Roku has refreshed the home screen on its devices for the first time in a decade by adding a new For You area along with a large advertisement. If the updates do not suit your preferences the positive aspect is that you can adjust your TV or streaming stick to operate much as it did previously. The process requires only a short amount of time.

Customize For You and Quick Access to Work for You

Although Roku's updates have proven useful for highlighting content when you are unsure what to view they prove less effective when seeking a particular program. For example when preparing to watch a specific series you might not recall the service hosting it.

Roku previously offered limited assistance with resuming viewing but the new Continue Watching section raised hopes of seeing all in progress shows in one place. Unfortunately the For You feature cannot yet combine this data though future improvements remain possible. Several adjustments can still produce noticeable benefits.

I began with a new Roku Ultra after signing in yet it seemed to pull no viewing history from the device. My interests include science fiction and comedies but the suggestions included unrelated religious films and other mismatched titles. The results appeared off target.

If the For You recommendations prove unhelpful you can either delete specific items or hide the entire section.

Remove individual shows from For You

To delete single suggestions navigate to the thumbnail of the unwanted title and press the asterisk button on the remote. Scroll down and pick the option stating you do not like the show or movie. You may also select like or save if desired.

This step trains the system to avoid similar content. Note that the shortcut may not vanish immediately and a device restart can help clear it. Afterward the home screen should display fresh recommendations.

Some titles cannot be removed and only allow adding to a save list. This occurred once with a particular program that later vanished on its own.

Remove the For You section

If you prefer locating content independently you can hide the For You section completely. Go to Settings on the left menu then select Home Screen. Scroll to Recommendation rows and choose Hide.

Add Continue Watching to Quick Access

Placing a Continue Watching shortcut on the home screen differs from automatic display yet it helps bypass extra thumbnails and gives Quick Access more utility.

Scroll to the bottom of the Home page to reach Jump to shortcuts. Select the Continue Watching tile press the asterisk button and choose Add to Quick Access. The shortcut then appears in the Quick Access area at the page bottom.

Remove Quick Access

To eliminate all new discovery tiles and restore the prior appearance go to Settings then Home Screen then Quick Access and select Hide.

The result is a streamlined home page ready for your next viewing session.