Forum Discussion

GAlgier's avatar
GAlgier
Newbie
8 months ago
Solved

Guest mode preinstall Apps or share the App’s image

I want to setup Guest mode at the (shared) family cabin.  It only has an ADSL connection to the internet so downloading an App takes a very long time. No, there is no faster networking available that does not consume lots of power (we are off grid).

If the “master” Roku account installs Netflix, for instance, when we switch to Guest mode and then a guest checks in, will they need to download Netflix to use it, or will there already be a copy of the executable files for the App?   I don’t want a horrid experience for our guests.

Or will switching out of guest mode, also cause everything to redownload for the master account?

Currently we have an Amazon Firesick I want to replace with the Roku.   So many people have added Apps to the stick that often it removes less used Apps and we keep redownloading and redownloading.   I want to switch to Roku with guest mode to keep people from using my accounts, but I would like to also keep the downloads to a minimum.

I envision something like a real OS where executables can be installed once and all users can use the same imag

 

TV & Player Setup
  • RokuRiamie-D's avatar
    RokuRiamie-D
    8 months ago

    Hi GAlgier,

    Welcome to the Roku Community!

    Thank you for having an interest in the Roku streaming device. We would be more than willing to provide you with further details about accessing channels during Guest mode.

    Please be informed that once you use guest mode on your Roku device, it will sign you out of all of your Roku subscriptions and restart your Roku player. Therefore, all of the applications will be wiped out from the device.

    After signing in with Guest mode, you will need to add new channels to your home screen, just like you would on your own Roku streaming device.

    For more details, please visit our Roku Support article: How to use Guest Mode on a Roku streaming device.

    We hope you find this information helpful.

    Regards,
    Riamie

2 Replies

  • RokuRiamie-D's avatar
    RokuRiamie-D
    Community Moderator
    8 months ago

    Hi GAlgier,

    Welcome to the Roku Community!

    Thank you for having an interest in the Roku streaming device. We would be more than willing to provide you with further details about accessing channels during Guest mode.

    Please be informed that once you use guest mode on your Roku device, it will sign you out of all of your Roku subscriptions and restart your Roku player. Therefore, all of the applications will be wiped out from the device.

    After signing in with Guest mode, you will need to add new channels to your home screen, just like you would on your own Roku streaming device.

    For more details, please visit our Roku Support article: How to use Guest Mode on a Roku streaming device.

    We hope you find this information helpful.

    Regards,
    Riamie

    • rckeat's avatar
      rckeat
      Newbie
      3 months ago

      RokuRamie:

      For what it's worth, the Guest mode setup needs further development to optimize it for vacation rental use.  Ideally, I would want it to offer a predetermined setup of apps that I select rather than having a tenant have to select those apps for use.  In my situation, Spectrum is the App that we offer to tenants for local and basic cable tv as access to its content is included as part of our internet subscription.  So for me, I would want the Spectrum app to load to the Home Screen each time a new tenant arrives, and ideally a few other apps like YouTube TV, Max, Disney +, etc. that they could then log into with their personal account.

      I have tested the Guest Mode feature, and all of the apps I loaded into guest mode are removed when a new guest arrives and they are then replaced by a standard list of Roku Apps.  Hopefully, Roku can consider developing this feature since as it exists, Guest Mode is too cumbersome for our guests to navigate.