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BrianAndKarenC's avatar
BrianAndKarenC
Reel Rookie
4 years ago

Feature Request: Please add 'Continue Watching' on the Home screen

Most Roku apps have a "Continue Watching" feature built in.  That is great for picking up where we left off when we go back to that same app, but we switch between 6 or more different apps to watch shows, and while some family members remember what shows are on what app, others do not, and it makes Roku seem "very user-unfriendly".

Please add a "Continue Watching" screen to the main menu of Roku and add whatever APIs are needed to let each app add the recently watched title and viewing position to the screen as it is being watched (in case Roku powers off or the Home button is pushed without warning). Also, please give each app a way to update the "Continue Watching" list periodically (like each time the home screen loads) so that when new episodes are released the title can show up on the list again if previously there was no more content to continue with.

I realize this will require some buy-in from the app/channel creators to use the new APIs, but the benefits would be substantial to the user experience.

Currently the biggest complaint I hear about us using Roku for all of our viewing in our family is how hard it is to pick up where they left off since they have to hunt through multiple apps.  I also believe this is also a big hurdle for the much older users and the much younger viewers that don't want to have to keep searching for a title (or don't know how to search after someone else finds a title for them) that they have already started watching.

Please consider adding this as it would make the viewing experience much more seamless than the disjointed one it is now.

Thank you!

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  • blade_005's avatar
    blade_005
    Roku Guru
    3 years ago

    FYI.

    They have added a CONTINUE WATCHING row in the WHAT TO WATCH menu item on the Roku Home Page that now includes content other than the Roku Channel. As promised in the OS 11.5 update they are now populating items from Roku Channel, Netflix, HBO Max, Paramount+ and Prime Video. (Noticed that content other than the Roku Channel began populating this past week.)

     

    As you noted, this requires cooperation from the individual streaming services. Not all are participating (Disney+, Hulu, Peacock, Apple TV+) which makes it an incomplete offering. Paramount+ seems to have the best integration of the new additions. Selecting an item takes you directly to the show detail page and episode in the proper PROFILE. Some of the others (HBO Max, Prime Video) take you to a PROFILE page and then you have to proceed. I am also finding that not all Prime Video content is being acknowledged and added. Netflix content in your queue can appear and then disappear at times. Not sure how often the queues of individual services are checked. It would be helpful if there were an option to REFRESH all queues from participating services. Helpful if you move and resume content from multiple Roku devices.