Owning a Roku can be quite beneficial for anyone who likes to watch movies and TV shows using various streaming services. However, when its remote fails to work even after you put in new batteries, the device can also be frustrating. In some cases, simply pointing the Roku remote with a little bit more accuracy and at a shorter distance from its receiver is enough to fix the issue, but troubleshooting the remote that came with a newer Roku model will probably require a hard reset. You may even need to pair the remote with its companion device all over again.
Before you can do either of those things, though, there are at least two things you will need to know about the remote: which type it is and what kind of battery it uses. Depending on which remote design is associated with your Roku streaming device, you may or may not have the capability to perform a system reset when your remote stops working as intended. The type of battery used by the remote also determines the location of a crucial button needed to re-pair a remote that has lost its connection with the Roku.
There are two types of general remotes that come with every Roku streaming player or Roku TV, and there are specific ways to troubleshoot each one. The first is called a simple remote. Much like the conventional TV remote and as its name implies, the device simply uses line-of-sight infrared technology to transmit button commands. For that reason, the remote works best when it is pointed directly at a Roku streaming player or a Roku TV within close proximity and without any objects obstructing its path. A simple Roku remote uses standard AAA batteries that need to be replaced once they run out of juice.
The other type of Roku controller is a voice remote. This one is more advanced in terms of features and doesn’t require you to directly point it at your Roku device for it to work. Instead of using infrared, the voice remote transmits commands via wireless internet connectivity. More importantly, with the press of a button, you can control your Roku device through speaking. A basic Roku voice remote also uses standard AAA batteries that need to be replaced periodically. The pro version of the voice-capable controller, however, comes with a rechargeable battery and a micro-USB port that is used to connect the device to a power source (via Roku).
Not sure what kind of Roku remote your device uses? As explained by Roku in a support document, there are a couple of easy ways to find out.
If you are able to find all of the above-mentioned buttons, then that means you have a voice remote. Only voice remotes have built-in pairing capabilities with their partner streaming devices. On the other hand, simple Roku remotes lack those buttons and can only go through very basic troubleshooting solutions, such as restarting, clearing the path between the remote and the Roku streaming device, pointing the remote toward the receiver at a higher angle, or repositioning the Roku player so that it’s more accessible.
When your Roku streaming device is freezing up or your remote isn’t working correctly, the problem can often be fixed by simply rebooting the machine, which Roku calls a system restart. If that method doesn’t work, however, users also have the option of resetting the device, which will return it to factory settings. That means you’ll need to set the device back up as if it is new, and that’s why you should try restarting the device before resetting it. The steps to restart are identical for the simple Roku remote and the basic voice remote, both of which use standard AAA batteries:
The following are steps for people who own a Roku Voice Remote Pro:
Another way to restart that works for most types of Roku remotes is by going through the gadget’s “Settings” menu. This is the option you’ll want to use if the Roku’s power cord is located somewhere difficult to reach, according to the company.
Simple Roku remote users can instantly press buttons to check for responsiveness. Those who own voice remotes have to wait at least half a minute to check whether the system restart fixed the issue.
After performing a restart on your Roku voice remote, in some cases, it should automatically trigger a pairing process after the main interface appears onscreen. If it doesn’t, here’s how you can re-pair your remote with its accompanying Roku streaming device:
If the pairing screen never appears, try going over all of the steps again. According to Roku, you have half a minute from the time the main Roku interface initially appears onscreen to long-press the reset button to start the pairing process. If the steps for resetting and re-pairing your Roku remote do not work even after you put in new batteries or charge your device, you may need to replace it with a new one.
