Roku is one of the top entertainment platform experiences you can find in today’s marketplace. It has a user-friendly interface and makes it easy for viewers to download their favorite streaming platforms to get all of their movies and TV shows within minutes. You can also game right from the Roku, making it multipurpose and multidimensional.
While it is one of the top options out there, no platform is perfect. Plus, every user is going to want something different from their viewing experience. This goes beyond reorganizing the home screen to line up with what you want to show on your TV. Roku OS is built into Roku devices like Roku TVs, Streaming Sticks, Streambars, and more. This gives it a lot of reach, more than some people might like. There are some common changes that you might want to make to your Roku before you even go about using it to get the most out of the device.
Limit ad tracking is arguably the most popular
People don’t want to give away their data
In order to give you a more personalized experience, Roku tracks what you’re doing in its operating system. It is set to track what you’re watching, what platforms you’re streaming on, and even voice commands.
Because it does this, it sends you ads more targeted to what you’re interested in. Roku sells your data to third parties to give you a better experience. Sounds perfect, right? Well, some people don’t love having their data and interests sold without their saying.
So, you can limit what Roku tracks by stopping Roku in its tracks. Going into Settings on the main screen of your Roku device and then clicking on Privacy > Advertising and enabling Limit Ad Tracking gives you the upper hand on what is stored by Roku.
If this isn’t the first time you’re setting up your Roku, and you’ve used it before, you can clear out what data Roku has stored in terms of your interests. Click on Reset advertising identifier to start anew and clear out old history.
By limiting what Roku is tracking of yours, it stops it from building a profile on you based on your searches, viewing history, app interactions, and more. This essentially lets you use your Roku in incognito mode, so to speak, with the settings that you want.
You can also turn off Auto Content Recognition (ACR), which stops your Roku TV from monitoring what you’re watching. This setting keeps track of what you’re watching not only through the Roku interface, but also through HDMI and antenna.
Volume leveling is a must
This stops everything from sounding too loud
Your Roku can do the heavy lifting for you when it comes to regulating its audio. You don’t have to grab the remote every time something loud comes on. You don’t have to adjust the volume for different inputs.
One of the worst parts of watching TV or streaming is when an ad plays and it randomly seems to blast the volume much louder than you expect. This can provide a jarring experience that isn’t pleasant for anyone involved. Your TV causing you to jump because an ad came on is nobody’s idea of a good time.
By turning on volume leveling, it keeps the audio an even level for whatever you’re watching. If you’re switching apps or channels, volume leveling stops the volume from changing depending on what you’re watching.
A great part about volume leveling is that you can turn it on while you’re watching something. After starting a program or movie, you can hold down the * button on your Roku remote. Either click on Volume Mode or Sound Settings, depending on your model. Select Leveling and then choose from high, medium, or low to set your preference.
One-Touch Play makes life with a Streaming Stick much easier
This works for other Roku devices as well
This is a setting for people who don’t have a Roku TV. If you’re using a Roku device that you need to plug into your TV, you can use your Roku remote for more than you might realize.
Rather than needing to use two remotes to get your TV to control the Roku, you can set your Roku remote to change the input for your TV. As someone who has owned multiple Streaming Sticks over the years, changing this setting is a must.
Going to Settings > Systems > Control Other Systems and then enabling One-Touch Play gives your Roku remote the power. No longer do you need to grab the TV remote and press input to move over to HDMI 2 or 3. By pressing any button on the Roku remote, it will automatically switch over to whatever input your Roku device is plugged into.
Roku sells your data to third parties to give you a better experience. Sounds perfect, right? Well, some people don’t love having their data and interests sold without their saying.
This saves you time and energy by not having to use two remotes to make the Roku work. You can immediately jump into scrolling for what you want to watch.
Clean up the home screen layout
Get rid of suggestions
In one of its more recent updates, Roku has formulated a bundle of suggestions at the top of your home screen. While this isn’t ruining your experience, this can either bring you back to a show or movie that you’ve previously watched, or it makes a recommendation on a title you might want to watch.
Going hand-in-hand with limiting how the device tracks your preferences, you can eliminate this option from the design. If you want to get rid of random title suggestions showing up at the top of your home screen, you’ll get a more classic, app-only layout.
Going into Settings > Home Screen and hiding the recommendations row is a quick and simple fix to this issue. No longer will top picks chosen by Roku show up for you. You can then move apps around your home screen by holding down the middle button on your remote and then moving them around with the arrow buttons.
This lets you personalize the menu and put the apps you use the most first. This way, you’re prioritizing what you actually want to use, rather than what Roku might think you want.
Adjust your Roku to better suit your needs
Roku is a top platform for streaming and the operating system offers a friendly design for new and continuing users. You can make it more personalized by choosing how much you want Roku to track your viewing preferences, adjusting the volume level once, and having the home screen grid look the way you want. You might as well get the most out of your Roku experience with a few tweaks to the system.
- Brand
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Roku
- Operating System
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Roku OS
- Downloadable Apps
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Yes
- Resolution
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4K
- Ports
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USB, HDMI, Optical
- Audio codecs
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PCM, Dolby Audio
Roku Streambar delivers both high-end sound and the Roku OS TV experience.