Features, settings & updates

[Emissary35]

This is the sneaky workaround Roku has come up with. If we disable every single one of these rows they can either be re-enabled after an update. Or Roku simply makes a brand new category for a brand new show or movie and it's enabled by default. There needs to be a new setting added to HIDE ALL so no matter what gets added we will never see it.

But my guess is Roku will never do this because they know a large portion of customers will hide their ads and never see them. Roku is all about marketing and ad revenue they have no care at all for customer satisfaction.

That is why they are constantly altering our settings on our devices we own that we paid for! When Roku makes changes to our devices they are basically saying we don't own it and they can do whatever they want whenever they want.

Then they force us all to agree to an arbitration agreement or our devices are locked out so we can't sue them for all the meddling they do to our accounts or when they get hacked and our personal information is stolen!

Then add on top of that the poor customer service you get with Roku and you have to ask yourself, is it really worth continuing to buy Roku products in the future.

[DanUK]

This behaviour shows the utter contempt and disdain that Roku has for it's customers.

Honestly just leave us alone, let us lock down our config that works.

Stop spying on what we watch on Netflix and sharing that data with no opt out option (breach of GDPR), stop adding shi-ite we do not want, need and did not ask for. 

Stop forcing updates that damage our Roku, you have gone from a product I recommended to a product I give warnings about.  Joining this forum has shown me you sell a bunch of other products like video doorbells, but with the lack of privacy and this presumption that you know better than us along with your tendency to cattle prod us into doing what YOU want rather than what we want, means I will not go near those products.

I suppose the writing was on the wall when you took members onto your board of directors who were buying OEM versions of Roku products, soon after you disabled side loadlng.  Fine you chose your side, you will now be tolerated but I for one and looking for alternatives while I can still get a good price for my Roku kit, I have four of your devices. 

It has got to a stage where I would rather have some cheap Chinese tat that I know the CCP probably monitor but they do not share my data with 400+ data agencies who then go on to share it with companies that make decisions about me, such as "this one is a mug do not offer them a good price".

[DanUK]

They are not just losing customers but they will soon be losing retailers, at least in Europe and UK.

When we buy anything our contract is with the retailer, any breach of our common laws (including legislation and case law decisions) is an automatic breach of contract.  So a customer may go back to the retailer and demand a refund if GDPR has been broken.

Roku breaches GDPR by not providing a means to firmly opt out of their data being shared, such an objection must be respected and we do not recognise any alleged "legitimate interest" of the marketing networks that "partner" with the likes of Roku.

GDPR allows for a fine of up to 9% of worldwide turnover, which is why the likes of Google, Apple and Meta are shi'ite scare of it.

I will shortly be raising my complaint with both the EU and UK regulators who enforce this action, they do not need to go to Court and they have very limited scope for appeal.

It us fundamentally unfair to not give the customer an option to decline at the point of sale, terms such as these need to be made prominent and can't be buried in terms and conditions,

The terms shown in the Roku device are illegal because they offer no opt out, never mind consider them before making the decision to purchase, the fact that they are changed without sufficient notice makes it even worse.  Roku simple can't presume consent and can't say if you continue to use the product you are deemed to have consented,

Our children are also subjected to the same data collection, again illegal, they are too young to legally consent.

Roku needs to have an iron clad method of opting out and it needs to show it is enforcing it when we select the option.  We have already seen how when you say "forget a remote" it still remembers and just does not display.  We have to assume the same when we hide "what to watch"  I will be testing this for the evidence I submit to the regulator.

Roku has severely damaged it reputation by selling it's soul to the data collectors and so called partners, they need to provide fit and proper opt out options because once the retailers realise that they will be forced to offer refunds on Roku devices they will decide not to stock them,

[ibaldsg]

I wouldn't mind the Recommended Row as much if it wasn't the first row. I have the app I use the most in the first spot of the row, and it's annoying to have another click before I can get to the one I want. If you can't understand why one more click matters so much, consider hiring a UX designer.

[Nicholas82]

IT WORKED GUYS!

[Rok1uIsRed]

Roku is a communist mouthpiece for extreme oppressive entities like Disney, Target and the Federal Government.  Every new product and feature they introduce is designed to further brainwash the oblivious American voter.

[Missy12]

I sincerely don't think you guys regret anything. Stop stop stop putting porn videos on popular free shows. You know people have kids and families. They don't need to see this **bleep**. Take it off. 

[Jarhead_68]

This solution worked on all the Roku devices in the house, except the newest one. Even after restarting the system, and removing the batteries from the remote, to be sure everything was rebooted. The obnoxious advertising and more obnoxious change in the top row selections I want are still there.

[FranknSense]

Adding the option to hide 'recommendation rows' was reassuring. 

Any bloatware is too much bloatware, and I'm already not too happy with Disney, Netflix, Apple and Paramount for insinuating their product onto most TV remotes and the other 'real estate' they've hijacked. Fortunately (for now) it's 'only' the 4 buttons at the two bottom rows of the Roku Ultra remote, but I would prefer a ZERO bloatware option. I would be willing to pay a couple of dollars extra if Roku would also manufacture a version of the remote which doesn't include ANY bloatware 'short cut' buttons AT ALL. When there's an unsavory word for it - bloatware, it's probably not something desirable. I think we all are fully aware that when company A puts company B's advertisements on their products that company B paid a lot of money for the privilege of LITTERING their little logo stamp on as many of company A's points of interaction with their customers as possible. If I had a nickel for every time I quit using some 'company A' product, I would have enough money to design and manufacture my own remote, but for now I'll accept this concession to allow us to hide this unfortunately located advertisements row as a sign that Roku is still, for now at least, heads & shoulders better than LG, Apple TV, etc.. 

[Emissary35]

Roku needs to STOP putting their annoying recommendation rows back on my home screen! I went to the settings and selected 'Hide' long ago for all things Roku wants to show me. Then after the Roku gets an update recently the rows are back. Roku is purposely undoing my customization setting when I chose to hide their annoying rows that I never want to see!

This isn't the first time this has happened, I have noticed recently after Roku gets minor updates the recommendation rows are back on my home screen without my permission. So Roku is intentionally turning them back on with their updates, forcing customers to not only see them again but forcing us to navigate back into the settings to disable them once more! I have multiple Roku devices in my house and this happens on all of them after updates.

To the programmers at Roku! Leave my effing settings alone! Keep your annoying rows to yourself! I NEVER want to see them! When I turn them off LEAVE THEM OFF!

Stop meddling with my devices that I PAID FOR!

I own them, you don't! If you want to mess with my settings on my devices then refund my money that I paid to purchase them all!