- The Roku app has been updated on Android and iOS
- The interface has been revamped 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 get some exciting upgrades for absolutely nothing: a refreshed mobile app with much-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 remote control upgrade. Instead of buttons you had to press before, there’s now a virtual touchpad that you can slide in any direction to navigate menus.
So rather than tapping-tapping-tapping to move the selection cursor to the right, you can simply drag the cursor, a much more natural way of navigating, which isn’t so stressful on the fingers. Another embellishment is haptic feedback which delivers subtle vibrations when swiping, adding to the natural feel of touchscreens that support this.
If you don’t like the sound of the new way of working, you can simply turn off the swipe control system and go back to pressing the directional arrows.
Along with this, the Roku mobile app interface has been revamped, including a cleaner home screen and quick shortcuts to access recently viewed channels. A network tweak should also mean faster pairing on Wi-Fi networks.
The refreshed 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, those freebies were also picked up by Cord Cutters.
They are as follows:
- 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: Teleport Ahora
- Channel 952: Homeful in Spanish
- Channel 989: Cucando Los Angeles
As you can see, these channels include a few BBC channels and, as the name suggests, BBC Drama will broadcast a number 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 offers British (as well as international) crime shows.
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