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What you need to know
- Roku is adding an AI-powered voice search that can answer natural questions about movies, shows, and actors.
- The new Roku Voice supports follow-up queries and shows answers directly on your TV screen.
- Roku is expanding Search to include Live TV results and direct links to streaming platforms.
- Sports fans get live scores, reminders, and updates, plus new app shortcuts for better usability.
With the holiday season approaching, Roku has announced a fresh set of software features coming to its streaming sticks and TVs this fall.
The standout feature in the Roku OS update is a new AI-powered voice search. Roku Voice has been around for a while, but the company is now upgrading it with an AI engine that can understand natural language questions about movies, shows, and actors, and display the answers directly on your TV screen.
For example, you can now ask questions like "What's Barbie about?" or "What kind of fish is Nemo?" and Roku will instantly show the answer directly on the TV screen. The company says the new Roku Voice is also contextually aware, allowing follow-up questions in a natural conversation.
Alongside this, Roku is also expanding its discovery features. The improved search now includes results from the Live TV Zone, and will soon integrate with the Live TV Channel Guide. This means you'll be able to jump to your favorite channels, explore new genres, or browse trending and on-demand titles.
Roku will also show where each title is available to stream, letting you start watching right from the search screen.
Roku adds live scores and reminders for sports fans
Sports fans are also getting some love with new additions to Roku Sports. The update introduces Live Scores and Reminders to Roku Sports. Live scores will appear directly on game tiles (with an option to hide them if you prefer no spoilers), while Reminders will alert you about upcoming matchups and send notifications to your phone when it's time to tune in.
Beyond that, Roku is also adding other features like Bluetooth Headphone Mode to its Streaming Stick and Streaming Stick Plus devices. The Roku mobile app is also getting an upgrade, bringing new quick shortcuts such as Closed Captions, Find My Remote, Sleep Timer, and Daily Trivia for easier navigation.
Roku hasn't provided a specific release date for these updates yet, but the company says they'll roll out "in the coming months."
