called customer service to get some help removing backdrops or disabling it. the person i spoke to first said it could not be removed, then i asked if it could be disabled. She said it could not be disabled. I searched on the internet and it seems that many people are frustrated with the backdrops app, add me to the list i want backdrops removed from my tv. i used to be able to simply press the off button and turn off the tv, now i have to go thru a cumbersome process after backdrops starts and it takes much more time to turn off my tv. turning something off should not be this difficult.

Hey everyone, We’ve noticed some of you want to turn off or remove the Roku Backdrops feature. Here’s how you can do it. Option 1: Removing the App Press Home on your Roku remote. Highlight Backdrops using the directional buttons. Press the Star (✩) button to open the options menu. Select “Remove app” and confirm. Restart your Roku to make sure the changes stick. Option 2: Disabling Backdrops Open the Backdrops app on your home screen. Go to Settings inside the app. Choose the option to disable Backdrops. Need more details? Check out this Roku Support FAQ: How to use Backdrops on your Roku streaming devices | Official Roku Support Still seeing Backdrops after that? No worries, just let us know below, and we’ll look into it. Thank you!Roku Community Team

Unable to remove Backdrops

61 Replies

Replies have been turned off for this discussion

EnTerr
Roku Guru
2 years ago
How to Disable Backdrops

If "Backdrops" kicks in when pressing [Power] on a Roku TV and you want to disable that:

When Backdrops is active (showing e.g. a painting), then

Press the star [*] button on the TV remote

Select "Browse Backdrops" from the menu sliding from the left

Select the gear icon ⚙︎ for Settings in the new screen

item Backdrop preferences > Backdrops - change to "Disabled"

Exit by using back [<-] button on the remote and test deactivated by pressing TV remote's power button - now TV goes to sleep instead of showing images

Steps 2, 3 and 4 are not too obvious but if you follow the list, the feature would be disabled.
- casmys
  Reel Rookie
  7 months ago
  I followed this procedure because, contrary to what the moderators seem to think, there is no backdrops app to click on, not on my tv. Backdrops just appeared out of the blue one day even though I've had this tv for years and it never did this before. This procedure worked. And then four days later backdrops was back, uninvited. Got rid of it again, but I have a bad feeling it will be back.
  - RokuJharra-Q
    Retired Moderator
    7 months ago
    casmys
    
    Thanks for letting us know about the backdrop issue!
    
    Have you tried turning off the Backdrop feature? Open the Backdrop app, hit the Settings icon, go to the Backdrops preferences, and select Disabled.
    
    Let us know how it goes.
    
    Thanks,
    Roku Community Team
- garystan1952
  Streaming Star
  2 years ago
  En Terr :
  I tried ALL that, and it doesn't work ! I looking at getting an LG TV. Which has the WEB OS.
  But, I can STILL get YOUTUBE, FREEVEE, PRIME Video and TUBI. and NO BACKDROP
  interference !
  garystan
  - mczimmy
    Reel Rookie
    2 years ago
    did not think it was possible to screw up the on/off button but someone at roku succeeded 🙂
    the sheer volume of comments on the web is amazing. people really hate backdrops app.
- Sholley
  Newbie
  26 days ago
  The Backdrop page has disabled my remote. Fix this NOW!!!
  - RokuEmmanuel-D
    Community Moderator
    26 days ago
    Hey! Sholley
    
    Looks like your remote has been experiencing unexpected behavior with backdrops.
    
    To help us narrow things down, could you please share the exact behavior of the Roku remote? (Not pairing, buttons not working, lagging, or freezing). Also, could you share the Roku remote model?
    
    We hope to hear from you soon!
    
    Roku Community Team
garystan1952
Streaming Star
2 years ago
10/9/24
STILL can't remove BACKDROP App. This just shows how much Roku thanks of it's users !
garystan
- OgSlimNasty
  Newbie
  2 years ago
  It took me a total of 10 seconds to disable and remove the app. I did both to see if both ways worked and they both do.
- RokuRiamie-D
  Community Moderator
  2 years ago
  Hi garystan1952,
  
  Thanks for the response.
  
  We wanted to follow up regarding the ongoing issue with the Backdrops feature on your Roku TV. It appears that you are still encountering difficulties in removing it. We'd like to inquire if you have attempted the troubleshooting steps previously suggested by RokuMaryEF.
  
  Additionally, we would like to gather some information about your Roku TV to investigate the issue further.
  
  Roku TV model, serial number, device ID, and OS version. (this can all be found in Settings > System > About)
  
  Tracker ID (when you see this issue occur, press the Home button 5 times, followed by the Back button 5 times, and provide us with this ID)
  
  Providing these details will help us to further look into the issue. We look forward to your response.
  
  Regards,
  Riamie
tcozadoh
Reel Rookie
12 months ago
Problem not solved as of November 19th of 2024.
I FOUND NO SOLUTION ON THIS SITE OF THIS PROBLEM WITH REMOVING BACKDROPS, SHOULD HAVE BEEN WORKED OUT BEFORE IT WAS EVER ROLLED OUT
RoweKooSux
Reel Rookie
8 months ago
Days have passed and this has not been addressed.
Facts:
-Installed "Backdrops" app on TV.
-Discovered it was useless junk, suspected of harvesting data against our will (as per typical CCP tactics)
-Removed app.
-Upon power-off, sometimes greeted with the starting backdrops app, hold power button to power off to turn off TV carp. Seriously? How can this happen if I removed the app? Only explanation I can see is that app is actually a virus for the TV.
-Verified through EVERY TV setting that nothing refers to an app called "Backdrops" and that there is no app called that on the TV.
-Reinstalled app, then removed app, thinking that might magically solve something. Of course, found out this fixed nothing.
The appearance of the text indicating the backdrops app will be starting upon pressing power button is random. Most times it does not appear. Then, randomly, it will.

Is this the best you all can do? Seriously?
Issue report tracker info:
Model: A108X - Roku TV
Serial number: X00200H5LAPK (S053Y975LAPK)
Software version: 14.1.4 • build 7709-88
GC version: 13.4.8
Timestamp: 2025-03-15T17:40:34Z

Please use issue ID PK-106-180 to report the current issue.

It should be noted that the television did not exhibit the starting backdrops (when backdrops app does not exist) problem at this point in time, but certainly has several times over the past several weeks.

Also, I, too am experiencing this same issue that others have had where the screen saver kicks off while watching Live TV (Over-The-Air broadcast television).
My suggestion would be to fire everyone on your staff who has contributed to bringing your Roku experience from an overall positive one just 6 short months ago to something cringeworthy of even amateur programmers as of late. Then roll back every "feature" you've added in the past year, including stupid things that are added without my permission to the home screen.
- RokuEmmanuel-D
  Community Moderator
  8 months ago
  Hey, RoweKooSux.
  
  Thanks for sharing your concern!
  
  Roku backdrops can only be removed from the Home Screen, and you can’t totally remove them from your device. However, you can turn them off so they don't pop up when you hit the power button on your remote.
  
  Here's how:
  
  Press Home on your remote
  
  Go to Settings
  
  Select Backdrops
  
  Choose the Gear icon on the Screen
  
  Then, select Backdrops and check the Disabled option
  
  Check out this link for more info!
  
  Roku Community Team
  - visage13
    Newbie
    8 months ago
    Why would you add an app I never asked for and then I remove it and you tell me (us) it can never really be removed so it's a spying apparatus am I right?
- RokuEmmanuel-D
  Community Moderator
  6 months ago
  Hey everyone!
  
  Just wanted to check in and see if you're still having that issue. If you are, don’t forget to update your Roku software to the latest version!
  
  If you're still having trouble, just let us know what version of your Roku device you're using so we can look into it further!
  
  Roku Community Team
- Jfar
  Reel Rookie
  6 months ago
  For me it is resolved. The issue was Backdrops was moved from the left side column to the bottom of my Apps where I never look.
  - RokuEmmanuel-D
    Community Moderator
    6 months ago
    Thanks for the reply, Jfar!
    
    Awesome to hear things are sorted out on your end! If you need anything else down the line, please don't hesitate to reach out.
    
    Happy Streaming!
    
    Roku Community Team
RokuMan1
Newbie
25 days ago
Was a total Roku fan. We have multiple Roku TVs in our home and the interface and remote are so simple to use.
This app has really disappointed me. No matter how many times I disable it or delete it, in a week or two it reappears. Terrible!!!! Get rid of this TV spam. Considering getting rid of all my Roku TVs I am so frustrated.
RokuRiamie-D
Community Moderator
2 years ago
Hi mczimmy,

Welcome to the Roku Community!

We understand that you want to remove Backdrops from your Roku TV. We would be more than willing to assist you with this.

Let's see if this will work for you. Kindly follow the troubleshooting steps below:

Remove the Backdrops:

Highlight the channel tile of the Backdrops

Press the Star (*) button on your Roku remote

Select Remove app

Restart your Roku TV:

Press Home on your Roku remote

Scroll and select Settings

Select System

Select Power. If you do not see a Power submenu, skip to the next step.

Select System restart

In either case, your Roku device will complete a system restart and hopefully return to normal operation after a moment.

Thank you for your cooperation. Please keep us posted.

Regards,
Riamie
- RokuMaryEF
  Community Moderator
  2 years ago
  Hey everyone,
  
  We’ve noticed some of you want to turn off or remove the Roku Backdrops feature. Here’s how you can do it.
  
  Option 1: Removing the App
  
  Press Home on your Roku remote.
  
  Highlight Backdrops using the directional buttons.
  
  Press the Star (✩) button to open the options menu.
  
  Select “Remove app” and confirm.
  
  Restart your Roku to make sure the changes stick.
  
  Option 2: Disabling Backdrops
  
  Open the Backdrops app on your home screen.
  
  Go to Settings inside the app.
  
  Choose the option to disable Backdrops.
  
  Need more details? Check out this Roku Support FAQ: How to use Backdrops on your Roku streaming devices | Official Roku Support
  
  Still seeing Backdrops after that? No worries, just let us know below, and we’ll look into it.
  
  Thank you!
  Roku Community Team
  - RoweKooSux
    Reel Rookie
    8 months ago
    App has been removed and that did not stop it. App was reinstalled then disabled and it still did not stop it. This is in essence a virus which Roku allowed to be downloaded to my television. If you can't fix it, I have no choice but to start legal proceedings due to the fact that it is a virus.
- PineyPat
  Reel Rookie
  2 years ago
  I tried this restart procedure very carefully and still have Backdrops. I want it off my TV
  - PineyPat
    Reel Rookie
    2 years ago
    After my second try the TV now turns off . Believe me, no one wants the TV not to turn off when they push off.
- mczimmy
  Reel Rookie
  2 years ago
  tried the 'restart' as suggested. restarting it did not remove the app, it just restarts the tv.
garystan1952
Streaming Star
2 years ago
mczimmy :
10/8/24
If ROKU hasn't fixed this by now, it WON'T get solved !
I was looking into getting an LG TV. It has the WEB OS. And I can still
get YOUTUBE, TUBI, FREEVEE and Prime Video !
BooWho
Reel Rookie
12 months ago
I have no answer for you but I did want to post the same problem. I couldn't see how to do that independently so I'm using this as an answer. It's likely easy enough but we're not all techie whizzes. Perhaps if those who run these things learn how many customers want backdrops gone, dead, and buried, they'll do something about it. I may have to go back to cable because at least they'll never give you anything for free since whether you want it is unimportant to those companies. I had naively believed Roku was better than that. It has shown up without being downloaded to the Roku TVs and through the Roku devices. I'm beginning to be sorry we invested in so many. We despise this addition. It has made things more difficult than they need to be,
Ggggggggggg
Newbie
10 months ago
I HATE THIS BACKDROPS AND WILL NOT BE BUYING ANY MORE ROKU TVS IN FUTURE
- RokuEmmanuel-D
  Community Moderator
  10 months ago
  Hey Ggggggggggg.
  
  Thanks for joining us here in the Roku Community!
  
  We appreciate you sharing your feedback and experience with us. We apologize if this feature causes any inconveniences or trouble, and we're interested in looking into it.
  
  Could you tell us more about your experience?
  
  What are the difficulties or issues you've encountered with Backdrops?
  
  What specific Roku device/TV model do you have?
  
  What are the troubleshooting steps you took in attempting to resolve the issue?
  
  If possible, can you provide a photo of the exact behavior of it?
  
  Let's keep the conversation going, and let us know your thoughts!
  
  The Roku Community Team
groomspups
Newbie
7 months ago
I finally removed it after many tries about 3 weeks ago, and today its back!!