Hi,Recently I have noticed that my Samsung Galaxy S10+ (One UI 4.1 - Android v12) is draining its battery when using the Roku app (v9.3.0.1909385) with private listening, I have done various things to try and resolve this, all without success!1. Factory reset my phone (especially for this one issue)2. Factory reset Roku Streaming Stick+ 3810X (12.0.0 build 4184-50)3. Cleared cache & data then reinstalled Roku app4. Issue persists on wife's Samsung Galaxy A50 also.5. Factory reset Netgear WIFI AP (running out things to try)6. Samsung Galaxy S7I have been in contact with Roku support, but we are going round circles with them assuming at one point the issue was with the Roku remote :(, we are 1 week in now.I absolutely love the private listening feature of the Roku streaming stick and use it everyday, having lost it for 2 weeks I am really missing it, so I would really appreciate any advise on what I am doing wrong and why this is occurring.

John, it amazes me that every time I've contacted Roku about a problem--there hasn't been a single exception--the response I get is that it's someone else's problem and you send the customer to them to get it fixed.I'm an engineer with decades of experience with software development. Let me give you some advice. When your product doesn't work, it's YOUR problem, not someone else's. And it's YOUR responsibility to fix it, not the customer's. Even if this really is an issue with Samsung's phones, it's YOUR job to contact Samsung and work with them to fix the problem. My company has done that many times with other products that were at fault, and we would NEVER just tell our customer, "it's not our problem, you figure it out."By the way, those other issues that were all "someone else's problem"--they miraculously got fixed right after a Roku update.

Hi John,It's not just Samsung, battery drain is happening on my Pixel 7 with stock Android 13. The Roku app is clearly has issues.

RokuEuniceL,Please read the posts before replying. Had you done so, you would know that this has nothing to do with data use, it's about battery drain. You would also know that using battery saver doesn't help because it causes the private listening feature to mute every few minutes.Is Roku going to actually address the problem with their app or just keep deflecting the question until we give up?

On a Roku remote with a headphone jack, the remote's headphone amplifier uses power whenever the headset is plugged into the jack, whether or not you are streaming anything. Perhaps your phones do the same(?).Try to unplug any earphones from your remote and/or phone when you are not actively listening and see if that extends your battery life.

Hi and thank you for your suggestion.I tried as you asked last night with both mine and wifes phones, however I got the same result 😞The son has an iPhone 13 max & his works phone (brand new), so will give these ago and report back.

Roku Android app causing excessive battery drain

makaiguy
Community Streaming Expert
2 years ago
On a Roku remote with a headphone jack, the remote's headphone amplifier uses power whenever the headset is plugged into the jack, whether or not you are streaming anything. Perhaps your phones do the same(?).
Try to unplug any earphones from your remote and/or phone when you are not actively listening and see if that extends your battery life.
- manc
  Binge Watcher
  2 years ago
  Hi and thank you for your suggestion.
  I tried as you asked last night with both mine and wifes phones, however I got the same result 😞
  The son has an iPhone 13 max & his works phone (brand new), so will give these ago and report back.
  - manc
    Binge Watcher
    2 years ago
    Here is some monitoring with AccuBattery to get an idea of battery drain whilst using the remote app in private listening.
CaroleV
Reel Rookie
2 years ago
I never even use the app but when I checked battery usage on my Galaxy S10 after noticing it draining with zero apps open, I found that the Roku app was the culprit. The ONLY way I could stop it was to uninstall it! Won't be putting it back.
- DTM54
  Binge Watcher
  2 years ago
  Same issue with Samsung S10e. All of the suggestions--clearing cache, reinstalling, etc.--fail to help. If I give the app anything less than unrestricted background battery use, the private listening mode goes mute every couple of minutes, so that's not an option.
  The only thing that helps is to force stop the app after every time I use it. This is the only app I've ever heard of that requires that!
  - RokuJohnB
    Community Moderator
    2 years ago
    Hi DTM54,
    
    Welcome to the Roku Community!
    
    We understand that you're having a problem with your Roku mobile app. We're happy to help. If the issue persists on the Roku mobile app after attempting the troubleshooting steps, We suggest contacting the Samsung customer support team to report the issue and get help. In this case, there's likely an issue with that specific phone that needs to be addressed with an update from them.
    
    Please let us know if there is anything else we can do to help you.
    
    All the best,
    
    John
jamescobban
Reel Rookie
2 years ago
One undesirable feature of the Roku Android App is that it does not permit the Android device to turn off and lock the display. This causes excessive battery drain. The display only needs to be presented when the user wishes to change something, not all the time. All other Android apps that I have installed permit the display to be turned off and locked.
jessycatherine
Reel Rookie
2 years ago
If the Roku app on your Android device is causing excessive battery drain, there are several steps you can take to troubleshoot and resolve this issue:
Updates often include bug fixes that can resolve issues like excessive battery usage.
If your device's operating system is outdated, it might be incompatible with the Roku app or not optimizing battery usage effectively. Updating to the latest version of Android might help to resolve the issue. https://apkbyte.com
If the Roku app is running in the background, it can drain your battery even when you're not actively using it. To check this, go to your Android device's settings, then "Apps" or "Applications", find the Roku app, and look at its battery usage details. If it is consuming power in the background, you might want to restrict its background activity.
If the Roku app is set to push frequent notifications, this can also drain battery life. You can disable or limit these in the app's settings or in the device's application settings.
Excessive battery drain could be due to connectivity issues. Turn off Wi-Fi, mobile data, and Bluetooth, then turn them back on.
If none of these solutions work, it may be worthwhile to reach out to Roku's customer support for further assistance. https://support.roku.com/
- DTM54
  Binge Watcher
  2 years ago
  jessycatherine,
  Please read the thread before responding.
  I've already pointed out three times that battery optimization prevents the app from working as needed and is unacceptable.
  I and others have already pointed out that the app is up to date, and already stated the Android versions we're using, which are compatible.
  If the problem were with the device's Wi-Fi, there would be problems with more than just this one app, and the Roku app doesn't even use Bluetooth. The problem is clearly in the app, not the phones.
  Your comment about notifications makes sense. However, I already have notifications entirely disabled for the app, so it's not that.
Terabyteman
Reel Rookie
2 years ago
Since up updated Roku app to Version 9.8.0 on 10-3-23 on my iPhone running iOS 16.7 this app is draining the battery and causing the phone to get really hot when using Roku app as Roku remote control mode.

I end up having to fully close Roku app to get phone to cool.

Phone app Version 9.8.0 Needs to be fixed !!!
- RokuEuniceL
  Retired Moderator
  2 years ago
  Hi Terabyteman,
  
  Greetings from the Roku Community!
  
  We're glad to assist you with your problem with the Roku mobile app that is causing an excessive battery drain. We'd like to know more about it so we can further assist you. May we ask if you are using private listening on the Roku mobile app? Have you tried uninstalling the Roku mobile app and reinstalling it to see if the issue occurs?
  
  We'll be waiting for your response.
  
  Kind regards,
  
  Eunice
  - sherwin
    Reel Rookie
    2 years ago
    This is happening to me on an iPhone 15 Pro Max since the update to iOS 17.1.1 in private listening mode (with Airpods Pro). It drains around 30% of the battery per hour. Previously, it was just a couple percent.
    I'm using what it says is the latest app version - 9.9.0.8757707.44 with a TCL Roku TV model G103X.