What is the star button for on your Roku remote?

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A Roku system's remote control is one of the most straightforward remote designs you'll find. The function behind nearly every button is clear from its icon, except for one: the mysterious star button that lurks above the fast forward button. Whether you're using the physical remote or the remote in the Roku mobile app, you're going to encounter it — but what is it for?

Its purpose isn't as cut and dry as something like the OK or Netflix button, because its usage is contextual depending on when you press it. It's essentially a mix of an "options" button and accessibility shortcut, with some functionality depending on whether you have a Roku TV or one of the company's streaming boxes. Once you know all the scenarios where you can utilize it, you'll be able to improve several facets of your Roku watching experience.

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What the star button does is dependent upon where you are on your Roku device. Let's consider the three major ones.

On the home screen

When you're on the Roku home screen, the star button's functionality depends on whether you're in the Quick Access section or the general app selection screen. In Quick Access, hitting star while an app is highlighted will only give you the option to remove it from the section; in the full apps list you'll have more options. 

When you have an app highlighted there, pressing the star will show you the app's version and build number, let you move the channel's positioning or remove it, rate the app, give feedback or check for app updates. On a Roku TV, if you highlight an external device like a video game console, you'll be given the option to rename it.

When watching something

If you're actively streaming video on your Roku TV, the star button opens a host of viewing options in a sidebar. Here, you can improve your Roku's image quality, set a sleep timer, turn on closed captioning, change the volume mode and much more. The specific options will vary slightly from app to app based on their capabilities, but in general, this is the place to precisely tailor your viewing experience. On a Roku streaming box, this menu won't hold as many options as a Roku TV does.

As an accessibility shortcut

Some Roku devices support a text-to-speech screen reader (formerly called Audio Guide), an accessibility feature that helps navigation. This feature is currently only available in the United States. Roku devices that support the screen reader include:

• Roku TV
• Roku Streambar and Streambar Pro
• Roku Smart Soundbar
• Roku Express and Express+
• Roku Express 4K and 4K+
• Roku Streaming Stick and Streaming Stick+
• Roku Streaming Stick 4K and 4K+
• Roku Premiere and Premiere+
• Roku Ultra and Ultra LT

Though the screen reader can be activated via the accessibility settings menu, you can also toggle it by quickly pressing the star button four times in a row. To adjust controls like the precise speech rate and volume of the screen reader, you'll need to go to the Accessibility category of the Settings page, but the star button allows you to activate the feature without venturing into menus.