Roku’s updated mobile app lets us see what’s on with a single button tap

Losing the remote is never fun, but thankfully for Roku owners, the company has provided a mobile app that can double as an extra remote, making a lost remote a far less urgent problem. The app doesn’t only function as a remote, and with its latest update, which brings the version number to 4.0, the Roku mobile app is more feature-packed than ever.

The first thing you’ll notice if you’ve used the Roku app before is that this new version has had a visual makeover. Not only does the updated app boast a sleeker appearance than older versions, but it now has a navigation bar at the bottom that makes navigating between its various sections a much faster process than it used to be. Looking at this navigation bar, you’ll also notice the major new feature this update brings, which is dubbed What’s On.

Tap on the What’s On tab, and you’ll be presented with a selection of shows and movies currently available via your Roku. Select any of them, and they’ll immediately start playing on your TV, without the need to explicitly choose to “cast” them as with some other services. If you’re sitting down after a long day and don’t want to browse through your various installed channels to figure out what to watch, this feature will likely be a welcome addition.

There are times where you do want to pick a streaming service and see what’s available, and that is now easier as well thanks to the updated mobile app’s refined Channels section. Browsing the channel list, each item now acts as a button that launches that service on your Roku, after which the app will immediately switch over to its remote control mode.

The updated Roku mobile app is rolling out starting today, and is available for both the iOS and Android platforms. If you haven’t yet installed the app, you can find it in each platform’s respective app stores.

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