Roku’s New Home Screen Is Rolling Out to Roku Owners & Finally Embraces Apps
Roku has begun rolling out a new home screen to all Roku Owners, starting with high-end models such as the Roku Ultra and Roku Stick 4K. This follows previous reports of Roku testing the new home screen, which includes folders, more icons, and a “continue watching” feature. Many Roku owners woke up to this updated interface, as the rollout was accelerated overnight.
One notable addition to the home screen is the “continue watching” row, which allows users to easily access shows they have been watching on supported devices like Disney+. Additionally, users can open a “What to Watch” section from this row, which suggests new shows to watch based on their viewing habits.
Roku TVs now feature folders for different inputs, allowing users to neatly organize various HDMI ports in one location. This streamlines the user experience and makes it more convenient for Roku TV owners to manage their input sources.
A significant change that Roku has made is embracing the term “apps” instead of referring to them as “Roku Channels” as they did in the past. This newfound terminology applies to popular applications like Netflix and YouTube TV. By adopting this well-known terminology, Roku aims to enhance the approachability of its platform, particularly for new Roku owners who are already familiar with using apps on their smartphones.
The new home screen design features slightly smaller icons arranged in a 4×4 format, as opposed to the previous 3×3 layout. This allows users to easily view all the services available on their Roku devices. With the increasing popularity of larger TVs, this redesigned interface will facilitate effortless navigation and content discovery.
Roku has confirmed that they are testing different designs on their platform, suggesting that they are actively exploring various options for future Roku home screens. While this new 4×4 interface and folders are currently being tested, it is uncertain if they will be universally rolled out to all Roku owners in the future. It remains to be seen whether Roku will introduce a new OS update, including an updated home screen, coinciding with their traditional fall launch of new streaming players.
If you are a Roku owner, have you experienced the new user interface? We would love to hear your thoughts on the updated design and any other features you have noticed.
