If in case you have a TV operating RokuOS or a Roku streaming system plugged into your TV, you may reap the benefits of the corporate’s app for a bunch of options.
You may obtain the app on each iOS and Android and even apply it to a Chromebook.
Whenever you obtain the app, there are three primary pages. I solely use the ‘Distant’ perform, however the ‘What’s On’ web page could be helpful in the event you’re searching for one thing random to observe. It sources content material from just a few apps and providers inside the Roku platform, however it’s removed from excellent and is a simple strategy to see the preferred exhibits and flicks which can be streaming at no cost on the Roku Channel.
The Distant is simple to make use of in the event you’re related to the identical Wi-Fi community as a Roku enabled TV. If in case you have a number of Roku TVs, you’ll want to pick out which TV you need to connect with first.
What can the distant do?
After you have the distant interface loaded up, there are just a few adjustments.
Within the prime left, there’s a brand new menu you can open. That is the place you may allow audio playback by way of your system. Simply allow the ‘Personal Listening’ toggle and your TV’s audio system will disable, inflicting the audio to return by way of your cellphone. There’s additionally a headphone button on the distant that does the identical factor.
That is helpful for late-night TV watching classes, and in the event you simply need to play the sound somewhat nearer, you may play it again by way of your cellphone’s speaker too. You may as well join Bluetooth headphones or a speaker to push the bounds of the place you need to take your TV’s audio, however I encountered a really noticeable quantity of audio lag in my testing, so it won’t be value it.
You may as well allow a ‘Swipe Distant’ that’s form of like Apple’s Siri distant, however more durable to make use of, so I don’t advocate it.
Past that, all of your common Roku controls are there like play/pause, mute, again, residence and extra. In case your TV helps it, you’ll even have quantity and energy controls.
Close to the underside, there’s a cool little ‘Latest Channels’ button that may be a fast strategy to swap between apps on the OS.
There’s additionally a keyboard button that you need to use to sort in lengthy passwords. You may copy and paste passwords right here, making signing into issues so much simpler in the event you use a service like 1Password.
Casting native recordsdata
The final piece of the app — and, presumably, its most underrated part — is the ‘Gadgets’ tab. From there, you may solid native media out of your cellphone to your TV, together with Music, Pictures and Movies.
That is one thing that’s sadly buried inside the app, so not many individuals learn about it, however it’s fairly useful for sharing footage in your TV or enjoying residence movies.
General, the Roku app is simple to miss, however when you’ve got one of many firm’s streaming gamers, it’s in all probability value having in your cellphone for the few occasions it should turn out to be useful due to its headphone and casting options.