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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Charitysmama
Streaming Star

Re: Unwanted Channels being added without permission

I just found out (10/14/2022) that ROKU now allows some customers to get involved in interactive ads by pressing the OK button when an ad comes up, for instance the ad would go from just a picture to a video.  I suddenly got Spectrum TV added to my Spectrum account and couldn't figure out what happened.  After talking to several ppl at Spectrum, I found out that when I switched TVs in my bedroom and living room (the bedroom T died) and I reset the moved tv in my bedroom, an ad must have popped up which I accidentally clicked on.  I never gave permission to put TV on my Spectrum account and ROKU did it without using my security code.  How do I complain to ROKU about this.  Also, they keep having an ad for deals on ROKU items scroll across the screen and if u click at the wrong time, u go to the add instead of the channel u are trying to reach. I have also complained about the upgrades that took place a couple of weeks ago which I do not like.

Charitysmama
Streaming Star

Re: Unwanted Channels being added without permission

Not true.  ROKU added Spectrum TV to my Spectrum account without my permission or password.  After a lengthy telephone call with Spectrum, I found out that it happened when I switched TVs in my bedroom and set it up, and since ROKU had added upgrades just a few days b4, I must have hit the wrong button and it got added.  ROKU is always popping up ads for other services, very annoying.  If I want to add something, I will do it myself.  Fortunately, Spectrum removed it from my bill, but ROKU should not be allowed to do this without my permission and a second box being popped up saying "are u sure u want this", etc.

Ben48174
Channel Surfer

Re: Unwanted Channels being added without permission

For all the "experienced users and Roku employees" saying that Roku does not add channels please stop. Everyone please Read the Roku account terms and conditions and the second or third paragraph Roku states "we or any of our content providers may update, add or remove channels with or without your consent or notice to you" ..... It's literally written in their terms and conditions. So all these people saying that it's not Roku are lying and needs to just admit that Roku and all the content providers can add channels and there's nothing we can do about it whether we'd like it or not. All these Roku employees or experienced users are just trying to shift the blame on us consumers so they don't admit what Roku does because they will lose customers. 

Strega
Roku Guru

Re: Unwanted Channels being added without permission

Any cable, satellite etc. company has a clause like that too, because otherwise people complain whenever what they are carrying now varies from what they were carrying years ago.  My satellite company puts that right at the top of the contract in bold, underline and with stars next to it so you can’t say they didn’t try to tell you.  Ie: you call to complain about a carriage dispute with the only channel on earth that you care about, and they can say: Yep it happens, we did try to warn you.

All I can say, is that I have been using Roku for around 7 years.  At first, I was using the default screen saver (which has ads) and accidentally added an advertised channel, or maybe 2 or 3, before I understood how that was happening.  So, I switched to a Roku clock screen saver without ads and haven’t had the issue since.  The other time you can easily get a bunch of channels is when setting up a new Roku.  They ask if you have various interests or various cable accounts, and if you say “yes” to any of that, then they download stuff they think will be useful or interesting to you.  So, say “no” to everything to minimize the channels in the initial setup.

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Ben48174
Channel Surfer

Re: Unwanted Channels being added without permission

Strega I understand and usually your answer would be the applicable one but all my ad settings, tracker settings, everything possible is turned off or denied and screen saver is switched with just a clock. Did everything possible l and I deleted the 50 channels that were added on without my permission. As soon as I did that I turned the TV off and on to refresh everything and walked away for a couple of minutes and when I get back Roku already downloaded a new channel without me touching the remote. At this point, I took every step and precaution for unwanted ads purchases or added channels and it is not helping. I'm starting to wonder if it is a account by account basis but that wouldn't explain why I'm getting extra channels downloaded literally after removing 50 channels and all the settings are off or declined. 

Strega
Roku Guru

Re: Unwanted Channels being added without permission


@Ben48174 wrote:

I'm starting to wonder if it is a account by account basis but that wouldn't explain why I'm getting extra channels downloaded literally after removing 50 channels and all the settings are off or declined. 


Channels are on an account basis, so if your Roku account is being shared, someone may have wondered where their channels went and started adding them back??  Just a wild guess as I can't think of anything else.

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Ben48174
Channel Surfer

Re: Unwanted Channels being added without permission

I know channels are on account to account basis. I'm talking about the way Roku adds channels or doesn't add channels. Obviously everybody settings are different but all my settings are turned off. Literally there is no reason for channels to be added on my account versus someone who thinks they went through everything and turned it all off and I only have one account. I didn't say I have multiple accounts or multiple Roku devices or multiple users. I'm not naive. I'm not some entry level guy who barely knows how to use a computer. I'm well versed in electronics and system softwares. So if all precautions have been taken with all knowledge on internet, your advice (which I did before it was mentioned) and knowledge unknown to average people then it is a matter of Roku algorithm doing whatever it wants on my account for the heck of it despite all my efforts to stop it. And the algorithm seems to leave you alone. 

rawlsrules
Roku Guru

Re: Unwanted Channels being added without permission

Your information is interesting.

I cannot agree with drawing parallels between Roku's service and subscription services like satellite or cable. And, I always say "No" when asked about my interests in setting up any service, profile, etc. Typically I do not put anything at all in what they call "profile", a concept I find offensive.

Which clock do you use? I will try one of the clocks to see if it makes a difference. However, for nine years I have used the the same screen saver on both of my devices, yet, as I have been telling Roku for years now, one of the devices adds channels and one does not. Furthermore, both devices started with the same screen saver and neither device added channels until '19 or '20. And, again, only one device does it except for a brief period not quite a year ago when both were adding channels.

Trying to see rhyme or reason to these Roku devices is futile. I have spent countless phone calls with Roku trying to fix this: none of them were able to effect any change, including sending me a new device at one point.

Added the clock. I do not need more activity on my screen: it jumps all around the screen for some unfathomable reason.

Television commercials were bad enough, but now not only do we have all kinds of products imposed on us, noise and movement are introduced in attempts to determine when and how we focus our attention. To think that Roku advertised itself as a way to break from the commercial world, touting itself as a means to "cut the cord" and have autonomy over one's media choices.

Ben48174
Channel Surfer

Re: Unwanted Channels being added without permission

Rawrules,

Interesting that you pointed out the difference between your two Roku devices. I know of someone who has the same exact issue. They have a Roku streaming stick plus and then the other one is a base model Roku with a little box under the TV and the streaming stick is always constantly adding channels and the one base model with the box under the TV does not have channels at all. ever. Both of them are on the same account and same user by my buddy

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rawlsrules
Roku Guru

Re: Unwanted Channels being added without permission

The most sensible, if infuriating, answer provided. Too bad Roku employees didn't "remind" me that I had signed this when, several years ago, they started adding channels. And too bad for me not to have read more carefully and to have bought in to their b.s. about offering autonomy in one's media delivery choices.

I do wonder why they didn't do it the first five or six years I used Roku …?

Thank you.

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