Roku: Difference between revisions - Consumer Rights Wiki

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===Roku TV===

In 2014, Roku began licensing its operating system to TV manufacturers, creating the Roku TV platform built-in with Roku OS. Partners include TCL, Hisense, Sharp, and Philips, among others.

In 2014, Roku began licensing its operating system to TV manufacturers, creating the Roku TV platform built-in with Roku OS. Partners include [[TCL]], [[Hisense]], Sharp, and [[Philips]], among others.

===Roku OS===

Roku OS is the operating system that powers all Roku devices. Key features include:

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==Consumer-protection incidents==

=== Over the AIR channels unreachable without internet access (Jan. 2026) ===

===Over the AIR channels unreachable without internet access (Jan. 2026)===

A change caused over the air (OTA) channels via antenna to be unreachable when the TV does not have internet access. [https://support.roku.com/article/228844467#section-0 Roku TV OS version 15.0] combined the OTA broadcasts live TV guide with free streams from The Roku Channel. Roku [https://cordcuttersnews.com/roku-no-longer-lets-you-watch-free-ota-tv-from-abc-cbs-fox-nbc-with-an-antenna-unless-you-also-have-a-working-internet-connect-on-roku-tvs/ claims this is a bug] that will be fixed in a future update.

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As of January 2025, this patent has not been implemented into any Roku devices. However, a similar feature which also detects content from connected devices, called "More Ways to Watch," has previously been implemented.<ref>{{Cite web |title=How to use More Ways to Watch on your Roku TV |url=https://support.roku.com/article/115005739288 |url-status=live |access-date=19 Apr 2025 |website=Roku Support |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251114082909/https://support.roku.com/article/115005739288 |archive-date=14 Nov 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Katzmaier |first=David |date=11 Apr 2017 |title=Roku TVs now track what you watch to suggest streams, target ads |url=https://www.cnet.com/tech/home-entertainment/roku-tvs-now-track-what-you-watch-to-suggest-streams-target-ads/ |url-status=live |access-date=19 Apr 2025 |website=CNET |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260208062725/https://www.cnet.com/tech/home-entertainment/roku-tvs-now-track-what-you-watch-to-suggest-streams-target-ads/ |archive-date=8 Feb 2026}}</ref>

==Blocks Local Channels from an Antenna without Internet Connection (~~April~~ 2026)==

==="Blocks Local Channels from an Antenna without Internet Connection (March 2026)===

On March 23rd 2026 , Roku had begun to block local TV through antenna by forcing a internet connection.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bouma |first=Luke |date=2026-03-23 |title=Roku Announces A Fix To A Major Bug That Made Using Your Antenna For Free ABC, CBS, FOX, & NBC Impossible Without Internet |url=https://cordcuttersnews.com/roku-announces-a-fix-to-a-major-bug-that-made-using-your-antenna-for-free-abc-cbs-fox-nbc-impossible-without-internet/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Antenna Man's [https://youtu.be/xmk919QxKvo?si=GD0ILferXkLbumMD Video] also explains it

===Roku Data Deletion Request===

When you request a data deletion, Roku will just give you new IDs to all your devices and user but not actually delete your data. They keep your data and switch the user IDs or device IDs pointing to it and claim this is compliant with GDPR and CCPA. All internal documents about this process are only stored in Confluence under privileged/confidential tags so if they get in trouble with the law they can claim no one can access this information.

===Dark pattern to re-activate Netflix subscription immediately===

After having a Netflix subscription lapse, Netflix and Roku have a [[dark pattern]] to reactivate the subscription and charge the customer's credit card immediately.

The pattern happens like this:

# Have a Netflix account that was previously used on the Roku box.

# Press the "Netflix" button on the remote. (The user is immediately taken to Netflix with no confirmation.)

# Press the "OK" button on the remote. This charges the user's credit card immediately.

The subscription will be reactivated without any confirmation.

This is in contrast to the other video services on the remote ([[Hulu]], CBS, etc.) that wait for the user to confirm before switching to the new app (requiring intentionally moving the selected option from "Cancel" to "Launch"), which implies that this is an intentional dark pattern implemented by Netflix and Roku to cause users to unknowingly reactivate their Netflix subscription.

==References==

@@ Line 41: / Line 41: @@
 ===Roku TV===
-In 2014, Roku began licensing its operating system to TV manufacturers, creating the Roku TV platform built-in with Roku OS. Partners include TCL, Hisense, Sharp, and Philips, among others.
+In 2014, Roku began licensing its operating system to TV manufacturers, creating the Roku TV platform built-in with Roku OS. Partners include [[TCL]], [[Hisense]], Sharp, and [[Philips]], among others.
 ===Roku OS===
 Roku OS is the operating system that powers all Roku devices. Key features include:
@@ Line 62: / Line 62: @@
 ==Consumer-protection incidents==
-=== Over the AIR channels unreachable without internet access (Jan. 2026) ===
+===Over the AIR channels unreachable without internet access (Jan. 2026)===
 A change caused over the air (OTA) channels via antenna to be unreachable when the TV does not have internet access. [https://support.roku.com/article/228844467#section-0 Roku TV OS version 15.0] combined the OTA broadcasts live TV guide with free streams from The Roku Channel. Roku [https://cordcuttersnews.com/roku-no-longer-lets-you-watch-free-ota-tv-from-abc-cbs-fox-nbc-with-an-antenna-unless-you-also-have-a-working-internet-connect-on-roku-tvs/ claims this is a bug] that will be fixed in a future update.
@@ Line 82: / Line 82: @@
 As of January 2025, this patent has not been implemented into any Roku devices. However, a similar feature which also detects content from connected devices, called "More Ways to Watch," has previously been implemented.<ref>{{Cite web |title=How to use More Ways to Watch on your Roku TV |url=https://support.roku.com/article/115005739288 |url-status=live |access-date=19 Apr 2025 |website=Roku Support |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251114082909/https://support.roku.com/article/115005739288 |archive-date=14 Nov 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Katzmaier |first=David |date=11 Apr 2017 |title=Roku TVs now track what you watch to suggest streams, target ads |url=https://www.cnet.com/tech/home-entertainment/roku-tvs-now-track-what-you-watch-to-suggest-streams-target-ads/ |url-status=live |access-date=19 Apr 2025 |website=CNET |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260208062725/https://www.cnet.com/tech/home-entertainment/roku-tvs-now-track-what-you-watch-to-suggest-streams-target-ads/ |archive-date=8 Feb 2026}}</ref>
-==Blocks Local Channels from an Antenna without Internet Connection (April 2026)==
+==="Blocks Local Channels from an Antenna without Internet Connection (March 2026)===
+On March 23rd 2026 , Roku had begun to block local TV through antenna by forcing a internet connection.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bouma |first=Luke |date=2026-03-23 |title=Roku Announces A Fix To A Major Bug That Made Using Your Antenna For Free ABC, CBS, FOX, & NBC Impossible Without Internet |url=https://cordcuttersnews.com/roku-announces-a-fix-to-a-major-bug-that-made-using-your-antenna-for-free-abc-cbs-fox-nbc-impossible-without-internet/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Antenna Man's [https://youtu.be/xmk919QxKvo?si=GD0ILferXkLbumMD Video] also explains it
+===Roku Data Deletion Request===
+When you request a data deletion, Roku will just give you new IDs to all your devices and user but not actually delete your data. They keep your data and switch the user IDs or device IDs pointing to it and claim this is compliant with GDPR and CCPA. All internal documents about this process are only stored in Confluence under privileged/confidential tags so if they get in trouble with the law they can claim no one can access this information.
+===Dark pattern to re-activate Netflix subscription immediately===
+After having a Netflix subscription lapse, Netflix and Roku have a [[dark pattern]] to reactivate the subscription and charge the customer's credit card immediately.
+The pattern happens like this:
+# Have a Netflix account that was previously used on the Roku box.
+# Press the "Netflix" button on the remote. (The user is immediately taken to Netflix with no confirmation.)
+# Press the "OK" button on the remote. This charges the user's credit card immediately.
+The subscription will be reactivated without any confirmation.
+This is in contrast to the other video services on the remote ([[Hulu]], CBS, etc.) that wait for the user to confirm before switching to the new app (requiring intentionally moving the selected option from "Cancel" to "Launch"), which implies that this is an intentional dark pattern implemented by Netflix and Roku to cause users to unknowingly reactivate their Netflix subscription.
 ==References==