Features, settings & updates

[RokuJechealR]

Hi Community users,

Thanks for posting to the Roku Community!

We appreciate you sharing your thoughts and value your feedback as a valued customer about ads on Roku devices.

We value your preferences, and the good news is that you can control some ads shown on your Roku's Home Screen. Just highlight the ad, press the * button on your remote, choose the option to "Hide this ad," and press the OK button on your remote.

Visit our Support article, which provides more instructions about how to hide an ad.

Please keep in mind that this will only apply to the ad on the home screen.

All the best,
Chel

[Trasd]

I logged in to say goodbye to Roku.  I've been a loyal customer for almost 15 years, long before streaming was popular.  I quit watching OTA (over the air) and satelite providers to distance my family from commercials.  Ads are simply intrusive and in bad taste.

Imagine my disappointed when I turned on my system the other day and saw an ad on my Roku menu!  This is just on the heels of another Roku battle.  I thought, just possibly, Roku learned their lesson.

Roku; I hate to break it to you, but you are no longer one of the only games in town!  Consumers now have better streaming options.  For those of you who are willing to put in a little effort, I recommend a USB IR remote receiver and the new Raspberry Pi 5.  With a little digging, you can create your own solutions.  As companies like Roku get more and more greedy, better and better open source solutions will present themselves.

So let me just say, so long Roku and, thanks for the fish!

A couple helpful links: Pi TV Projects; Roku VS Pi

[Emissary35]

@RokuJechealR 

"We value your preferences, and the good news is that you can control some ads shown on your Roku's Home Screen. Just highlight the ad, press the * button on your remote, choose the option to "Hide this ad," and press the OK button on your remote."

Well the bad news is that this can only be done a few times, then it stops working and tells you that you can't hide anymore ads for the rest of the day. Also this only works on the ad on the right side of the home screen. You can't hide the one on the lower left because it can't be highlighted.

The big ad on the right was bad enough, but taking the opportunity to force a second one on the lower left is really infuriating to a lot of people. These ads are ridiculously annoying, Roku only cares about ad revenue and not customer satisfaction.

[RokuJechealR]

Hi @Emissary35,

Greetings from the Roku Community!

We understand your concern about the ads you see on the Roku device. We're sorry for the inconvenience and frustration they have caused you.

Please be aware that while we can't please everyone, the ads displayed may not always meet everyone's preferences or expectations. However, we make efforts to avoid offensive images and content that may be disagreeable to Roku users.

We will forward your valuable feedback to the relevant team for review. Don't hesitate to let us know if you have any questions or additional feedback.

All the best,
Chel

[atc98092]

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@Btdemp wrote:

Keeps price free?

As I said I BOUGHT the roku device.

Not free.

I suscribed to several services through Roku. Paramount, Peacock, showtime, iheart radio. To mention a few. NOT FREE.

I pay for internet to use it.

NOT FREE.

AS A SIDE NOTE...7 minutes of tv 3 minutes of ads, hardly make the roku channel even usable. And every ad infested channel you offer is available with less ads on pluto or several other FREE tv apps. 

Stop acting like what you have is special. Even Google tv has less ads. And they own double click .  Wise up..

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If you think Google TV has less ads, you aren't looking very close. And the Fire TV user interface is nothing but a large Amazon ad. Only the Apple TV is ad free on the home screen to my knowledge.

You bought your Roku, yes. But at a reduced price because Roku places ads on the home screen. My Shield Pro was $200, and the home screen is completely cluttered with "suggestions" that are nothing but ads for different apps. In general I chose not to watch apps/channels that are ad supported, because I don't like the ad placement in most of them. Pluto is terrible about breaking the movie at inappropriate places to insert some ads. Most of the content I watch is on my home media server, so no ads and it's content I like well enough I bought the disc.

Does Roku place too many ads in the Roku Channel? Yes, I believe they do. But that's how they finance offering the content they do for free. 

[atc98092]

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@GoHawks wrote:

These billboards and benches are not IN YOUR house and you didn't pay for them however, once I pay for a Roku it is mine.

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But you bought your Roku for a reduced price, because Roku places ads on the home screen. Apple TV is the only streaming player I'm aware of that doesn't have ads on the home screen. My Shield Android TV devices all have more ads than the Roku devices do, and those are much more expensive than the most expensive Roku. They are more capable, but still covered with "suggestions" (ads) on the home screen.

[RokuMaryEF · Accepted solution]

Hi Community users,

Did you know you can manage the types of ads displayed on your Roku streaming device? By customizing your ad preferences, you can control what appears on your Home Screen and screensaver.

Changing Ad Preferences:

To adjust your ad settings and hide specific ads, follow these steps:

1. Press the Home button on your Roku remote.
2. Scroll and select "Settings."
3. Choose "Privacy" and then "Advertising."
4. Select "Sensitive ad content."
5. Check one or more sensitive ad categories you wish to opt out from.
6. Press the OK button on your Roku remote to save your preferences.

Please note that ad preferences can only be used if Personalized Ads are enabled.

Hiding an Ad:

If you want to hide a specific ad on your Home Screen:

1. Use your Roku remote to select the ad.
2. Press the Star (*) button.
3. Choose "Hide this ad" and press OK.

A new ad will replace the one you've hidden.

How Ad Preferences Work:

Hiding an ad prevents it from appearing on a specific device. Sensitive ad content settings apply across all devices linked to your Roku account.

Exceptions:

• Video ads and ads within channel partner apps are not affected by these preferences.
• Some themed background ads may still appear to all users.

Sensitive Ad Categories:

The sensitive ad categories include Alcohol, Smoking, Gambling, Horror, Mature/Sexual Content, Medication and Supplements, Politics, Religion and Spirituality, and Violence.

Got questions? We've got answers!

• Miscategorized ads? If you see an ad from a category you restricted, it might be misclassified. You can still hide individual ads you find offensive.
• Ad reappearing? Ads can occasionally reappear due to how they're delivered. Just hide them again!
• Reached the hiding limit? Roku limits the number of ads you can hide daily to prevent abuse. This limit resets every 24 hours.

Check out the full Roku article on ad preferences How to manage ad preferences | Official Roku Support

We hope these tips help you customize your Roku experience. If you have further questions or need assistance, feel free to reach out!

Happy Streaming! 💜

The Roku Community Team

[IdislikeR0ku]

Please don't give me false information. If you star on the ad on the right side of the screen it does absolutely nothing. You cannot remove the ad you cannot change the ad you cannot request a different ad. Every time I turn on my TV and open up my Roku and there's an ad there it pisses me off a little bit more and more. I paid for this device, I pay for my services, I paid to not have commercials on every service that I watch. Looking into other options.