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Later this year, Roku will roll out a new version of its operating system toRoku devicesaround the globe.
Roku OS 12 and other new features will appear on your device over the “coming months”, Here are the highlights of what to expect.
What’s new in Roku OS 12?
The latest update forRokustreaming devices will add several new features, including changes to the live TV section on US devices, new content and discovery options, and changes to the mobile app.
A couple of extras are coming to the Live TV section of the Roku experience.
Local Newswill add live news channels to the hundreds of linear, live stations that are currently available. The user will be able to access personalised stations depending on their location, while other news broadcasts from major cities will be viewable too. Users can just search for local news through the onscreen search functionality or by voice using the remote.
Content access and discovery
TheSportssection was added to Roku OS last year, but it is being enhanced with the release of Roku OS 12. For starters, golf is to be added, as well as new streams and services for soccer (football) coverage. The latter will include Spanish-language coverage for select leagues.
In addition, a more personalised Sports experience is coming, which will be based on location, favourite team, and fave sport itself. Plus, CBS Sports, MLB.TV, NBA App, and NBC Sports are being added to the list of supported channels inside the Sports section.
Roku will also push a newContinue Watchingrow to its What to Watch section. This allows users to jump straight back into the next episode of a show from supported channels. This will now include content from Discovery+ and Amazon’s Prime Video too. BET+, Freevee, Frndly TV, and Starz will also be added soon.
Roku Mobile App
The Roku Mobile App gets a pretty big redesign and plenty of new features. These include a revampedAccount Hubto more easily control the main account preferences. TheHome Screenhas also been refreshed with a new interface, including the Sports and Continue Watching features from Roku OS 12.
TheLive TV Channel “Guide” Buttonthat works with Roku TVs will soon also be usable on other Roku devices. And, the Roku Photo Streams feature has been improved to make it easier to view smartphone images on a Roku device or TV, and set them as screensavers, The limit for a photo stream will be raised to 1,000 pictures.
Also coming to the UK
While the above features will be exclusive to the US - initially, at least - Continue Watching will come to the UK later this year, Pocket-lint was told. The Save List will too - which is a feature that’s already available in the States.
When will Roku OS 12 be available?
Roku OS 12 and other new features will be available as an over-the-air update for Roku streaming devices, TVs and speaker systems in the “coming months”. Some supported channels and partners may be delivered separately.
