Roku doesn't prevent the side loading of apps.
Unless, of course, you have loaded an app that breaks certain rules, such as piracy. Then they'll stop you from loading apps via a code. Might that be what happened?
Roku has deleted all "non-certified" channels - and if the stories in various other posts here are to be believed, they're simply not "certifying" anyone that's requested it.
https://bgr.com/tech/if-you-have-a-roku-youre-losing-these-channels-today/
I am sure it's because they can't leverage ad revenue from said channels. There's literally no good reason to do what they did - when you add a sideloaded channel it warns you explicitly that you're taking the support of your Roku into your own hands.
The 2 channels I lost (Twoku and a Florida-local ABC news channel) are not engaged in either piracy or pornography. And in fact, one of the MOST POPULAR side-loads that they've now removed without warning was a tool actually used to remove violent and sexually-oriented scenes from streaming content.
It's a cash grab, and it's BS.
VancoD wrote:... I am sure it's because they can't leverage ad revenue from said channels. ...
Yes, exactly.
Roku is in business to make money. Every business is in business to make money. Including Twoku and that TV station.
All apps in the Channel Store must hook into Roku in two ways. If the service for the app offers sales or subscriptions, the app must allow Roku Pay to be used to make that transaction. The user doesn't have to use Roku Pay -- I don't -- but it must be an option. If the app isn't coded to allow that, the app is rejected.
If the service is ad-supported, the app must tie in with Roku's ad program in some way. I'm less familiar with this, but my understanding is that at least some ads must either be by Roku (allowing Roku ad revenue) or revenue from ads must be shared with Roku. However it works, the end result is Roku gets a cut. If it's not coded that way, the app is rejected. At least, that's my understanding.
So, why didn't those two apps move to the Channel Store? They have to be coded to standards -- there's more than just financial tie-ins, to include the way the apps interact with the system and how certain user functionality is implemented -- and then has to be submitted.
If the app was already coded to standards, all they had to do was submit. If it wasn't coded to standards, they had to code, or recode, the apps. Then they would submit.
So, if I lost some apps due to Roku's revamp of the app system, I would be asking the app developer why, when Roku gave a public notice in October 2021, why they didn't code and submit during those 120 days (the length of time an app can now be in the non-certified library).
VancoD, you have your terminology confused. Sideloading is what a developer does when developing a channel/app. That hasn't been removed, but it's really only for development purposes. Sideloading something you found on the Internet will almost assuredly result in your Roku's developer mode being permanently disabled. What you're referring to used to be referred to as private channels and then got renamed as "uncertified" channels and required you to enter a code on the website to install. Those have been eliminated and somewhat replaced by beta channels with significant limitations. They still require a code to install, but they're limited to 120 days and 20 users.
