Roku

Streaming Device Reviewed October 2026

These are reasonable defaults - not the only right choices. If your current settings work for you, there is no pressure to change anything.

What the default settings do

Roku makes streaming players (Express, Streaming Stick, Ultra) and the software inside Roku TVs from several brands. Roku earns much of its money from advertising, so ad data matters more here than on a device sold mainly on subscriptions. On every Roku, Roku collects which apps you use and what you stream in them, and uses an advertising ID to personalize ads.

Roku TVs can also use automatic content recognition (ACR) through a feature called Smart TV Experience. When it is on, Roku takes a fingerprint of a sample of pixels on screen and matches it to its catalog, which lets it see what you watch through the antenna and devices plugged into the TV, such as a cable box or game console. Roku asks whether to turn it on during setup. Roku says it then may share this viewing data with measurement companies, and audience segments built from it with ad partners. If you turn it on and later off, Roku keeps the data already collected and may still share it. Streaming players do not have TV inputs, so this does not apply to them.

The Smart TV Experience menu can also hold Content Viewing Disclosure, a separate consent that lets Roku share the titles you watch with third parties for ads.

Voice search sends what you say to Roku for processing. Roku’s privacy policy says the recordings are deleted immediately afterward, and you can also turn off any retention in your account.

The 2026 lawsuits

Florida sued Roku in October 2025 over the collection and sale of children’s data. On 26 June 2026 the state announced a settlement: Roku will spend an estimated $25 million on stronger parental controls and child privacy protections, rolling out nationwide within about 12 months. There was no fine and no finding of wrongdoing.
Michigan’s suit continues in part. In April 2026 a federal judge dismissed the state’s video-privacy claims but let its claims under the federal children’s privacy law (COPPA) go ahead.

A reasonable privacy baseline

These settings are on the device under Settings → Privacy. Labels have changed over the years, so they may look slightly different on older software.

Smart TV Experience (Roku TVs only)

Settings → Privacy → Smart TV Experience → Uncheck Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) (shown as Use info from TV inputs on older software)

Roku then stops using ACR to identify what you watch through the antenna and connected devices. If you said yes during setup, or are not sure, check this. It does not affect data about what you stream in apps.

Settings → Privacy → Smart TV Experience → Uncheck Content Viewing Disclosure

If you agreed to this, Roku may share the titles of programs you watch with third parties to personalize ads. Unchecking it withdraws that consent. It only appears if your TV offers it.

Advertising

Settings → Privacy → Advertising → Uncheck Personalize ads (on older software, check Limit ad tracking)

Roku stops personalizing its own ads on this device. Roku also passes on your preference, but streaming apps decide for themselves whether to honor it, and some offer their own setting. You will see the same number of ads.

Settings → Privacy → Advertising → Reset advertising identifier → Reset

Replaces your advertising ID with a new one, which breaks the link to any profile built around the old one. It is a useful extra step after you turn off ad personalization.

Microphone and voice

Settings → Privacy → Voice → Set channel microphone access to Never allow, or choose per app

Controls whether streaming apps can use the microphone in your remote or the Roku mobile app. Roku's own voice search works separately. On some older software this is under Settings → Privacy → Microphone.

my.roku.com → sign in → Voice Settings → Turn off voice recording retention

Roku says voice recordings are deleted after your request is processed. This account setting turns off any further retention of recordings from your remote or mobile app.

Trade-offs

With ACR off, you lose features that rely on it, such as “More Ways to Watch” suggestions for live TV coming through the antenna or a cable box.
Turning off ad personalization does not reduce how many ads you see. Roku’s home screen stays ad-heavy either way.
After you reset the advertising ID, frequency limits tied to the old ID start over, so you may briefly see the same ad more often.
Blocking channel microphone access stops voice features inside individual apps. Roku’s own voice search still works.
A factory reset can undo some of these choices, so check them again after one.

Who should not change these settings

If you watch a lot of antenna or cable TV on a Roku TV and like Roku’s blended recommendations, Smart TV Experience is what powers them.
If you prefer ads that match your interests, you can leave ad personalization on and reset the advertising ID now and then instead.
If you use voice control inside specific apps, allow microphone access for just those apps.
If you are comparing Roku with Fire TV or Google TV on privacy, all three are funded in part by advertising data, and no single setting removes that. See our Fire TV guide for comparison.