Jailbreaking Roku
In this article, we will help you jailbreak Roku to stream free movies.
Roku is currently the second most popular streaming device globally. Millions use Roku every day to stream their favorite programs.
One of the problems more creative users find with Roku is that it uses a closes system. The Roku team coded their own proprietary Operating System, which means that unless you use officially sanctioned software you can’t do anything outside of what Roku allows you to do.
We look at what Roku is, why jailbreaking a Roku is a myth, and how you can get around their operating system restrictions and use Kodi on Roku to access an unlimited amount of content.
What is Roku?
Roku looks just like a USB stick; you plug it into your TV, and it gives you access to thousands of TV Channels from Netflix to Sky. Some content is free, with access to a wide range of original content, blockbuster movies, and other paid-for content.
Crucially everything on Roku is legal. They have satisfied all the copyright requirements for that content, and you don’t ever need to worry about watching anything illegally
Roku has 29 million users and comes from the Japanese word meaning the number “six”, literally because it was the 6th company that Anthony Wood started in 2002. It is led by Amazon which has its Fire TV series, in front of 34 million.
Roku is platform agnostic which means that unlike the Google Chromecast or the Amazon Fire Series it will run on any system, and isn’t centered around a streaming platform
Each device comes with a remote, but unlike Amazon does not have voice control components like Alexa.
People love Roku because it’s a simple plug and play system and gives you access to a dizzying amount of content. You can pretty much access anything you want for a price.
But what happens if you want to access more than Roku has to offer or don’t fancy paying for the content you want to watch.
What is Jailbreaking?
Jailbreaking first became a popular term in its relation to iPhone, when people would allow an iPhone to access applications that weren’t contained in the Apple App store.
Today, jailbreaking means making a modification or removing restrictions from a piece of software on a piece of hardware.
A lot of software systems today are closed because developers make money on both sides by charging developers a fee to sell their applications and taking a cut of the fee paid by a user. Or a company simply wants to maintain control of their ecosystem and collate all the relevant data for later use to improve their products.
Why Jailbreaking a Roku is a Myth?
The Roku is a closed system and does not allow third-party applications in any form, apart from one, Miracast. Which we cover later, this application allows you to cast Roku onto another device.
Unlike the iPhone, you can’t “Jailbreak” a Roku and install third-party applications. That loophole doesn’t exist in the system.
The Roku operating system is coded in C++ and is difficult to deal with in terms of making modifications and honestly just not worth the time.
So, when articles talk about jailbreaking a Roku, they just mean they are using Miracast.
The Magic of Miracast
Miracast allows you to mirror your Roku onto another device. Bear in mind this is not a great solution, as ultimately if you wanted to use a third-party application on Roku, you would be better just using another device.
But if you’re not able to, then mirroring is a good option.
To enable screen mirroring:
- Go to the Home screen on your Roku
- Select Settings
- Click System
- Select Screen Mirroring
- For ease of use turn one “Always Allow”
ReviewVPN cannot attest to the legality, security and privacy of the applications discussed on this site. It is highly recommended that you use a VPN service while streaming or using Kodi. Currently, your IP 18.97.14.83 is visible to everyone and your Browser is being tracked by Advertisers & ISP Provider. Here are the main reasons why you must use a VPN: A VPN works be replacing your ISP-assigned IP address and creating an encrypted tunnel. We recommend the no log service offered by IPVanish. It works well on a Firestick and offers the fastest possible speeds.
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Install Surfshark on Firestick
Watching Kodi on Roku
Your best solution to finding free content on Roku is using Kodi. As such Kodi doesn’t have an application in the Roku store, though you can use Plex which is on Roku.
So, a way of “jailbreaking” Roku is using the Miracast function to cast Kodi onto your Roku device and your TV.
You can do this with the following steps
- Using the instructions above enable the screen mirroring function on your Roku device
- Pair your device with your laptop, PC, tablet or phone. You will use this device to download Kodi and install your add-ons of choice, so make sure it has space and functionality
- You can pair your device, by going to your device’s setting and trying to find a wireless display
- Now your device is paired. Go to https://kodi.tv/download and download Kodi
- Follow the installation instructions
- You’ll now be able to cast Kodi from your device onto your Roku device and your TV
- Pick the add-ons that you want to watch and stream away to your heart’s content
Alternative to Roku
Roku is a great little device. Cheap and easy to use, but honestly there are easier devices out there that give you a much wider range of functionality because they are based on the Android Operating System.
Amazon Fire Stick
The most popular streaming device of choice. The Fire Stick will cost you about as much as a Roku, but you get much more ease of use. Using the Amazon Store, you can easily install Kodi, a VPN and use Downloader to install third-party applications.
As the Fire Stick runs on Android you can even just pop it into a USB slot on your laptop and sideload third-party applications.
The one downside is how Amazon video-centric the initial home screen is, but it’s a great little device once you move past that.
Google Chromecast
The Chromecast is also based on the Android system and gives you a massive range of usability as you can easily access the Google Play Store, with over 2 million applications.
Google products and devices though bit data-heavy, and not great for general privacy are easy to use and Google couldn’t care less what you use the device for as long as they can track you.
Note: For more information about Surfshark, please read our Surfshark Review.
How to Install Surfshark VPN on Firestick
If your Firestick still has the older interface, read this article to learn how to update it: Update Firestick Interface.
Follow our screenshots below to install the SurfShark VPN app on your Fire TV stick.
1. Go to the Home screen of your Firestick.
2. Navigate towards the Find tab. Press the Search button from the resulting dropdown.
3. Type in the keyword of SurfShark and select from the suggestions that will appear.
4. Click the official SurfShark icon from your search results.
5. Press the Download (You own it) button.
6. The SurfShark VPN installer will download on your device.
7. SurfShark VPN’s app will automatically install itself on your Fire TV stick.
8. Press the Open button after completing SurfShark VPN’s installation process.
9. Please wait for the SurfShark VPN to load its user interface.
10. You can now log in with your SurfShark VPN account credentials.
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