- The Roku app has been updated on Android and iOS
- The interface has been revised and there is a new design for the remote control.
- 12 new channels have been added for free, including BBC Drama and BBC Adventures.
Roku owners are getting some nifty upgrades for absolutely nothing: an updated mobile app with greatly improved remote control functionality and a dozen new channels.
Let’s start with the new Android and iOS apps for Roku TVs and players, which, as Cord Cutters reports, include a major update in terms of the remote control. Instead of the buttons you previously had to touch, there’s now a virtual touchpad that you can swipe in any direction to navigate through menus.
So instead of tap-tap-tap to move the selection cursor to the right, you can simply swipe the cursor, a much more natural way of navigation, which isn’t as stressful on your fingers. An added flourish is haptic feedback that provides subtle vibrations when you swipe, adding to the natural feel of touchscreens that support it.
If you don’t like the sound of the new way of working, you can simply turn off the swipe control scheme and tap the directional arrows again.
On top of that, the Roku mobile app interface has been revamped, including a more streamlined home screen and quick shortcuts to access recently viewed channels. A network setting should also mean faster pairing over Wi-Fi networks.
The updated app is currently rolling out for Android and iOS, so you should have it soon.
A dozen new free channels
As for the 12 new channels added to the Roku experience, Cord Cutters also picked up these goodies.
They are the following:
- Channel 343: Heartland Classic
- Channel 369: BBC Drama
- Channel 498: PBS Travel
- Channel 499: PBS Nature
- Channel 547: Acorn TV Mysteries
- Channel 555: Grownday Network
- Channel 730: BBC Adventures
- Channel 731: Adventures of the Braxton Family
- Channel 732: Bridezillas
- Channel 931: Teleports Now
- Channel 952: Homey in Spanish
- Channel 989: Cucando Los Angeles
As you can see, those channels include a couple from the BBC and, as the name suggests, BBC Drama will show plenty of critically acclaimed drama series.
There’s also BBC Adventures, which features stories of exploration and survival, and it’s worth noting that Acorn TV Mysteries broadcasts British (and international) crime shows.
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