Roku said it has launched a new version of its mobile app for iOS and Android devices that that freshens up its look and remote control and search features, supports one-tap access to apps like Netflix and Hulu, and adds a new “What’s On” tab that enables users to browse and access an array of “hand-picked” movies and TV shows that are available for free, for rent, purchase
The 4.0 version of Roku’s free mobile app, which emerges in the wake of a new “TV” app from Apple for smartphones, tablets and Apple TV devices that aims to unify access to streaming video apps, also lets consumers share photos and videos on the TV screen.
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Roku is adding the one-tap access feature because “[w]e know that getting to the channel you want is only the first half of streaming the content you want to watch,” Roku senior product manager Matt Wee explained in a blog post. “To make this transition easier and faster, once you launch a streaming channel the remote control will automatically appear on the app giving you a seamless experience to find the show you were looking for. Now you can quickly go from deciding where you want to watch to finding what you want to watch without additional taps.”
The app’s revised remote tab now more closely lines up with the buttons on the Roku device remote hardware, with the buttons and directional pad moving closer together to make it easier for users to press the on-screen buttons with one hand, the company added.
