One of the things about Roku players that has not changed in a very long time is the home screen. Recently, Roku has confirmed to Cord Cutters News that they are testing a new home screen with more icons on the screen. Now, it seems Roku is also testing out folders on the home screen, thanks to a tip from a reader.
Update: We got our hands on the new Roku home screen. You can see it HERE and find out even more about Roku’s new home screen.
Earlier this month, some Roku owners noticed that their home screens looked slightly different. Instead of the standard three-wide app list, now their screen lists four apps at once across the screen. Currently, Roku has a 3×3 look for its apps now, it’s growing to a 4×4 for some Roku owners, as seen in this Reddit post. This new look lets you see more apps on the home screen at one time without scrolling.
Now Roku is testing folders that will let you group up icons. In the test, our readers saw Roku TV inputs for the different HDMIs, for example, are now all in one folder. Hunting around online, we also found some Roku owners talking about this on Reddit. One issue for now is that there doesn’t seem to be a way to take these channels out of the folder right now. That option seems to likely be added in the future.
Roku has reportedly been doing a lot of testing around the new Roku home screen and devices. It seems much like YouTube TV Roku is putting out new versions of its home screen to small groups of testers. If you are in these groups, you can test one or more new features. If you are not in these test groups you will need to wait until it rolls out to all users to test out new features like folders on the home screen.
Roku has had several minor changes to its home screen over the years, but this would be the biggest change in about ten years. As cord cutters use more streaming services, the ability to have more apps on the screen at once will make cord cutting easier.
Roku has confirmed to Cord Cutters News that they are testing designs on their platform. Now just because Roku is testing this new 4×4 interface and folders does not mean it will be rolled out to all Roku owners in the future. It is a sign that Roku is considering all options when it comes to the future of Roku home screens.
Roku’s last major OS update happened back in April 2023 and included several weeks to the home screen. Now, though, as we get close to Roku’s typical fall launch of new streaming players, these tests raise the question if we may also get a new Roku OS update with an updated home screen. For now, we will have to wait and see if Roku decides to roll out this new 4×4 look.
New features added with Roku OS 12 included:
Live TV
- Local News: Roku’s Live TV experience boasts 350+ free linear TV streaming channels across a variety of genres. With the launch of Local News, users can watch live news channels personalized by location, or stream channels from major cities across the U.S. Plus, in an exciting step forward, news recommendations are now powered by AI, making them smarter than ever and ensuring a curated experience within the Live TV Zone. Roku users can search for “local news” using either Roku Search or Roku Voice or visit the Live TV Zone on their Roku Home Screen Menu.
- Premium Subscriptions: Our newest addition to Categories within Roku’s Live TV Channel Guide, Premium Subscriptions allows users to quickly discover and sign up for premium channels they are not currently subscribed to, expanding their Live TV content offering. Premium Subscriptions will join previously launched Categories (Recents, Favorites, and Subscribed) and genres including News, Sports, Entertainment, and more. Categories in Roku’s Live TV Channel Guide was previously last fall.
Content Access and Discovery
- Sports: Last year, we launched the all-new Sports experience, a centralized location where users can browse and stream live and upcoming sports-related events across the Roku platform, making it easier than ever for fans to root for their favorite teams. Coverage will continue to expand with golf and additional soccer programming, including Spanish-language game coverage around select soccer leagues. Also, in the coming months, users will experience a more personalized Sports experience based on their location, favorite team, go-to sport, and viewing habits. Additionally, CBS Sports, MLB.TV, NBA App, and NBC Sports will join the list of supported channels for the Sports experience.
- Continue Watching: Located within What to Watch, Continue Watching gives users a single location to jump back into the content they love. Content from supported channels will now show up nearly instantly in the Continue Watching row after a user has finished streaming their favorite TV show or movie. Additionally, discovery+ and Prime Video will join the list of supported channels of the Continue Watching feature, with BET+, Freevee, Frndly TV, and STARZ launching soon.