If you happen to've been chosen for this free Roku improve, I am jealous

Abstract

The brand new Roku OS homepage design that Roku is at the moment testing features a “Fast Entry” part that remembers your favourite apps.
One characteristic Fast Entry is lacking is the power to customise it, by including or eradicating apps, and Roku is conscious of this and contemplating options.
Roku additionally up to date the house button. While you press it, you will be taken to the grid of choices on the homepage now, fairly than the sidebar on the left-hand facet of the display screen.

Roku has had a busy few weeks. It just lately launched two brand-new streaming devices, the Roku Streaming Stick and the Roku Streaming Stick Plus, and introduced its 2025 lineup of TVs. Now, with its new merchandise out, Roku is experimenting with its person interface.

To make it simpler for customers to seek out the content material they watch probably the most, and uncover new content material alongside the way in which, Roku has begun testing a new user interface design for its homepage on Roku OS.

Notably, the spotlight of the adjustments Roku is making is the brand new “Fast Entry” part on its homepage, which allows customers to shortly entry their most incessantly used streaming apps, akin to Netflix and Disney+. Roku is at the moment launching its new check to a restricted group of customers.

“We’re at all times trying to make the Roku expertise simply higher, extra intuitive, extra participating, and much more personalised,” stated Preston Smalley, Roku’s VP of viewer product, chatting with The Verge. “What we need to do is make it possible for the house display screen expertise suits properly with simply the way you watch TV right this moment.”

Model: Roku
Dimensions: 3.7 x 0.80 x .45 inches
Connectivity: HDMI
Weight Capability: 26g

A slim plug and play streaming stick that features 4K/HDR assist and features a voice distant.

Roku Select Series 2025 Cardboard Mounting Guide promotional image

Associated

I cover TVs for a living, and Roku’s new TV lineup still surprised me

Roku’s all-new 2025 TV lineup has formally arrived, and it refines the expertise with out breaking the financial institution.

Roku is attempting to make its homepage extra handy

Fast Entry is at the moment lacking one useful characteristic

Roku / The Verge / Pocket-lint

The brand new Fast Entry part on Roku’s homepage sounds fairly useful, and I like the way it robotically learns primarily based in your streaming habits. So, when you watch quite a lot of Netflix or Prime Video, these apps will robotically be populated in that part, so you possibly can simply entry them sooner or later. If you happen to watch quite a lot of sports activities content material or reside TV, suggestions for that kind of content material can even pop up within the Fast Entry part.

Nonetheless, one characteristic at the moment lacking from Fast Entry is the power to customise it, so if you wish to add or take away an app, you possibly can’t accomplish that presently. Nonetheless, as The Verge notes, Roku is conscious of this and is “attempting some completely different approaches” to deal with it.

“One of many issues we all know that is going to be actually necessary is that it simply must work proper out of the field,” Smalley defined. “We’re positively attempting to see how a lot management individuals need, however that is one thing we need to hear from prospects on.”

Personally, I hope Roku finds a strategy to repair this as a result of I like the concept of the Fast Entry panel. Nonetheless, being able to customise it or pin sure apps to it might be significantly better, particularly since Roku has additionally modified how the house button operates with this replace.

Roku / The Verge / Pocket-lint

That is proper, together with this new UI change, Roku has additionally modified how the house button works. On this check, while you press the house button in your distant, it’s going to now ship you on to the grid of choices on the homepage, fairly than opening the sidebar on the left-hand facet of the display screen. Within the present check, the sidebar stays collapsed till the person opens it by attempting to navigate to it.

…I like what I see, and I hope Roku will implement these adjustments for all customers shortly, alongside a customization choice for its new Fast Entry part.

Moreover, Roku has moved two choices from the left-hand sidebar to the homepage, notably its “Reside TV” and “Featured Free” sections, to make them extra seen and accessible to customers shopping the homepage. Roku has additionally added two new options to the homepage: a “Subscriptions” part, the place you could find all of the streaming providers you pay for, and a “For You” part, which is a redesigned model of Roku’s “What to Watch” choice that gives personalised suggestions for reveals and flicks.

Roku’s new person interface is at the moment being rolled out in a restricted check to customers. It is attainable issues might change with the UI earlier than a broader rollout is made. Up to now, I like what I see, and I hope Roku will implement these adjustments for all customers shortly, alongside a customization choice for its new Fast Entry part. Roku’s new streaming sticks and 2025 lineup of TVs is accessible now.