Roku OS 11 enhances user personalization with Photo Streams, expanded content discovery, and new sound modes

Your TV streaming experience just got more personal with our latest automatic software update for Roku devices.

Roku® OS 11 brings personalization to the forefront of your streaming experience with the launch of Roku Photo Streams, expanded content discovery menu options, automated speech clarity, new sound modes, a super-charged Roku mobile app, and much more.

Roku Photo Streams is the easiest way to enjoy and share your favorite photos, including customizing your Roku experience with a personalized screensaver. To do so, simply upload images directly to your Roku device through your mobile phone or computer to turn the biggest screen in your home into a digital photo frame. Want to share photos with friends and family? You can easily share Streams with other Roku users so they can enjoy your photos on their Roku devices. Once a Stream is shared, friends and family can upload their own photos, too.

Read on to learn more about the latest OS features that will roll out to supported devices in the coming weeks.

Roku audio

• Automatic speech clarity – We strive to deliver the best sound, always. The new automatic speech clarity setting dynamically identifies and amplifies dialogue so you don’t miss a word, now available for Roku audio products.
• New sound modes for Roku Streambars and speakers – Choose the optimal settings for whatever you’re streaming. Our new sound modes— Standard, Dialogue, Movie, Music, and Night—are easily accessed by pressing the star button * on your Roku remote or through the Roku mobile app and are tailored for different viewing scenarios to ensure the best audio experience.
• Audio/Video sync – A/V sync is expanding to supporting player and audio devices with a simple calibration tool within the Roku mobile app, syncing audio with the action on the screen. This feature is available when you have the Roku mobile app connected to your Roku player or Streambar and is accessible within the settings menu.

Expanded content discovery

• What to Watch on Home Screen Menu –What to Watch is a new destination added to the Home Screen Menu, leading to movies and TV shows from a variety of streaming channels, including those you most frequently interact with. What to Watch provides easy access to a personalized selection of new titles that were recently added, recommendations for users based on popular and trending content, and so much more.
• Live TV on Home Screen Menu – In January, we added a Live TV Zone on the Home Screen Menu giving users easy access to free live and linear content from The Roku Channel as well as cable alternatives, including Hulu, fuboTV, Philo, Sling, and YouTube TV, to name a few. With Roku OS 11, you will be able to see your recently watched live tv content and discover the latest in local and national news, sports, movies, and more in the Live TV section now located on the Home Screen Menu.

Roku Voice

• Voice-enabled keyboard – Roku Voice simplifies device setup and channel login for supported apps by allowing you to enter email, password, and PIN information with your Roku voice remote. Voice-enabled keyboards are now available in Spanish, German, and Portuguese in OS 11.

Roku mobile app

• Mobile content details – With OS 11, the free Roku mobile app will provide users with a more visual experience when searching on the platform, allowing you to get more out of the channels you have access to. When you search for TV shows or movies, new visual elements with OS 11 highlights which channels are streaming the TV for free or where it can be streamed with your existing subscriptions. The new content details on the mobile app also show visual images of the cast and crew to assist with choosing what to watch. All of these updates are the perfect match to the recently added Save List, which allows you to save movies and TV shows while on the go so you can stream them when you’re back home and ready to watch. 

Roku OS 11 is rolling out to supported Roku streaming players, Roku TV™ models, and peripherals over the coming weeks. For more information about the new software release, see the  Roku OS 11 release notes.

Happy Streaming!