Forum Discussion

alan93's avatar
alan93
Binge Watcher
2 years ago
Solved

Can't set shortcut buttons on remote

I Have a 4800 Roku Ultra and I am trying to set the 2 buttons (1 and 2) to shortcuts. When I hold it for 5 seconds on a channel it shows a screen showing which item I want to short cut. I then choo...
remotes
  • RokuTakashi's avatar
    RokuTakashi
    2 years ago

    Hi, alan93

    Thanks for posting, and welcome to the Roku Community.

    If you are having trouble setting up your Roku remote shortcut buttons, kindly visit this support article for detailed instructions on How to create a personal shortcut button.

    We hope this works.

    All the best,
    Kash

  • renojim's avatar
    renojim
    2 years ago

    If you're trying to set a Live TV channel as a shortcut, I don't think that's possible.  Roku really shot themselves in the foot when they used the term "Channel" to refer to what everyone else would call an app so they could confuse cable TV users.  When that screen comes up it's telling you how to set a shortcut to a Home Screen app.

  • renojim's avatar
    renojim
    2 years ago

    westner, it's clear we're never going to agree, but stop trying to say I don't know what I'm talking about.  I can't emphasize this enough - when it says "Channel" on that popup menu it means "App".  That's how it works now and nothing you say will change the meaning of "Channel" on that popup.  The question was about setting a shortcut to a Live channel and it appears to be impossible now from the popup menu.  Prove that last sentence wrong or move on!

  • westner's avatar
    westner
    2 years ago

    alan93 I'll be glad to.

    1. Use a voice command to select a channel number (either streaming or OTA).
    2. Press either of the two shortcut buttons for 5 seconds to bring up the 'selection menu'.
    3. Select: "Last Voice Command"
    4. The screen will show: 'Your last voice command: "(channel#)".
    5. Hit "OK"

    You're done! Repeat for the other button if needed. This however is not a solution to the problem, it's only a workaround. Roku still needs to fix the Setup Page so that hitting "OK" should select "Channel" and NOT take you to an "Instructions Page".

westner's avatar
westner
Roku Guru
2 years ago

alan93, it seems that Roku made a software change that makes it impossible to assign a 'channel' to either of the two Shortcut Buttons on the Pro Remote, even though you clearly explained in your first post why not. And according to RokuERey it doesn't help to restart the system. I tried. Referring to visual instructions is of no help either.

renojim, you don't know what you're talking about. I've been using those buttons for nearly 2 years for my OTA channels. This problem started only recently with a Roku software update and and when one of those channels went off the air.

Normally, when you press the "OK" button, you select the highlighted choice and you're all set. Right? Wrong! Just as the instructions on the page state, pressing the "OK" button brings up the Instruction Page on how to set the Shortcut Buttons. That is clearly a Roku mistake and can only be corrected by Roku if a Mod or two notifies them.

C'mon Mods. Tell Roku that they messed up (again).

renojim's avatar
renojim
Community Streaming Expert
2 years ago

westner, of course I know what I'm talking about.  My comment only has to do with how it works now and what "Channel" means in the current context.  If it worked differently before, that's a different issue, but it doesn't make me wrong.

  • alan93's avatar
    alan93
    Binge Watcher
    2 years ago

    ok I tested and it does set an app to a shortcut so the word "channel" is misleading.

    I was able to set YoutubeTV to the "1" shortcut button.

     

  • westner's avatar
    westner
    Roku Guru
    2 years ago

    renojim The point is, one can't make ANY changes to the shortcut buttons until Roku changes their selection page that chooses the button. One of the choices is "channel", meaning ANY channel, because some of the other choices are "The Roku Channel", "Sleep Timer" and "Live TV Guide".

    Have you actually tried to successfully change the button assignment lately? I didn't think so, otherwise you wouldn't be talking about bs like 'context'.

  • renojim's avatar
    renojim
    Community Streaming Expert
    2 years ago

    westner, it's clear we're never going to agree, but stop trying to say I don't know what I'm talking about.  I can't emphasize this enough - when it says "Channel" on that popup menu it means "App".  That's how it works now and nothing you say will change the meaning of "Channel" on that popup.  The question was about setting a shortcut to a Live channel and it appears to be impossible now from the popup menu.  Prove that last sentence wrong or move on!

  • westner's avatar
    westner
    Roku Guru
    2 years ago

    Okay, renojim, prove me wrong. Grab your Voice Remote Pro and select an "App" from the given choices. I'll gladly apologize if you can program either of the two buttons to select the "App" you chose.

    Do you even own a Voice Remote Pro? 

  • westner's avatar
    westner
    Roku Guru
    2 years ago

     

    alan93 wrote: 

    "ok I tested and it does set an app to a shortcut so the word "channel" is misleading. I was able to set YoutubeTV to the "1" shortcut button."

    How did you do it? "Channel" and "Voice Command" are the only options that say that by pressing the 'OK' button brings up the "how to" page. I was able to set an OTA channel using "Voice Command". Both of my buttons are now on an OTA (33.8) channel and on a streaming (247) channel, not "Apps".