Forum Discussion

streambar's avatar
streambar
Reel Rookie
8 months ago

Roku Streambar SE bluetooth headphone disconnect after 5 minutes

Whenever there is no sound for 5 minutes, my Roku Streambar SE disconnects any bluetooth headphones connected to it. Of course, I initially assumed this was obviously a bug, as any sensible person would. But astoundingly, according to this page - https://support.roku.com/article/12210854415383 - this is actually done on purpose, which is insane.

Roku needs to change this or at least add an option in settings to disable this unwanted and annoying "feature." Anytime I pause what I'm watching for 5 minutes, which is a frequent occurrence for me, not only does Roku disconnect my headphones but they will not reconnect until I waste several minutes turning them on and off again multiple times. This is a Roku-only problem. The same headphones stay connected indefinitely to my non-Roku TV without a problem and also will reconnect on the first try when powered on instead of having to repeatedly power off and on, like the Roku requires even with the auto-connect setting on. 

Who is in charge of making these ridiculous anti-customer decisions? I want to contact whoever has the power to make this change. I'd rather not spam the social media accounts of all the Roku execs, but if Roku won't give customers a way to contact the people who are making these terrible choices and can change them, then I will do what I have to in order to get a device that functions properly.

7 Replies

  • RokuHaz-M's avatar
    RokuHaz-M
    Community Moderator
    8 months ago

    Hi there! streambar 

    I got your point!

    When the TV starts going to the screensaver, the Bluetooth disconnects, and you are absolutely correct! That's an intentional feature to save battery. But there's a way to disable the screensaver. Go to Home > Settings > Theme > Screensaver start time > Disable Screensaver. If you prefer, you can also add more time before it kicks in. This way, your TV won’t sleep on you, and it’ll help keep the Bluetooth from disconnecting.

    I hope this helps! Let me know if you got any further questions, I'm here to help.

    Best,

    Roku Community Team

    • RokuHaz-M's avatar
      RokuHaz-M
      Community Moderator
      8 months ago

      Hi! danka58 streambar 

      In addition to turning off the screensaver,

      Many Roku TVs and players come with this Auto Power-Saving Mode feature. It might be a good idea to turn off that Auto Power-Saving Mode to keep things running smoothly. Here's a link on how to disable this feature.

      I hope you found this helpful!

      Cheers!

      Roku Community Team

      • streambar's avatar
        streambar
        Reel Rookie
        8 months ago

        No, this does not stop it from disconnecting after 5 minutes. Just like the other post, this should not be marked as a solution. Neither of these are solutions.

    • streambar's avatar
      streambar
      Reel Rookie
      8 months ago

      No, this does not stop it from disconnecting after 5 minutes, even with the screensaver disabled. This should not be marked as a solution.

  • danka58's avatar
    danka58
    Newbie
    8 months ago

    I agree fully. If the Soundbar was running on batteries, I'd understand the need for auto shut off but in this case, at least an option enable/disable would be a tremendous improvement. 

    EDIT: Just saw 'solution'post above. I use AppleTV, so the screensaver goes unnoticed when it kicks in the background. Thanks for posting.