Features, settings & updates

[realslacker]

Absolutely degrades my experience. Honestly I wish someone would just create a Plex box since that's all I use my Roku for.

[PiecedOff]

Well, being as several weeks have gone by, and nothing has changed it has given me time to think about this.

I am wondering if this change is another step in the direction of homogenizing all the subscriptions you purchase through the Roku interface layer.  Initiating a search first thing when you login takes you directly down that path.

It’s no secret that they want to consolidate all your services into a single set of menus and browsing interfaces. ideally for them you aren’t watching YouTube TV or max or Hulu, you’re watching Roku. I’m sure that makes them money somehow. Don’t know how. Don’t care how. But if they’re starting to put their monetization ahead of my user experience, it changes the calculus on the value of the Roku product.

[AvsGunnar]

@PiecedOff 

I am not sure if these test features follow the device ID or the Roku account.

You can always try creating a new Roku account (new email address) and see if the feature (Search bar) follows you to the new account.

If you have subscriptions through Roku, this step will impact those.  If you have subscriptions directly with the provider, then you will just need to login again on the Roku device and be good to go.

You can always revert your device back to the old Roku account as well. (Just don't delete your account).

If you have multiple Roku devices, perhaps try the following on just one device and see if it helps issue.  Basically, just Factory Reset the device and use a different email address during setup/activation.  If successful and the Search Bar remains away, go into your old Roku account and Remove/Unlink this device from the old account after verifying everything is working as it should.

[forrestgreene99]

When they say "to improve navigation and content discovery and get you into your streaming content as soon as you turn on your TV", read "to make you stay on the home screen a little longer so we get more advertising $$$".  I've had enough - I'm going back to Firestick.

[LadyShine]

It was gone for a couple days- was wonderful! Back again this evening. Really detest it and am switching back to FireTV. 

[PiecedOff]

The frustrating part is that I am fairly invested in the Roku platform.  Three TCL TVs, three Ultras and a pair of sticks. 

Making a switch isn’t going to be easy.  Or cheap.  

But I actively dislike that search widget that lies between me and any of the things I want. It’s not something I’ll simply accept as the “new normal”.

That kind of irritation only grows more acute over time and eventually absent any change yes, I will spend the money to switch platforms before acquiescing to this take it or leave it change to the fundamental navigation of the device. 

In those circumstances I will 100% leave it.

Every time. 

If that seems like an excessive reaction well so be it.  If I don’t even have the final say in how I prefer to watch television I might as well not have a will of my own  

Life is too short to put up with something that continually irritates me. 

[PiecedOff]

and now, suddenly I see that the search box has disappeared from the channel grid and returned to the left menu where it belongs. 

Sincere thanks.

[tb542]

I see that too - just did a restart on the tv this morning and noticed it's gone. Apparently if enough people complain, stupid changes can be undone! I did notice that for about a day, maybe 2 days, if I went to a tv show that I've started to watch, instead of "See all episodes" there was a "See all seasons" option instead. And it just sucked - it would pull up everything but you'd be back at the first episode in the first season. It was sucky! This morning, after the restart I now have the "See all episodes" option back. I don't know what the programmers at Roku are doing but somebody needs to tell them that if it ain't broke, don't eff with it! 

[PiecedOff]

I'm all for trying new things.  How else can you expect to make any progress from where you are today if you never do anything different.

But those "new things" ought to be well considered.  The way this was handled throws back to the roll out of New Coke as far as solutions for which there was no problem.

However I digress.  I got what I wanted. No need to belabor the point.  

[gitterdone]

Annoying search bar on all my rokus is finally gone.  THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!!!!