5 adjustments I made to immediately enhance my Roku Streaming Stick expertise

After utilizing a Hearth TV Stick for some time, I made a decision it was time to modify issues up in 2026 and lately began utilizing a Roku Streaming Stick Plus. The final Roku gadget I owned was a Roku Premiere, so it had been fairly some time since I might used one. However I’ve to say, I have been extraordinarily impressed with the expertise to date. Roku OS stays extremely user-friendly, and the 4K HDR streaming high quality has been excellent.

That mentioned, as soon as I unboxed my Roku Streaming Stick Plus and completed setting it up, I instantly made a couple of changes to enhance the expertise. That is to not say Roku does not do a very good job of routinely establishing the gadget, however there are a couple of tweaks you may make your self that basically assist make utilizing your Roku Streaming Stick simpler and extra customized.

So for those who’ve lately picked up a Roku, and even for those who’ve had one for some time, listed below are 5 issues I did immediately that made my streaming expertise much better, and you can simply do too.

Clear up the house display

The very first thing I needed to do after establishing my Roku Streaming Stick Plus was clear up the house display — particularly by eliminating the menu gadgets I knew I might by no means use. Do not get me unsuitable, there are some helpful choices on the Roku dwelling display, like Reside TV and What to Watch. However there are additionally others that I do not really want that simply find yourself getting in the best way, like Sports activities, Weekly Trivia, and Featured Free.

With that in thoughts, if you wish to take away the menus you do not use and regulate the house display to your liking, Roku makes it fairly simple. Simply head to Settings > Residence Display screen. From there, you will see a few format choices, together with the power to disable Suggestion Rows — which I selected to do to make attending to my apps faster — in addition to an choice to alter the tile dimension if that is one thing you wish to tweak.

Under these format settings, you will discover a checklist of all the house display menu gadgets. That is the place you may select which of them keep and which of them go. For instance, I needed to do away with Featured Free, so I hovered over it, chosen Cover, and growth, it was gone from my dwelling display.

Take away undesirable apps

Maintain the apps you employ entrance and heart

Holding with the theme of cleansing up the house display, the following factor I needed to do was do away with some apps I knew I would not use.

By default, Roku installs a handful of streaming apps — like Netflix, Disney+, and Apple TV — that routinely sit on your private home display. Personally, whereas I take advantage of Netflix and Disney+, I do not use Apple TV. And if I ever do sooner or later, it will almost certainly be by means of the Prime Video channel as a substitute, so I do not really need the standalone app.

To maintain issues tidy, I removed it and some different apps. Fortunately, Roku makes this extraordinarily simple to do. All you need to do is hover over an app, press the Star button in your distant (the button to the proper of the microphone), and a menu will pop up with the choice to take away it. Choose that, and voilà, the app you need off your private home display is uninstalled.

Change the wallpaper

You’ll be able to change it to one thing apart from Roku Metropolis

With the house display sorted, I subsequent personalized the wallpaper theme on my Roku. By default, it is set to Roku Metropolis, which appears to be like cool and is sort of vigorous, however I needed one thing a bit extra minimal, so I modified it to a plain purple background.

If you wish to change the wallpaper in your Roku, simply head to Settings > Theme. From there, you will see all of the completely different choices out there, together with a “decaf” brown background, and a “graphene” black background. Moreover, in that very same menu, you may change your Roku’s screensaver, so if you don’t need Roku Metropolis showing when your TV is idle, you may change it to one thing else, like a clock.

Join a Bluetooth audio gadget

Hearken to your Roku along with your AirPods

If I am watching TV late at night time or whereas I am doing chores round the home, I generally use my Bluetooth headphones to take heed to it. Whereas the Roku Streaming Stick Plus initially lacked assist for pairing with Bluetooth audio gadgets, Roku added it in an update final yr. This implies now you can join Bluetooth audio gadgets, resembling a pair of AirPods, on to your TV and take heed to exhibits and films by means of them reasonably than your TV’s audio system.

To pair Bluetooth headphones or earbuds along with your Roku, go to Settings > Distant & gadgets > Bluetooth headphones & audio system. From that display, you may pair any Bluetooth audio gadget along with your Roku. As soon as your gadget is paired, it will connect with your Roku routinely everytime you allow Bluetooth on it.

Arrange the Roku cellular app

You need to use your cellphone as a backup distant

Lastly, one final trick price testing in your Roku is connecting it to Roku’s cellular app. It is out there on each iOS and Android, and as soon as related, it helps you to management your Roku instantly out of your cellphone. So in case your Roku distant is out of attain, has mysteriously disappeared into the sofa, or you may’t seize it as a result of your cat is mendacity on you, you may simply open the Roku app in your cellphone to manage it.

The Roku app consists of all the identical controls because the bodily distant and even has its personal app drawer. Which means you may shortly launch any app in your Roku instantly out of your cellphone, with out even going to the house display. Moreover, you may browse all of the exhibits and films out there on The Roku Channel within the app after which choose to play them in your TV. It is a cool secondary display in your Roku, and I’ve discovered myself utilizing it so much for its sheer comfort.

Developer

Roku

Subscription price

No

You’ll be able to join Roku’s cellular app to your Roku streaming gadget and use it as a backup distant.