directly on the remote, but everyone can enjoy it with the latest Roku app update.
Make sure your Roku and your mobile device are on the same wireless network. Connect your headphones to your phone, open the Roku app, tap the Remote icon in the navigation bar, and tap the Headphone icon to turn on private listening. Roku will automatically set up audio syncing with your headset, but if you experience a delay, you can go to the app’s advanced options to set it up. Please note that up to four mobile devices can listen privately at the same time.
Easy to find remote control
Some Roku models make it easy to find a lost remote. For example, the Roku Ultra has a small button that makes the remote make a sound. Roku Voice Remote Pro is even more advanced. The remote control can be activated by voice. So if you don’t know where your remote is, you can say “Hey Roku, find my remote”and it will beep to find it (and turn on the TV).
Channel organization
If you subscribe to a lot of streaming services, you might have a whole bunch of channels on your home page. They can be organized as you wish. If you want to move a particular channel, press the Home button on the remote control. Go to the channel you want to move. When it’s highlighted, tap the star icon to open the options menu. Scroll down to Move channel. You can then place it wherever you want. Click OK when done.
Change Roku Theme
Roku devices use the signature purple color, Roku TVs have different color menus depending on the brand, but you can change this. And even set wallpaper, screen saver or certain sounds.
It happens in the settings. Scroll down to topic. There you can explore popular theme packs or go to wallpapers. If you find something that interests you, click on it. You can then view screenshots and upload files. Once downloaded, you will have the option to apply it immediately.
Turn on Instant Replay to hear phrases you may have missed.
The dialogue is sometimes difficult to understand. The Instant Replay feature makes sure you don’t miss anything. Pressing the circled arrow button on the remote will take you back 10 seconds, but you can also add subtitles to listen to and read what was just said.
To enable subtitles in instant replay, go to settings, then accessibility. Then select Subtitle Mode. Scroll down and click On Playback. Now when you use the repeat button, the subtitles will appear automatically. Be careful, this does not work on all channels.
Use subtitles to clarify the dialogue
It may be easier to watch TV with subtitles turned on. You can access per-app closed captioning within the content itself, but Roku has a system option to set up closed captioning.
Go to “Settings”and then to “Accessibility”. From there, switch to subtitle mode and click “Always”. You can also scroll down to Preferred Subtitle Language. In the subtitle style, you can customize the font, text color, opacity, and background color.
Automatic volume control
Roku offers an automatic volume control feature so you don’t go to extremes. To activate it, launch your content, then click the star icon. There, click “Sound Settings”and “Volume Control”.
In this menu, you can also click “Night Mode”. This sets the maximum sound level.
Set a special mode for guests
Having guests at home is often a good thing, but it’s not always easy to give them your TV credentials. Roku’s guest mode solves this problem by allowing them to log into their own accounts.
To enable this feature, you need to add a PIN to your Roku account to prevent your guests from automatically accessing your personal content. Guests can then click Guest Mode and enter an end date. There they will have a default home screen and will be able to log into their own services as if Roku was their own. As soon as the date arrives, their profile is removed from the system. Exercise.