Forum Discussion

ZodInLynn's avatar
ZodInLynn
Reel Rookie
3 years ago
Solved

Roku remote unable to hear me

My Roku voice remote has consistently had the error "unable to hear you try again" I have a Roku ultra box bought years ago, And it has never worked.

Roku was completely useless when I contacted them about it and nobody has ever found or even worked on (apparently) any sort of fix for something that is obviously an issue with their remotes.

I know two people who have actually given their roku's away because they couldn't stand the fact that the voice remote doesn't actually have any voice functions that work

I used to recommend roku products to my friends but now i've become embarrassed by their lack of support when their product has problems which are not related to their users

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and by the way resetting your roku has no effect on this issue (for me or for others who have the same problem) i tried factory resets, battery replacements, and every other "canned response" that has been suggested online and by roku

remotes
  • RokuTakashi's avatar
    RokuTakashi
    2 years ago

    Hi LFnOCD,

    Welcome to the Roku Community, and thanks for reaching out for help today!

    We're glad that you brought it to our attention so we could have the opportunity to assist you. As a start, let's try to follow the steps below to resolve the issue you're having.

    Put your streaming device in pairing mode:

    1. Remove the power cable from your streaming device
    2. Wait at least 5 seconds
    3. Re-connect the power cable
    4. Wait for your streaming device to power on, and the Home screen to appear on your TV screen
    5. Within 30 seconds of seeing the Home screen on your TV screen, put your voice remote into pairing mode

    Put your voice remote in pairing mode:

    1. Press and hold the pairing button on your voice remote for 20 seconds. The status light should slowly flash green, stop, and then flash rapidly. When this happens, release the pairing button and your remote will restart.
    2. Press and hold the pairing button for 5 seconds, or until you see the status light begin to flash. If the light does not flash, charge your remote.
    3. Wait for 30 seconds while the remote establishes a connection with your streaming device.

    After performing these steps, kindly check to see if you notice any difference. Please let us know so we can continue assisting you.

    All the best,
    Kash

18 Replies

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  • RokuKarla's avatar
    RokuKarla
    Retired Moderator
    3 years ago

    Hello ZodInLynn

    Thanks for reaching out here in the Community!

    Could you please try re-pairing your remote to your Roku device to see if that solves your problem? Please follow the steps below to accomplish this:

    -Remove the power cable from your Roku device, wait 5 seconds, and then re-connect the power cable.
    -Wait until your Roku device displays the home screen.
    -Restart your remote. If your remote uses standard batteries, restart your remote by removing and reinserting the batteries. If your remote is rechargeable, press and hold the pairing button for 20 seconds. The status light should slowly flash green, stop, then flash rapidly. When this happens, release the pairing button and your remote has restarted.
    -Press and hold the pairing button for 5 seconds until you see the status light begin to flash. If the light does not flash, charge your remote or replace the batteries.
    -Wait for 30 seconds while the remote establishes a connection with your Roku device.
    -Once the Roku device is connected to the remote, the pairing dialog should appear on your TV screen.

    For more troubleshooting steps, check out this link: How to fix your Roku® voice or simple remote that is not working

     

    Regards,
    Karla

    • nora28226's avatar
      nora28226
      Newbie
      3 years ago

      My wife suddenly started getting this response to voice commands after 4 months of perfect use. Tried recharging batteries, re-pairing the remote, etc. No joy at all. Then when exploring the voice activation option of the remote I noticed that the switch on the top left side of the remote that activates this feature was in an in-between position, ie, not set in the on position or the off position. Moved the switch fully down to the voice activation "off" position and the remote started hearing perfectly again. The way this switch is situated on the side, it is easy when holding the remote to accidentally nudge up to or down to where it is isn't set at all. This may account why the problem may suddenly occur without any identifiable change. Would like to hear if others find this a solution.

      • SJMaye's avatar
        SJMaye
        Roku Guru
        3 years ago

        I see no switch to turn voice commands on or off .  We have 2 remotes connected to this Roku Ultra.  Both used to perform voice commands.  Now one of them will not accept voice commands.  I keep getting the, "Unable to hear you" response to any attempt at a voice command.  I replaced the batteries without success.  I removed and repaired the remote without success.

         

        Any tips would be appreciated.

    • lonewriter's avatar
      lonewriter
      Streaming Star
      3 years ago

      I finally fixed it. Why does Roku even place a switch on the left side of the remote that turns off the voice fuction? 

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

        lonewriter, the switch turns off the hands-free voice feature.  Pressing the microphone button and speaking should still work with the switch turned off.