Roku doesn’t provide the privilege to web browse the internet directly. There are only a few channels that can act as a web browser on Roku. But you can’t expect all the functionality of the web browser. To be frank there is no decent browser on Roku. All you can do is to cast your android device or your Laptop to your Roku. In this way, you can stream using your favorite browser. And the irony is Roku has more than 500000+ channels, in that very few are browsers. In this list, we will share some of the best Roku Web browsers.
Before proceeding to the list, let’s see the main reason behind why you can’t install android apps on Roku. Roku has its own OS and it is a highly modified Linux version. Roku OS is quite different from Android and the base kernel version is different. So you can’t install android apps on Roku. This the main reason for Roku being a closed device. Roku has an SDK platform to develop your own apps. But you need to have little coding knowledge for it.
Does Roku Have an Internet Browser?
As far now, Roku has not released any official web browser. Although you don’t find an official web browser, the developers have managed to deploy two web browsers that are compatible with Roku. Web Browser X and POPIRISM are the two web browsers you can find on Roku’s official channel store, you can download and install them to your channel list.
Best Roku Web Browsers
Poprism
This is a text-based web browser available in Roku. It is launched as an experiment and fetches only text-based content. It can’t show images or videos. Because it can’t run Flash or JavaScript. If you read a lot, you can use this browser for surfing purposes.
You can use your remote to navigate inside Poprism channel. The UP and DOWN scroll one line. And LEFT and RIGHT scroll ten lines at a time. Use BACK to navigate to the previous page and RETURN to navigate to the home page. From here you can surf other contents.
Web Browser X
This is the paid browser available on the Roku channel list. It allows you to stream all the content for $5/month. Since its a paid version, you can watch all the videos and images. Now the next question comes to our mind is, “How this browser works?”
Well, it is not surfing the internet with the Roku streaming stick. It is using a casting technology to share the server with multiple users. When compared to chrome, it can’t even come close. Chrome is always the best.
Chrome Via Screencast
Most of us, use a browser to stream a movie or video content. If your browser can’t stream those content, what is the first point in having it? So the only best way is to use a screen mirroring. You can cast or mirror the screen of your android device and surf directly in it. Here is a step by step guide to casting content on Roku.
You can follow these steps and cast chrome on your Roku. In a similar way, you can cast any of the browsers to your Roku. And this allows streaming any content. The only drawback of this method is, it depends on the other device. You need the help of other devices to cast their screen.
How to use Google on Roku?
Roku is considered to be one of the best platforms for streaming content on your TV. However, there are some thighs you cannot do with it like it has no official browsers and sorting photos. What if there are ways to use Google service on your Roku? Pretty awesome right!… so let’s see how to get Google services like Google Play Movies, Google Photos, and Google search on your Roku.
How to Get Google Play Movies and TV on Roku
It’s no surprise that you can find Google Play Movies and TV on Roku’s official channel store, as it supports almost all major streaming services. All you need to do is, install Google Play Movies on Roku. Then visit this web page play.google.com/roku and pair it with your Google account. It will ask for payment method and other details for verification purposes and they won’t charge without your approval.
Steps to get Google Play Movies and TV on Roku
- Go to the Roku channel store.
- Search for Google Play Movies and TV and select add channel.
- Open the app installed/channel added. Sign in with your account details.
- Now open the browser on your phone or computer and visit this site: play.google.com/roku
- Enter the code that is shown on the screen and proceed to click on continue.
- Review the permission screen, confirm it, and add a payment method.
- Follow the instructions on the browser, Set your Google PIN.
- You are all set, now you can use your Roku and Search and watch videos.
Similarly using the Google Home app, you can connect your Google Assistant to Roku.
Before proceeding with the casting process, make sure you have the latest version of Roku. Also, ensure that all the devices are connected to the same WiFi connection, else the link cannot be established.
For casting from an Android device you need to use MiraCast applications. If you don’t find one preinstalled, you can get it from the play store. And not all android devices support MiraCast Technology. Both iOS and Mac do not support MiraCast which means you need to get some other third-party app for casting.
In that case, we would suggest you use AirBeamTV, one of the best casting apps for iPhone and Mac. You can also consider Allcast another alternative screening app compatible with a number of devices. From Apple TV to Roku and Chromecast to Amazon FireTV, it is capable of delivering media content from your smartphone to a big screen without any lag.
Conclusion
After you download and launch these web browsers, you will notice that they will lack a lot of features that you can find with a modern web browser. The navigation will be quite difficult, the interface is slow and outdated and you might face some issues with displaying complex web pages. Until Roku releases a full-fledged browser, this is the only method to use Web Browsers on Roku.
I hope this article is informative and clear. If you are facing any issue, do let us know in the comments. We would be glad to help.
FAQ’s
1. Does Roku have Chrome or any other browser?
Roku’s official app store doesn’t have Google Chrome App. But you can cast chrome on your TV screen with the help of Miracast enabled.
2. Can I watch my Roku channels on my Roku?
Roku’s channels are available on many devices. You can watch the Roku channels on any device even without logging into a Roku account.
3. Are there any free web browsers available on Roku?
No, there is no in-built web browser and there is no possible way to install some third-party web browser on it. But you can consider screen mirroring as an option.