Forum Discussion

jas100's avatar
jas100
Newbie
12 months ago
Solved

Roku Express4K/Stick 4K remote battery drain issue

I’ve been having to replace batteries in my Roku remote control every 1 or 2 weeks at the most. I bought the Roku stick recently and don’t do a lot of streaming on tv. But the Roku remote battery drains very quickly. It’s getting annoying. There definitely seems to be some problem with the remote. Also went through lother posts of many people having this problem.

Need someone in Roku support to reach out to me for assistance with this issue. Thanks.

remotes
  • RokuCarly's avatar
    RokuCarly
    11 months ago

    Hi Community users!

    We are currently investigating this issue and working on a resolution; in the meantime, we recommend restarting your Roku device by navigating to the Home screen. Scroll up or down to select Settings > System > Power (skip if unavailable) > System restart. 

    In addition, reboot your physical Roku remote by following the steps provided below:

    If your voice remote uses standard AA or AAA alkaline batteries, you can reboot it by removing and reinstalling the batteries.

    1. Remove the battery cover on the back of your remote
    2. Remove both batteries from the battery compartment
    3. Re-insert the negative (-) end of a battery first and then gently push the positive (+) end until the battery clicks into place
    4. Repeat the previous step to install the second battery
    5. Put the battery cover back on your remote

    Furthermore, your patience and understanding are highly appreciated as we work on/investigate this ongoing issue. 

    Note: We'll mark this post as solved, but if the instructions above don't resolve the issue, please let us know or reply to this thread for further assistance. We're here to help, and we'll be glad to assist you further.

    Best regards,
    The Roku Community Team.

26 Replies

  • kksummers72's avatar
    kksummers72
    Newbie
    12 months ago

    This is my second purchase of a Roku with voice control that is requiring me to constantly reseat the batteries.  It happens after only a few minutes of not using the remote.  It’s very frustrating. I have tried repairing, resetting.  I hope Roku is looking into this issue!   Serial number X02200FDFH12

  • mdlitten's avatar
    mdlitten
    Reel Rookie
    12 months ago

    Our remote for our 4K Express (just 3 months old) has started blowing through batteries about every other day. We have re-paired and updated the remote, reset the unit frequently, but we still have to change out the batteries. This is getting ridiculous and costly. What can be done? Is this a faulty model because I've seen numerous complaints for the same issue. Is there a newer remote model that has been improved?

    • RokuCarly's avatar
      RokuCarly
      Community Moderator
      12 months ago

      We appreciate your first post here in the Roku Community, mdlitten!

      Thank you for sharing your concern about the battery health of the remote that came with your Roku Express 4K. We'd be happy to provide further insights.

      Roku remotes are designed to go the distance, but a few things will drain a remote a bit faster...
      • Heavy usage of private listening on the remote itself, but using the mobile app will save your batteries!
      • Congested Wi-Fi network around the device. The reason for this is that most remotes will use RF to connect to your Roku player, and constant reconnection will require more battery.
      • Or viewing lots of short-form content, like YouTube, where a streamer could go through a few hundred button presses in an hour.

      By the way, we also offer the Voice Remote Pro (2nd edition), a rechargeable remote with 50% more battery life than the Voice Remote Pro and USB-C charging that typically lasts three months per charge. It also has new backlit buttons that make navigation easier in low-light environments, perfect for movie nights. 

      I hope you find this information helpful. 

      Best regards,
      Carly

      • edpete's avatar
        edpete
        Newbie
        12 months ago

        I have a new Roku Streaming Stick 4K that is about 6 months old now. The batteries wear out fast requiring new batteries about once per month. My other TV uses a Firestick which has had the same batteries in the remote since I bought it two years ago. My two TV remotes, one a Sony BRavia and the other a Samsung do not require a battery change for two years or more, possibly longer.

        I read this discussion and answer mdlitten! and Roku Carly. None of your responses apply to my situation, i.e. I don't even know what private listening answer means. Is that when I turn my tv on and listen to a movie myself? Also not a congested Network, only two people live here and very few wifi devices. All devices that we do have do not have killer battery issues like this Roku remote like I have already described to you. YouTube- yes I go there periodically, meaning very infrequently.

        So, I think  Roku needs to replace this defective Remote ASAP.  SKU IS 3820R2. S/N S0J7337XS4VS

        PLEASE ADVISE HOW LONG FOR YOU TO REPLACE. THANK YOU.

  • makaiguy's avatar
    makaiguy
    Community Streaming Expert
    12 months ago

    A casual stroll thru this community will show that many people have a severe problem with battery life in their remotes. But there are also lots of people (myself included) that do not experience this problem. Is that due to some remotes being defective and others not, some Roku models being harder on remotes than others, or due to some other factor? I don't know.

    I *DO* know that if you have one of the remotes that has an earphone jack for remote listening, the earphone amplifier in the remote is activated and more quickly draining batteries whenever something is plugged into the jack, even when you are not streaming anything. Make sure you unplug the phones when not actively listening.

    If you have a Voice Remote (one with a microphone and has to be paired to your Roku, rather than a point-and-shoot remote that connects by infrared) then it controls via WiFi directly to your Roku, not going through your local WiFi network. Since the Roku has only a single WiFi radio, the Remote must use the same Roku channel your Roku is tuned to for your local network - this is set on your WiFi router, not the Roku.

    There is some evidence that one cause of battery drain for those with point-anywhere WiFi remotes can be your router using a channel that has a lot of interference from nearby routers using the same channel. This is more likely to be a problem in the more heavily used 2.4 GHz wifi band where it can also get interference from other sources like BlueTooth and microwave ovens than in the 5 GHz band.

    If you have access to your router's setup, try configuring it to use a different WiFi channel to see if this helps the situation. If you are connecting in the crowded 2.4 GHz band, channels 1-11 are supported. Channels 1, 6, and 11 do not overlap each other and so give you the best chance at reducing congestion, so try each in succession, although depending on what channels your neighbors are using, other channels in the 1-11 range may work best. Also, reducing router bandwidth from 40 to 20 kHz may also reduce interference.

    Note that optimum channel choice can be a moving target as neighbors bring new routers online in your vicinity, or reconfigure their routers to use different channels. I periodically use a WiFi analyzer app on my smart phone that can show me which available WiFi channels have the least congestion and I change the channel my router uses accordingly. I don't know if that explains my battery longevity (usually 3 months or more with fairly heavy use for my remotes with replaceable batteries) but it's probably worth a try to see if it helps.

     

     

    • Emissary35's avatar
      Emissary35
      Roku Guru
      12 months ago

      I have a Fire TV Cube I bought in September 2022 and a Fire TV Stick purchased in November 2023. Both have zero problems with the remotes, both are still using the original batteries that came with them. No pairing issues or button problems either. The Roku remotes in comparison are total junk with endless problems. Terrible product.

  • RokuERey's avatar
    RokuERey
    Retired Moderator
    11 months ago

    Hi jas100,

    Greetings from the Roku Community!

    I apologize for the late catch-up on this issue. Please be aware that this issue is currently under investigation. I'll need your help and also drop you a PM for further assistance.

    Thanks,
    Rey

    • RokuCarly's avatar
      RokuCarly
      Community Moderator
      11 months ago

      Hi Community users!

      We are currently investigating this issue and working on a resolution; in the meantime, we recommend restarting your Roku device by navigating to the Home screen. Scroll up or down to select Settings > System > Power (skip if unavailable) > System restart. 

      In addition, reboot your physical Roku remote by following the steps provided below:

      If your voice remote uses standard AA or AAA alkaline batteries, you can reboot it by removing and reinstalling the batteries.

      1. Remove the battery cover on the back of your remote
      2. Remove both batteries from the battery compartment
      3. Re-insert the negative (-) end of a battery first and then gently push the positive (+) end until the battery clicks into place
      4. Repeat the previous step to install the second battery
      5. Put the battery cover back on your remote

      Furthermore, your patience and understanding are highly appreciated as we work on/investigate this ongoing issue. 

      Note: We'll mark this post as solved, but if the instructions above don't resolve the issue, please let us know or reply to this thread for further assistance. We're here to help, and we'll be glad to assist you further.

      Best regards,
      The Roku Community Team.

      • LeeLee70's avatar
        LeeLee70
        Newbie
        10 months ago

        I saw that the reply was "we are working on this issue" but I see posts about this issue going back to 2021. 

  • Newfdog's avatar
    Newfdog
    Newbie
    11 months ago

    I have 4k streaming stick and it’s remote suddenly started draining batteries in hours. 
    Not months like normal. Having seen this in the forums many times I would think a probable cause would have been identified. 

    • RokuCarly's avatar
      RokuCarly
      Community Moderator
      11 months ago

      A warm welcome here in the Roku Community, Newfdog.

      Thanks for bringing this to our attention. Rest assured that the team is working closely to resolve this case.

      In the meantime, kindly refer to the post above for troubleshooting steps. If the issue persists, feel free to reach out.

      Thanks,
      Carly

  • Mikki_1977's avatar
    Mikki_1977
    Newbie
    11 months ago

    My remote batteries for my Roku keep draining.  I am having to replace the batteries weekly.  Is there a solution for this issue?  I have the Roku Express 4K+ without private listening.  This was just bought about 3 months ago.

    • Emissary35's avatar
      Emissary35
      Roku Guru
      11 months ago

      These remotes are junk, total power suckers draining the batteries even when you are not using your Roku. All the troubleshooting steps Roku will suggest will be copy and pasted nonsense from a script of steps that never work.

      The best advice I can give as someone who has experienced excessive battery drain for years is to remove your batteries when you are done using your Roku.

      Put the batteries back in only when you are using the device, this will significantly increase how long the batteries last because the remote will not be sucking power while the remote just sits there unused.

    • RokuCarly's avatar
      RokuCarly
      Community Moderator
      11 months ago

      A warm welcome here in the Roku Community, Mikki_1977.

      We appreciate you for sharing your concern about the battery-draining issue you've encountered on your physical Roku remote. I can assure you that the team is working closely to determine the cause and help you find the best resolution.

      In the meantime, troubleshooting steps are provided above this post. Kindly try to perform those steps to see if they make any difference. If the issue persists, please don't hesitate to let us know.

      We'll be looking forward to your update!

      Best regards,
      Carly

      • Mikki_1977's avatar
        Mikki_1977
        Newbie
        11 months ago

        Yeah none of those steps helped.  I have already tried that again and again.

  • LaurieB48's avatar
    LaurieB48
    Newbie
    11 months ago

    I'm having the same issue as many of those in the Roku Community, with my remote. The question is what is the solution? Batteries are expensive and I've gone through a BJ’s pack in less than 1 month. This system is not a year old so remote issues should be the least of my problems. How is Roku fixing these concerns? 

    And I am plugged into an outlet.

    • KraftyS's avatar
      KraftyS
      Newbie
      11 months ago

      Hi.  My batteries are draining by 50% or more within a day.  I almost always have to reset the batteries into the back of the remote to get it to start working again.   It then works properly for a short while (e.g. minutes - maybe an hour) but then I have to reset them again even if I haven't turned to tv off.  On occasion, pushing a button like select results in the volume going to 0.

      I have a Roku Streaming stick+ (model 3810x) with voice remote (remote - RC399).  Its power source is plugged into a strip, so it is not powered by the TV.  I have a Samsung TV (model UN55JS8500FXZA) and the stick is plugged into the Samsung one-connect mini (external box) so it is not behind the tv nor in an enclosed area.  It has worked properly with this same setup for a long time.

      I have seen an overheat message a couple of times - mostly when weather was very hot - but not the issue today yet still not working properly.

      When I try to re-pair the remote by holding back and home, the light on the back flashes, but nothing pops up to help me re-pare so I'm not sure what to do that way.  I then have gone to settings -> voice remote - > -> set up and can re-pair that way; however, this doesn't solve the problem of needing to reinsert the batteries nor the battery drain problem.  I did a factory reset th other day and still no fix;.

      I am on the most recent software - 13.0.0 build 24056.

      Please help as I don't know what else to try.  It's very frustrating to constantly have to reinsert batteries and even more to have to replace over and over...  Thanks, in advance, for your help.

       

      I have re-pared the remote and even done a factory reset.

      • RokuCarly's avatar
        RokuCarly
        Community Moderator
        11 months ago

        Welcome to the Roku Community, KraftyS.

        Thanks for letting us know about the issues you've encountered with the battery draining on your physical Roku remote and we appreciate the steps you've tried in troubleshooting. 

        Rest assured that I will coordinate this with our Support team for additional reinforcement. Kindly keep an eye on your inbox as I will contact you there to gather further information.

        Your continuous patience and understanding are highly appreciated.

        Best regards,
        Carly

    • RokuCarly's avatar
      RokuCarly
      Community Moderator
      11 months ago

      Welcome to the Roku Community, LaurieB48!

      Thank you for sharing your concern about your Roku remote's battery draining. No worries! We're here to help you find the best resolution.

      Kindly provide us with additional information so we can assess your concern better and provide you with an accurate resolution:

      • What specific Roku device have you paired this remote with?
      • Is this the remote that came with it? If not, what is the model of this remote?

      I'll be looking forward to your response.

      Best regards,
      Carly