Roku has steadily gained a foothold as the go-to destination for affordable entertainment, but now it's taking a page from cable TV that even those of us who've already cut the cord are celebrating. Roku recently rolled out an upgrade to its Live TV experience, adding a new feature to the Live Guide that makes browsing channels easier for anyone watching over-the-air antenna channels or live streams.
As first confirmed by Cord Cutters, this update lets Roku TV users hop back to the last channel they watched with a single press of a button. Previously, the "jump back" button (the little circular arrow on your remote) was used to rewind back a few seconds, provided you had some kind of USB storage device connected to the TV, to quickly replay moments you might have missed.
With the latest update, this functionality has been replaced. Now the "jump back" button instantly switches over to whatever channel you were last watching, a sort of quick-toggle that nixes the need for fussing with entering channel numbers or opening the full guide.
Another Roku TV headache gone
This seriously streamlines the viewing process for any chronic channel flippers out there (guilty as charged), making it simpler than ever to hop between multiple games or programs during peak viewing times. It also makes using a Roku TV feel more like a traditional over-the-air setup, complete with the “last channel” button, to further merge classic broadcast viewing, keeping free antenna TV simple and convenient in an increasingly hybrid entertainment landscape.
The feature is expected to roll out automatically to supported Roku devices. It also works with both antenna-based channels and supported live streams within the Live Guide, so it's especially handy for households that use a combination of free broadcast TV and the best streaming services.
The new functionality marks Roku's latest overhaul of its Live Guide, its hub for free live TV programming. Earlier this month, Roku added a dedicated search section so that navigating Roku's extensive collection of hundreds of free, ad-supported live channels is no longer the headache it once was.
