Roku Rolling Out Latest Version of Operating System

Roku said it will start rolling out Roku OS 9.3, a new version of its operating system, in streaming devices over the next few weeks.

Roku 9.3 will enable features including Spanish language voice remote controls, visual search results, news related voice commands and playback from search. A new Roku mobile app is designed to make it easy for users to switch between Roku devices they want to control.

“The Roku OS continues to get better with a specific focus on delivering strong performance, especially on older devices, new and more ways to find content, and unique features to our customers,” said Ilya Asnis, senior VP of Roku OS at Roku. “With Roku OS 9.3, we’re adding new functionality to Roku Voice in multiple regions around the globe with the primary goal of delighting our users in their day-to-day use of our devices. We’ve designed Roku Voice to enable consumers to get to the content they want quickly, allow them to browse in new ways and control their experience with a laser focus on entertainment.”

Related: Roku: ‘We Are Not Working on Originals’

The new operating system also offers voice features for international markets.

Users will be able to customize their home screens and screen savers from a single "Theme" menu. They will also experience shorter boot times, faster launches for some channels and a faster navigation when using certain features.

Roku 9.3 lets users access more soundbar settings from the TV interface.

Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.