Roku Opens Experimental App Program Roku Labs to All Device Owners
Roku opened Roku Labs to all users, offering four experimental apps, and said it would open-source the operating system behind its remotes.
The program launches with four apps. Backdrops Studio lets users customize their Roku background with art and images. Roku Immerse offers a new way to set custom screensavers. Roku Weather is a dedicated weather app, and Roku Stocks is a built-in stock tracker. Roku said users who try the apps can offer feedback that will directly influence how they are developed further.
Roku Labs differs from invitation-only testing programs such as Xbox Insider, which limit participation to a subset of users. Engadget reports that any Roku owner can reach the new apps through the Roku Labs tile rather than signing up for a separate beta.
The company also described changes planned for the coming months. Roku said it will roll out an updated home screen layout to users in Mexico and Brazil. It will add the ability to ask for a weather forecast by voice, and it plans to update the platform's search experience with explanations for why content appears in the order it does.
Separately from the Labs program, Roku is open-sourcing Roku LT OS, the operating system used to power its remotes and smart home products. Roku said the development kit will be available for free, and that it will provide a video training series covering how to work with the system for users' own projects. Engadget reported those details alongside the Roku Labs announcement; Roku has not given a specific release date for the upcoming home screen and search changes beyond the next few months.