Forum Discussion

kgman's avatar
kgman
Reel Rookie
9 months ago
Solved

Roku Home Menu Bloatware Bonanza

Once again, Roku, you have added unwelcome bloatware to my home screen.  Why are you advertising Agatha All Along on the right side, lower left side and now the home item menu on the left side of the Home screen?  STOP IT!  I am tired of having to go into settings to hide all the **bleep** you add to these menus, now about every week! 

Roku used to be just perfect for my family.  I have two Sharp Roku TVs and two Roku Sticks.  It did an excellent job of hosting the 9 streaming apps we regularly use.  Now it has been cramming more and more unwelcome trash down our throats, none of which I want our children to get into!

Is it Roku's new mission to anger its users?  Good job!

What do we users have to do to change this culture?

  • RokuArjiemar's avatar
    RokuArjiemar
    9 months ago

    Hello! cyberstoic, kgman,

    Thank you for posting in the Roku Community!

    We appreciate your contacting us about ads appearing on your home screen. We're happy to help.

    By sharing your ad preferences, you can control the ads displayed on your Roku streaming device's Home Screen and screensaver.

    Roku allows you to limit the ads shown on your device by hiding individual ads or limiting specific ad categories.

    Use the following instructions to opt out of ads that may contain sensitive content:

    1. Press Home on your Roku remote
    2. Scroll and select Settings
    3. Select Privacy
    4. Select Advertising
    5. Select Sensitive ad content
    6. Select one or more sensitive ad categories
    7. Press OK 
       

       

    Checking a sensitive ad category means you are restricting the types of ads Roku will be able to show on your Home Screen and screensaver. Your ad preferences are immediately saved and will be applied to all streaming devices connected to your Roku account.

    • Note: Ad preferences can only be used if Personalized Ads is enabled.

    For additional information, please check it here: How to manage ad preferences.

    Thanks,
    Arjiemar

7 Replies

  • cyberstoic's avatar
    cyberstoic
    Reel Rookie
    9 months ago

    I 100% agree.  It is beyond unacceptable to add content to my menu without my expressed consent.  

    • RokuArjiemar's avatar
      RokuArjiemar
      Retired Moderator
      9 months ago

      Hello! cyberstoic, kgman,

      Thank you for posting in the Roku Community!

      We appreciate your contacting us about ads appearing on your home screen. We're happy to help.

      By sharing your ad preferences, you can control the ads displayed on your Roku streaming device's Home Screen and screensaver.

      Roku allows you to limit the ads shown on your device by hiding individual ads or limiting specific ad categories.

      Use the following instructions to opt out of ads that may contain sensitive content:

      1. Press Home on your Roku remote
      2. Scroll and select Settings
      3. Select Privacy
      4. Select Advertising
      5. Select Sensitive ad content
      6. Select one or more sensitive ad categories
      7. Press OK 
         

         

      Checking a sensitive ad category means you are restricting the types of ads Roku will be able to show on your Home Screen and screensaver. Your ad preferences are immediately saved and will be applied to all streaming devices connected to your Roku account.

      • Note: Ad preferences can only be used if Personalized Ads is enabled.

      For additional information, please check it here: How to manage ad preferences.

      Thanks,
      Arjiemar

      • cyberstoic's avatar
        cyberstoic
        Reel Rookie
        9 months ago

        Thank you for your kind reply.  But I think that you are misunderstanding my intent.  To add items to my menu, for example "Agatha all Along" is unconscionable.  The menu is mine, for my concenience to make using the device easy, for me.  It is not for you to add items to the menu, for your benefit.  

        I have no problem with ads on the Roku Channel, it is how the shows are paid for.  I do, however, have a serious problem with you feeling like you can do whatever you like with my homescreen.  I do not want to limit the type of ads, I want them removed.  The home screen is mine.  I do not want my little grandchildren seeing things that are inappropriate for them because your ad guys need to make a few extra pence off me.

        Perhaps that makes it more clear.

        .

  • tmin's avatar
    tmin
    Reel Rookie
    7 months ago

    I agree. Now I have to scroll through stupid lines of Late Night Laughs or Sports or other things I have never shown interest in and I cannot remove them because you can click on settings and only see add to save list, view description, or close. Also, why do I pay for a subscription when I have ads imbedded in the movies I watch? The reason I pay for the subscription is to AVOID ads and unwanted suggestions to my home menu. I have set my privacy and ad settings. I have liked and disliked several types of shows and still have to put up with all of this **bleep**. Roku was my favorite and most watched subscription but I am beginning to see I need to look elsewhere. Please change the functions for paid subscribers. If we pay for a service, we should get that service free and clear. If you want to lose customers, you definitely hit upon a great new way to make that happen. I’m completely frustrated with the new formatting and ads. Let me know if this will soon change or not and I can make my decision to ditch Roku subscription now. I’m still hopeful that enough customer dissatisfaction will change it back to the way it was. 

    • renojim's avatar
      renojim
      Community Streaming Expert
      7 months ago

      tmin, Roku doesn't have a subscription.  There are many premium services that you can subscribe to through Roku, but that's not the same thing.  Some premium services have a cheaper tier with ads, but that's them, not Roku providing that tier.  Most, if not all, free stuff on "The Roku Channel" comes with ads and there's no way around it.

      • tmin's avatar
        tmin
        Reel Rookie
        7 months ago

        Thank you for telling me that. I assumed I was also paying Roku since I have other subscriptions and the billing says Roku. I would pay for a Roku subscription to avoid ads. Ad content has changed and I wonder if it is the new ad company they are working with? I would like to get rid of things like the lines of sports moments or late night laughs. It’s more confusing to find the content you are actually looking for.