Club Benefits
Roku just announced the biggest redesign of its Home menu in over a decade. But the company promises that it should feel familiar to long-time users. The update is coming to the best Roku TVs and the company's streaming devices.
Roku describes the updated Home Screen as a more dynamic and smarter experience with more "relevant recommendations and faster pathways to content."
Roku says the extensive redesign was built via extensive testing and viewer insights.
“When we set out to rethink the Home Screen, we knew we should listen to the people who use it every day. So we talked to the viewers, we tested extensively, and we pushed until the design and the data lined up for a meaningful update,” said Anthony Wood, Founder and CEO of Roku.
In total, it looks like you'll see a change in seven different areas of the home screen. Here's what they are and how they work.
What's new in the Roku Home Screen
One of the more noticeable changes is in the app screen with the new Quick Access that automatically surfaces your most used apps. This is supposed to let you hop right in without scrolling.
Quick Access is AI-powered and Roku says it will "continually adapt" to your routine to get your favorite apps faster. Though you can add or remove any app you want.
Alongside the favorite apps, a new section called Top Picks for You will appear at the top of your Home Screen. This section will recommend shows and movies for you based on what you've watched, what's trending on Roku and what's hot in general.
For You is meant to offer more personalized picks. It's also getting a new "real-time" row called Your Daily Scoop that is AI-powered. The Scoop gives you a curated digest of trends, hot shows and more.
It will offer recommendations from all of your subscriptions in one place when you click on one of the topic cards that the Scoop surfaces.
If you're in the mood for hunting, there's a new "Destinations" section that offers curated hubs and moods. These include genres like "Horror" or "Kids & Family."
Roku says that it's streamlined the Home Screen Menu to stay tucked away until you need it. From there, you can jump to new hubs like Destinations, and your Settings, Inputs and Search menus.
Shortcuts keeps features like Continue Watching, Sleep Timer and Save List easy to find, and Roku says your favorite ones will appear in the Quick Access feed.
Finally, a new Home Screen tile will take you straight to the an interactive version of the Roku City screensaver. This includes Daily Trivia, Roku City Dash, Roklue and more.
Roku Home Screen redesign availability
Roku says the updated Home Screen is rolling out now in the U.S. with more countries to follow. The update should arrive automatically.
Of course, if you're worried that the update might brick your Roku TV, you can try turning off automatic updates until it reaches more people.
Meanwhile, have you received the update? What do you think? Does it feel more intuitive and get you to shows and movies you want to watch faster? Let us know.
Follow Tom's Guide on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. Subscribe to Tom's Guide on YouTube and follow us on TikTok. Finally, you can visit our dedicated Tom's Guide Savings Squad hub for expert help on getting the best products for less.
More from Tom's Guide
