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Most major retailers sell Roku streaming devices and smart TVs. Whether you’re shopping on Amazon or browsing the home theater section at your local Best Buy, all Roku hardware comes with a Roku remote, but the version depends on the product you buy. The most feature-rich version is the Roku Voice Remote Pro, a device bundled with the flagship Roku Ultra. You can also buy one a la carte if you just want the best Roku remote.
The Voice Remote Pro is fully backlit, includes a lost remote finder, and is rechargeable via its USB-C port. It also includes a quick launch button (marked with a rocket icon) that can be programmed to launch a specific app or feature. The quick launch button is only found on the Voice Remote Pro, but almost all Roku remotes include a button marked with an asterisk; This is an options button and its functions are related to the screen or open application when you press it. In most cases, you will access a context menu with commands such as Search or Home; During video playback, it will usually display settings such as audio tracks and closed captions. A few other symbols are worth learning on a Roku remote, one of which will come in handy if you typically fall asleep before your late-night movie ends.
Some older Roku remotes included a dedicated sleep timer button
Have you ever seen a Roku remote with a moon icon on one of its buttons? We didn’t, but apparently they’re still there. However, we have it on good authority that it is a sleep timer button. The timer operates in 30-minute increments, but it appears the sleep timer button was only an option on older Roku hardware. That said, we came across this Best Buy thread for a 2023 Hisense TV with Roku OS in which the timer button was mentioned.
Generally speaking, most Roku remotes have replaced the moon button with a button with a microphone icon. As you might have guessed, it’s a voice control button; press and hold to control your Roku streamer or smart TV with actions like “pause episode” or “search for movies starring Liam Neeson.”
The Roku mobile app also serves as a secondary remote control for your Roku devices and includes many of the same buttons. It also introduces a new icon into the arsenal: a pair of headphones. This is a private listening button, and it’s an absolute godsend if you like to watch movies and shows late at night. To use this feature, you will need a wired or wireless headset or earbuds connected to your host device. Once you do, press the button and you should see a headphone icon appear in the upper right corner of your TV screen; this means private listening is enabled (there should also be a green dot on the button now). To turn off private listening, simply press the button again.
