Is your Roku player talking to you? Here’s how to shush it

Has your Roku player or Roku TV started talking whenever you’re in a menu or on a settings screen? There’s a simple explanation for a suddenly chatty Roku, as well as an easy way to keep it quiet.

The reason for a talking Roku player is the “Screen Reader,” a Roku accessibility feature that reads on-screen text for visually impaired users. Once enabled, the screen reader (formerly known as the Audio Guide) will speak aloud text and descriptions from the Roku user interface, including your various streaming apps.

This how-to is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best media-streaming devices.

The screen reader is a crucial feature for Roku users with vision issues, but if you turn it on by accident, it can get old fast.

Luckily, it’s easy to turn the Roku screen reader off. Here’s how.

At a glance

• Time to complete: 1 minute
• Tools required: None
• Materials required: A Roku streaming video player and a Roku remote
• Cost: $0

1.

Press the Option (“*”) button

Ben Patterson/Foundry

If you press the Option button (identified by an asterisk) on the Roku remote four times in a row, you’ll turn the screen reader on.

An on-screen pop-up that reads “Screen reader enabled” will appear if you activate the feature, but if you’re not paying attention, you might be surprised when your Roku starts talking to you.

Luckily, turning the screen reader back off is easy, and there are a couple of ways to do it. The first way is by simply repeating the screen reader command from the remote–in other words, just press the Options button four times in a row again.

2.

Tweak the Accessibility settings

Ben Patterson/Foundry

A second way of disabling the screen reader is by digging into the Roku’s Accessibility menu.

From the Home menu, scroll down to Settings, then select Accessibility > Screen reader. Choose the “Off” setting and get ready for some peace and quiet.

Reviewed on July 8, 2024 to check for accuracy and timeliness.