Roku OS 12 introduces a slew of handy features

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Your Roku streaming device is set to get an upgrade in the coming weeks with the arrival of Roku OS 12 which will introduce a slew of new features.

One of the handiest features coming in Roku OS 12 is an update to Continue Watching. Found in the What to Watch section, Continue Watching allows you to jump straight back into the streaming content you were viewing the last time you used your Roku. With this new OS update, Discovery Plus, Prime Video, and Freevee will join HBO Max, Netflix, Paramount Plus, and The Roku Channel as services that support Continue Watching.

Sports fans will also find your Roku is better at recommending games that you care about. With the new OS update, Roku promises its service will offer more personalized suggestions based on your location, favorite teams, go-to sports, and other viewing habits. When this recommendation feature launches it will be able to suggest content from CBS Sports, MLB.TV, NBA League Pass, and NBC Sports – though to watch the content you’ll have to subscribe to the service it’s hosted on.

These Sports and Continue Watching updates won’t just appear on your Roku TV and streaming stick when Roku OS 12 rolls out, your Roku Mobile App is getting updated, too. The mobile app’s home screen is getting a revamp to streamline its contents and include dedicated Continue Watching and Sports rows.

Beyond the changes outlined above, Roku OS 12’s introduction will also bring updates to your Roku’s Live TV to match a great feature from Amazon Fire TVs

Following the OS update, Roku’s Local News feature will allow you to watch your local news channel – based on your location – or stream the channel from several major cities across the US.

You’ll also be able to see and sign up for Premium Live TV subscriptions from within the Roku Live TV Channel Guide. While this tool makes it easier to access content that might interest you, it might make it easier for users of your Roku to sign up and pay for a new service. As such we’d recommend ensuring your account is set up so people will need to input a password or pin before paying for a new service

This can be done by signing in to your account at my.roku.com (opens in new tab) and then going to Pin Preference on your account and hitting Update. From here you’ll need to go to Making purchases and adding content and then choose one of the following options:

• Always require a PIN to make purchases and to add items from the Channel Store 
• Always require a PIN to make purchases 

If you already have a pin set up you might want to consider changing it if others know what it is. 

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