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Roku remote's star button adapts to screen and device

Roku's star button works as a context-sensitive options key and accessibility shortcut, Engadget says.

AI News Feed · 2026-10-19 04:40

On the Roku home screen, Engadget reports, the button's behavior depends on whether a user is in the Quick Access section or the full app list. In Quick Access, pressing star while an app is highlighted only offers the option to remove it from that section. In the full apps list, the same press brings up more choices: it shows the app's version and build number, lets the user move the channel's position or remove it, rate the app, give feedback or check for app updates. On a Roku TV, highlighting an external device such as a video game console and pressing star offers the option to rename it.

While video is playing, the star button opens a sidebar of viewing options. According to Engadget, this menu can be used to improve image quality, set a sleep timer, turn on closed captioning and change the volume mode, among other settings. The exact options vary slightly from app to app based on what each app supports. The menu on a Roku streaming box does not hold as many options as the one on a Roku TV, Engadget says.

The star button also acts as an accessibility shortcut on some Roku devices. Engadget reports that these devices support a text-to-speech screen reader, formerly called Audio Guide, and that the feature is currently available only in the United States. Supported devices include Roku TV, Roku Streambar and Streambar Pro, Roku Smart Soundbar, Roku Express and Express+, Roku Express 4K and 4K+, Roku Streaming Stick and Streaming Stick+, Roku Streaming Stick 4K and 4K+, Roku Premiere and Premiere+, and Roku Ultra and Ultra LT. The screen reader can be turned on through the accessibility settings menu, but a quick four presses of the star button also toggle it. To adjust controls such as the speech rate and volume of the screen reader, users must go to the Accessibility category of the Settings page, Engadget says.

The button's functions are not fixed, so the result of pressing it depends on where the user is on the Roku interface and whether the device is a Roku TV or a streaming player. Engadget's explanation covers three main settings: the home screen, active video playback and the accessibility shortcut. In each case, the star button provides options tied to the current context rather than opening a single universal menu.