Some brands are beloved, others draw mixed opinions. In streaming, winners and losers emerge, but some occupy a solid middle — Roku is a great example. Most Roku devices accomplish what other comparable models do, but it’s silly to award brownie points just for handling streaming apps well — hello Fire Stick and Google TV.
So why do some customers hate Roku? The brand’s devices generally work well, but its remotes often fall short. Roku’s available streaming apps and services are hardly exclusive, though the Roku Channel is an exception. However, the streaming service is littered with advertising, according to users. Ads are also making their way into the home screen, user interface, and menus. Moreover, your Roku TV or streaming stick might be spying on you through data collection and activity tracking measures. You can limit the device’s ability to collect data by adjusting your Roku privacy settings, but you could also argue it shouldn’t be happening in the first place.
The state of Florida also recently sued Roku, alleging the company violates children’s privacy laws by selling voice recordings, viewing habits, and geolocation data — the latter of which is a serious breach of user privacy. I personally don’t have a problem with the Roku devices in my home, but I have also disabled data tracking and privacy-intrusive features. I also don’t use most of the streaming apps, since I have my own Plex server configured. That means I can ignore most ads, depending on where they show up.
Is Roku really that bad compared to other streaming devices?
More recently, Roku began experimenting with new advertising placements – playing them before the regular home screen became accessible. Existing Roku users remarked that this change was “unacceptable” and “awful,” and were understandably angry and disgusted with the egregious placement. Ask most viewers, and they’ll likely say fewer ads are always better, and reduced data tracking across platforms is important for privacy and digital safety.
However, are other streaming platforms like Amazon’s Fire TV Stick (which stays cheap thanks to ads, as with most of its devices) any different? The answer is, sadly, no, Roku really isn’t much different on this front. In fact, Google now tracks everything you do across devices, even your smart TVs. Nearly every smart TV manufacturer on the market tracks your habits, viewing patterns, ads you watch or skip, and much more. To prevent your smart TV from spying on your activities, you have to opt out or disable these features. Otherwise, they’ll remain on by default.
The Fire TV Stick is also prone to freezing, glitches, and malfunctions. Google TV devices also have issues, even when incorporated into third-party brands like TCL. Of course, this is no defense for Roku or any other devices, but merely an objective attempt at assessing the average user experience across platforms. It’s also important to note that there are many users who love their devices, Roku included, and don’t have frequent issues.
