Suggest a Feature

Share your Roku suggestions or request a feature from the Roku team! Add a kudo to existing topics to show your support, or create a new topic for new requests.
cancel
Showing results for 
Show  only  | Search instead for 
Did you mean: 
Dtolly
Visitor

Feature Request: Channel Organizing

As far as I know, there is really no way to organize your channels other than doing so manually on each device. Unfortunately It's a very tedious and cumbersome process. 

I would suggest that Roku design a feature that would allow the user to access on their PC where one would be able to quickly organize their channels in one convenient place that would also mirror the channel lineup across all linked devices.  I would also suggest that they add a folder/category feature that would further enhance organization.  I like to group my channels depending on their content such as: Sports, News, Networks, Movies, Music, Applications, etc.  

I'm not a software techie so I'm not even sure if these things would even be possible.  But it sure would be helpful and convenient.   

  

Labels (1)
8 REPLIES 8
DBDukes
Community Streaming Expert

Re: Channel Organizing Questions/Suggestions

"Dtolly" wrote:
As far as I know, there is really no way to organize your channels other than doing so manually on each device. Unfortunately It's a very tedious and cumbersome process. 

I would suggest that Roku design a feature that would allow the user to access on their PC where one would be able to quickly organize their channels in one convenient place that would also mirror the channel lineup across all linked devices.  I would also suggest that they add a folder/category feature that would further enhance organization.  I like to group my channels depending on their content such as: Sports, News, Networks, Movies, Music, Applications, etc.  

I'm not a software techie so I'm not even sure if these things would even be possible.  But it sure would be helpful and convenient.

What you're asking is certainly possible. Apple TV does that. Well, not the re-arrange by PC part, but it has the option to keep apps arranged across all devices on the same account.

Let me offer this, though. The most likely reason for needing to rearrange apps is because there's a lot of them installed. You're new. I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that in less than a month, you'll find that you use only a handful of apps on a regular basis. In another month, you'll realize there are apps you haven't used since the first month. And so on.

That's not to say your request isn't a valid one. It's to say that you'll find it less urgent if you cull the apps you don't actually use.

DBDukes
Roku Community Streaming Expert
Note: I am not a Roku employee.

If this post solves your problem please help others find this answer and click "Accept as Solution."

Dtolly
Visitor

Re: Channel Organizing Questions/Suggestions

"DBDukes" wrote:
"Dtolly" wrote:
As far as I know, there is really no way to organize your channels other than doing so manually on each device. Unfortunately It's a very tedious and cumbersome process. 

I would suggest that Roku design a feature that would allow the user to access on their PC where one would be able to quickly organize their channels in one convenient place that would also mirror the channel lineup across all linked devices.  I would also suggest that they add a folder/category feature that would further enhance organization.  I like to group my channels depending on their content such as: Sports, News, Networks, Movies, Music, Applications, etc.  

I'm not a software techie so I'm not even sure if these things would even be possible.  But it sure would be helpful and convenient.

What you're asking is certainly possible. Apple TV does that. Well, not the re-arrange by PC part, but it has the option to keep apps arranged across all devices on the same account.

Let me offer this, though. The most likely reason for needing to rearrange apps is because there's a lot of them installed. You're new. I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that in less than a month, you'll find that you use only a handful of apps on a regular basis. In another month, you'll realize there are apps you haven't used since the first month. And so on.

That's not to say your request isn't a valid one. It's to say that you'll find it less urgent if you cull the apps you don't actually use.

I'm not new. Have had Rokus for years.... I'm just a channel hoarder.    😛
I certainly could pare them down but even so, the ability to organize by category and across all of the devices would be a welcome and user-friendly feature.  
Italdre9
Channel Surfer

Re: Channel Organizing Questions/Suggestions

I can't believe this isn't an option yet!!! So frustrating and time consuming!

You can use the "My Channel" app to do some of the things you want, ie categorize. It is a private channel. You'll have to search for it.

Tori
Reel Rookie

Re: Channel Organizing Questions/Suggestions

I so totally agree! Something so simple for techies and I truly doubt those at Roku are lacking in imagination to create such an easily gained improvement. 


Thank you for noting that there is a work-around, though I beg you to provide a bit of detail as to how to locate this 'feature', i.e., keywords at a certain site or that will induce a browser to produce somewhat accurate results. ... (Either search engines have indeed taken a steady downhill shift in reliability or I've lost my prowess in internet researching----seems that he more I refine or expand my search-lingo, the greater the inaccuracy of results.)

Nonetheless, I am grateful!

Tori
Reel Rookie

Re: Channel Organizing Questions/Suggestions

For others seeking this app, I think I've located it. Doesn't provide exactly what we're looking for in terms of organizational PC-based ease, but it does remove a couple of steps within the tedious process. Link to My Channels app here. 

I just sent the following 'suggestion' to Roku (which is a choppy read because, I had to edit my original down by 500 characters, which is the limit, just so you know ahead of your hopefully also writing in, thus, boosting the relevancy of this topic with Roku "customer" "service".

(I always wonder at the seemingly universal tendency of "customer" "service" complaint pages: Do the recipients gain some sort of sadistic-ish pleasure [*dark chuckle in the background*] in not posting the character-limit prior to our taking the time/effort to fully and accurately describe and depict the "why" of our suggestion in so short a space (which will thereby inevitably cause us to spend further time/effort to condense the matter)?!! At any rate, my complaint to this subject (of which I clearly do find to be extremely aggravating and, yes, I do find some element of hilarity in all of this!):

"10 years of Roku & still no easy way to organize channels by category FROM PC-just a drag-&-drop feature in an all-inclusive PC app allowing us to also find unlisted/obscure channels/apps hidden from your website, etc. PC access is key—to PC users.

"Others agree. (Why update the device while simple services remain archaic?) Too many channels?! No. Our extensive interests crave in-depth/relevant content from dedicated sources, delving beyond YouTube's mundane vagaries. Thanks."

Coming in at precisely 500 characters, at that [*dark chuckle in the background*]. 

Rayven1962
Newbie

Re: Feature Request: Channel Organizing

It's high time Roku fixed this issue on all it apps -especially for the TVs.  They have had plenty of time to do so. I do not relish spending hours moving things around a screen. Being able to dump channels under user controlled header lists as  FREE TV, Horror Movies, News, Politics,  Children, Educational, Adult, Computer, etc. anything they used wanted to create would be most useful.

Another fix would be to tag the apps themselves (or allow the user to tag!) with certain headers value that could be used be used to group apps into a certain region of the user app lists,  Then allow the user to move the apps to his preferences within that grid.

That itself would greatly reduce the time needed instead of the current lame grab and scroll method currently being used.

This is an extremely aggravating and poorly thought out interface. Have some respect for your customers.  AS the number of channels grow the issue is going to get worse!

 

JustAnotherDave
Channel Surfer

Re: Feature Request: Channel Organizing

I still want the option to have the channels in a different order on different devices.  The TV downstairs is the one the kids use and their channels are not at all the same as the one in my bedroom.

I like the idea of a grouping option.  For me, I would make a "hidden" folder and move all the kid's channels to that folder on my Roku.  I could still go to that folder and access them if I wanted to, but they wouldn't be cluttering up my UI.

Elliott8
Newbie

Re: Feature Request: Channel Organizing

Actually, years ago this was a feature in the My Account section. You could organize, add and remove channels online and once the device updated the changes took place on that device. With more and more people in the vacation rental business I would like to see Roku develop this again.