Channels & viewing

Are your Roku channels not working? Find troubleshooting tips for adding/removing channels, logging in, authentication, activation, playback issues, and more.
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kharrrisma
Channel Surfer

New Channels keep appearing that I didn't install!

Hi Forum folke,

Small problem, but becoming annoying.

Roku keeps adding channels I didn't ask for to my home page.  If I don't constantly stay on top of them, they add up pretty quickly, and having to delete them one by each gets tedious.  I get it all cleaned up, and before I know it, many of the channels I deleted are back, and more.

Is there any way to stop having channels I didn't ask for installed on my home page?

27 REPLIES 27
renojim
Community Streaming Expert

Re: New Channels keep appearing that I didn't install!

If any channels/apps are added/removed from one Roku they are added/removed from every Roku linked to the same Roku account.  You can see what Rokus are linked to your account by using the email address that shows up under Settings->System->About to log in at https://my.roku.com .  Check to see if there are any devices shown there that you don't recognize.  If the email address that shows under Settings->System-About isn't yours or you don't recognize it then you have bigger problems.

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kharrrisma
Channel Surfer

Re: New Channels keep appearing that I didn't install!

Hi renojim,

Nope... all's well.  Did find an old Roku Ultra that's long defunct, so I unlinked that.  Only other one there is the one I'm currently using.  Email address is correct.  Can't find anything off-color anywhere.  D'you suppose it's just Roku "pushing" channels 'cause I don't 'shop around' for channels 'enough?'  Getting pretty annoying.  Other people's ideas of what I'd like ("... based on your selections...") are always way off base.  If I want new channels, I'll go looking for 'em - - I know how to do that.  Stuffing my home page with unwanted stuff is just irritating, not helpful in the least... not to me, anyway.  Maybe to Roku.

andyross
Roku Guru

Re: New Channels keep appearing that I didn't install!

I've had two Roku's for several years, and have NEVER had a channel automatically added.

The only way channels would be added is if:

1) You have multiple Roku's linked to the same account and add it to one of them

2) You 'activated' with some 3rd party scammer and they have access to your online account

3) Your online account has been hacked and somebody is using that to add channels.

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DBDukes
Community Streaming Expert

Re: New Channels keep appearing that I didn't install!

Roku has, in the past, pushed channels. I'm not aware of them doing it recently. Those were big name apps (Showtime, etc) that got a major push. Think along the line of the whole Apple/U2 album release fiasco; everyone got it, despite not wanting it. Roku was doing the same thing around that time.

When they did push the channels, they showed up in the "5" position; that is, in the 2nd position of the 2nd row (exception: if you previously added then removed the "pushed" app, it showed up at the end rather than in the "5" slot). 

One other thing about that old app push: after added, if you removed it, it didn't return via push.

Another thing: if you had a PIN protecting the adding of apps, Roku didn't push those apps back then. They respected that setting, at least. 

If the mystery apps are brand new to you (not having previously added then deleted) and they are not in the "5" slot, then it doesn't fit the pattern Roku held those years ago.

You might want to consider that if anyone adds an app to any one of your Roku devices, it gets added to all. You said that there was a "defunct" Roku Ultra that has since been removed from your account. If you truly mean the device no longer exists, and are certainly no one else on Planet Earth can possibly be using it, then yes, that's ruled out.

Also, keep in mind that apps can be added via the Web interface. Anyone with access to your Roku account can go to https://channelstore.roku.com and add apps that way. 

This suggestion might not help determine the cause, but it might stop it: Use a PIN to protect adding of apps via a Roku device, and change the password to your Roku.com account.

DBDukes
Roku Community Streaming Expert
Note: I am not a Roku employee.

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makaiguy
Community Streaming Expert

Re: New Channels keep appearing that I didn't install!

Are you using a screen saver?  If so, is it one that includes links to channels?  And then, what key do you normally press to exit the screen saver?

If you hit Select on any such screen saver, you could be activating a link on the screen saver that installs a channel.

It is best to exit the screen saver by pressing some other key that can't activate anything, like the Home key, or the Play/Pause key.

Edited to add:

Removed Play/Pause as a key to exit screen saver.  Use Home key.

And @DBDukes suggestion to require a PIN before a channel can be installed is a good one.  It might also help you discover when these additions are occurring.

 

Roku Community Streaming Expert
I am not a Roku employee, only a user like you.  Please, no support questions via private message -- post them publicly to the Community where others may benefit as well.
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renojim
Community Streaming Expert

Re: New Channels keep appearing that I didn't install!


@makaiguy wrote:

It is best to exit the screen saver by pressing some other key that can't activate anything, like the Home key, or the Play/Pause key.


Don't use Play/Pause or Select to exit a screensaver.  They've both been used in the past to add channels from Roku screensavers.

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ameijer
Reel Rookie

Re: New Channels keep appearing that I didn't install!

You are absolutely wrong. I have a single Roku device. At times, it seems that every day, when I turn on my system, the Roku is adding a channel and I have to hit the cancel button. Lately it's been Tubi. I recently noticed that there were three channels including the aforementioned one added to my list. Probably because I turn on the system and wasn't paying attention immediately. I removed the channels and the next day, Tubi was being added again

Strega
Roku Guru

Re: New Channels keep appearing that I didn't install!

Not sure which "you" you're talking about, but yours sounds like the common screen saver problem as mentioned above.  A clue is the fact that the channel is always getting added just as you are waking up your system.  I find that ad-free screensavers like the Roku clock screen savers are the easiest ways to avoid that issue, but being careful what you press to wake up your Roku can work as well.

BillieAnnie
Roku Guru

Re: New Channels keep appearing that I didn't install!

@ameijer You don’t turn on a Roku. They are always on. Does someone else use your Roku account? Why don’t you just simply add a PIN to prevent this from happening. 

https://support.roku.com/article/220128567