Yesterday, we reported how Roku was testing a new home screen beta with folders, more icons, continue watching, and more thanks to tips from our readers. Now it seems Roku has started to roll out the new home beta test screen to all Roku Owners starting with high-end models like the Roku Ultra and Roku Stick 4K.
Over the last few weeks Roku has been rolling out this new home screen to many Roku owners. Last night Roku sped up that rollout as many Roku owners woke up to a new Roku home screen.
One of the features you will find on Roku’s home screen other than the new 4×4 look is a new continue watching row. This row will let you jump directly into shows you have been watching on supported devices like Disney+. You can also from there open a What to Watch section that will show shows you have been watching and suggest shows you should watch.
You will also find foulders for things like inputs on Roku TVs. Now, all of your inputs for different HDMI ports are located in a folder to keep them in one spot.
Roku has also finally embraced the term apps. In the past, Roku would call their apps Roku Channels. The store was called the Channel Store and more. Now Roku has finally ditched that idea and now calls applications for Netflix, YouTube TV, and more apps. This move will likely make Roku even more welcoming to new Roku owners who are used to apps on their phones.
Here is what the new home screen looks like on our Roku:
Here is what the old Roku home screen looked like:
As you can see the two are very similar, but now you get slightly smaller icons now in a 4×4 look instead of a 3×3 look. This allows you to easy see all the services you have on your Roku. As TVs get bigger, this new interface will help make it easy to find what you want.
Roku has confirmed to Cord Cutters News that they are testing designs on their platform. They declined to comment further than to say they are testing out new features. 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.
Do you have this new user interface? Let us know what you think of it and any other features you have noticed.