Known issues

[Pompey]

What's odd is that if I go to my account management at the website, all the albums that were linked from Google Photos are still there. So the setup process has not been killed off,  Perhaps they are not retiring the photo features, after all  Maybe this has something to do with the ongoing OS 14.5 update.

[KCQuacker]

Hopefully it's not true and it's just some weird glitch thing. I've had an issue with it not working for a day or so here and there in the past but it came back. It doesn't seem like there's even a similar alternative option. I'm like you though, I'd MUCH rather watch my chosen photos than any of the stuff they give me.

[Ar25]

Also having this issue. It was just working this afternoon! My little kids love seeing all of our family pictures throughout the day. Now both backdrops and photo streams say that the app has been removed. 

[KCQuacker]

The TV I first noticed it on hasn't been updated to the problematic update yet though. Also, there was a new update available this afternoon, build 5944 I think. Seems to have resolved auto play issues.

Photo streams is gone on different software versions.

[Karma_]

Btw other users are reporting the same issue saying the backdrops app being unavailable.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Roku/s/yVxxdY5gDc

[Ryanlamb82]

I have tried updating the software, removing photo stream, restarting, and reinstalling.  I am seeing “this channel is no longer available”

[earlesryan69]

Same here. It was working for me about an hour ago, and logged back into Photo Streams on my TV a few minutes ago, and it said it was removed. Roku Backdrops is showing the same message as well.

Although, Photo Streams is working on my Roku App on my phone and on my browser, so idk if it's a glitch or not.

[Pompey]

I noticed today that there was a massive update, in two waves, of almost every app you can think of in the Google suite .... Gmail, Maps, Books, News, Photos, Google TV, Keep, Voice ..... and on and on.. Is it possible that Roku has found itself in immediate non-compliance with some updated Google terms-of-use? That might explain the swiftness of the removals and the lack of warning.

Or has Roku discovered some security vulnerability with these two apps?

Just idle speculation......

[KCQuacker]

Hmm. Maybe? My photos were added to my Photo Stream thing straight from my PC though. Doesn't seem Google should have any rights to my personal pictures saved on my personal laptop. 

[Mack0342]

Why did Roku remove photo streams? It’s my favorite thing about Roku my kids love it too! If anyone knows how to fix this issue please help!