Roku saves you from signing into accounts on a new device
You'll also find genre search, smarter voice control and more.
Roku is about to make life much easier if you're tired of signing into all your accounts when you get a new media player. It's releasing a Roku OS 9.1 update that, among other things, adds automatic account linking. So long as you've previously logged into a supporting service on Roku-based hardware, you won't have to do that again when setting up a new Roku device. It's not comprehensive when there are "nearly 10" services that work with the feature today (including Sling TV and Pandora), but more are expected in the future.
The 9.1 revision also promises to streamline your searches. Look for a genre and you'll see titles sorted by their release date and pricing (including free, downloads and subscriptions). Rely on voice search, meanwhile, and shows on The Roku Channel will automatically start playing rather than showing up in on-screen results.
Other improvements? You can toggle Guest Mode (previously called Auto Sign Out) for specific devices from the comfort of the web, and sign visitors out if they've left sooner than expected. It's available in the UK for the first time, too. Voice controls now let you replay the past several seconds, toggle closed captions and turn the screen off while listening to music. And like it or not, a bit of advertising has creeped in. There's now a My Offers section that provides "special offers or discounts on Roku devices."
The update is available on some Roku players as of today, and should hit all compatible players in the "coming weeks." Sit tight if you have a Roku TV, though -- you won't get 9.1 until early summer.
