Products · Product
Roku
Raised as a usability problem by 116 people on Hacker News over 18 years (2009–2026), in 89 threads.
No issue was raised by at least 3 people in 3 threads this year.
- 1Interface is too slow to navigateUnreviewed
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- 1Interface is too slow to navigateUnreviewed
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Every issue, all time, most people first
Ads take up half the screen and the interface is slowUnreviewed
20092026- Streaming device interfaces are laggy and cluttered with ads2024-12-15
- Device is cluttered with ads and pushed buttons for paid services2021-04-30
- Slow, cluttered TV with unwanted remote buttons and ads on startup2021-04-27
Voice search works inside apps unexpectedly, unlike Apple TVUnreviewed
20092026- Voice search mishears commands and jumps to wrong results, frustrating the user2021-10-21
- Voice search works inside apps unexpectedly, unlike the intuitive global behaviour on Apple TV2021-04-26
- Voice search inside the YouTube app jumps out to other services instead of staying in YouTube2021-04-26
Home screen cluttered with suggested and sponsored contentUnreviewed
20092026- Home screen increasingly cluttered with suggested and sponsored content2024-08-06
- Home screen wastes space on unusable internet features and nags to connect2023-11-08
- Home screen is cluttered with random, unexplained groupings and channels2010-11-05
Finding content with remote and interface is clumsyUnreviewed
20092026- Hard to find a specific spot in a show with a remote; apps are slow and limited2021-04-30
- Using a TV's fiddly interface and hunting for a remote is cumbersome2018-04-22
- Finding content with the TV remote and interface is clumsy2015-11-10
Apps misbehave in bizarre ways until device is rebootedUnreviewed
20092026- Switching between apps reloads the whole app, taking a minute and losing place2020-04-08
- Device resets itself while navigating streaming app listings, and videos stop or buffer constantly2014-04-02
- Apps misbehave in bizarre ways until the device is rebooted2013-03-06
Elderly user with memory issues can't operate the RokuUnreviewed
20092026- Mother-in-law constantly confused by the Roku and has to ask for help2025-01-24
- Elderly father with memory issues can't figure out how to operate his Roku TV2024-08-14
- Couldn't get the TV working without creating a Roku account2022-04-15
Apps are sluggish and videos often fail while loadingUnreviewed
20092026- Most apps are outrageously sluggish and videos often crash while loading2024-09-25
- TV has become so slow that many apps are nearly unusable2024-07-08
- Home screen and apps become so slow they are effectively unusable, with apps crashing2023-03-30
Unreviewed issues were grouped by machine: Claude Haiku labelled each comment as a usability complaint, named what it's about and summed up the problem in a line, and a small model grouped similar problems. Nobody has checked them by hand. Expect mistakes.
The newest 50 complaints
- Documentation bounces between pages with little info, no clear path forward2026-10-24
- Seasonal ad sections keep reappearing in the menu despite being blocked2026-06-15
- Interacting with the device is slower and laggier than before2026-06-15
- Roku's redesign has degraded the experience, making it worse to use2026-06-15
- Newer Roku models feel laggy, and navigating from an episode to its series page takes many fragile steps2026-06-15
- Built-in Roku software is so slow and outdated it is almost unusable2026-06-15
- Can't change menu tile layout when disconnected from internet2026-06-03
- Roku takes about 10 seconds to boot, slowing down getting to content2026-01-13
- Roku apps log the user out randomly2026-01-11
- Popups push viewers to a different Roku Network stream, with smart settings enabled by default2025-12-18
- Turns on the TV but not the soundbar, forcing manual audio switching2025-12-15
- Ads land off the intended points and audio drops out when content resumes2025-12-04
- Software updates break HDR and app display, forcing workarounds like Game Mode2025-05-08
- Input and network latency make standalone Roku devices unusable for anything except presentations2025-01-26
- Mother-in-law constantly confused by the Roku and has to ask for help2025-01-24
- Switching inputs requires going into Settings and scrolling through a menu2025-01-10
- Remote chews through batteries and has noticeable delay between button press and action2024-12-16
- Streaming device interfaces are laggy and cluttered with ads2024-12-15
- Most apps are outrageously sluggish and videos often crash while loading2024-09-25
- No feedback after remote power press, so users can't tell if it registered2024-09-21
- Clicking to return to home screen forces viewers through an ad2024-08-19
- Elderly father with memory issues can't figure out how to operate his Roku TV2024-08-14
- Home screen increasingly cluttered with suggested and sponsored content2024-08-06
- Cheap Roku streaming experience is awful, described without specifics2024-07-22
- TV has become so slow that many apps are nearly unusable2024-07-08
- Pausing shows ads and pop-up timeline and viewing options that obstruct viewing the paused image2024-04-17
- Devices stop working until the user accepts the new terms of service2024-03-11
- TV bootloops when ad fetching is blocked; support requires disabling ad blocking2024-03-11
- Power button keeps flashing and only stops when connected to internet2024-03-10
- UI is sluggish, so button presses lag several seconds behind2024-02-27
- Media player has a terrible UI/UX and can't play many file codecs2024-02-25
- A forced update broke HDMI-CEC control and the TV is now slow and bloated2024-01-23
- Built-in volume control broke, so user needs two remotes2023-12-31
- Each update makes the device slower, so it becomes sluggish after a couple of years2023-12-31
- Ads are baked into the home screen UI, which the commenter is sick of2023-11-19
- Home screen wastes space on unusable internet features and nags to connect2023-11-08
- UI is laggy and slow to respond every time it's used2023-11-08
- TV sits on its home screen for 5 seconds before switching to the chosen input2023-11-08
- Live TV shortcut shows streaming links instead of antenna channels, requiring a hidden settings change2023-11-08
- Commenter disputes that Roku's UI is usable, implying it is hard to use2023-03-30
- Home screen and apps become so slow they are effectively unusable, with apps crashing2023-03-30
- Casting Zoom to Roku lags, has no audio, and shows update errors2022-12-27
- Roku refuses to play MKV files with S_TEXT/UTF8 subtitles, erroring on playback regardless of settings2022-11-13
- Hangs indefinitely when browsing or playing a large music library2022-05-05
- Couldn't get the TV working without creating a Roku account2022-04-15
- Remote app shows upsell ads and adds extra steps to reach Apple TV2021-12-29
- Advanced picture settings are missing from the TV menu and only reachable through an app that doesn't work on Android2021-12-13
- UI is slow and jittery, and text entry takes forever2021-10-30
- SEARCH button searches the Apple store from inside other apps, confusing local and global search2021-10-30
- Hulu on Roku disables the TV remote's input select button2021-10-28