Don’t Forget to Reset Your Roku Before You Give it Away or Sell it!
For some this goes without saying, but many people have no idea you need to/should RESET YOUR ROKU device before you give it away or sell it. That is, if you don’t want someone else subscribing to channels or renting videos on your dime and/or knowing what YOU watch.
I wanted a Roku I to use for testing the Standard Definition (SD) video output of the channels we develop, so I turned to Craigslist where I found one for $20. I met the seller at the local quickee mart, we made the exchange, and within an hour I had that bad boy hooked up and working. Right away, however, we noticed something…
The previous owner never RESET the device! His Netflix account, his Hulu account, and a few other channels he paid-for, were all right there for us to use. Sine Roku stored all of his login info for those channels, we could have cancelled our own account and just used his for as long as we could — at least until he changed his password.
I promptly reset the device, BUT the next guy may not, so heed this warning: If you are upgrading to a new Roku device, be sure to wipe clean your old one before you sell it or pass it on to a friend. Otherwise, the new owner may be enjoying Netflix and Hulu and whatever else you subscribe to, on your dime!
I recently passed a Roku XD on to our son in college. I didn’t bother doing the Factory Reset because I figured he could use our Netflix and Hulu accounts. Only problem was, he started adding new channels left and right — and removed some existing ones! So everything we turned on OUR Roku, new channels were added and some of our old favorites removed!
Not to mention, that device was still linked to our M-go and credit card accounts! Even though he set up a new Roku account with HIS credit card, he forgot to link the device. So he was charging movies thinking he was paying for him, when they were being charged to me. No big deal because it was my son, but what if that was a stranger I had sold the device to? Or a friend or colleague I had passed it on to?
Again, don’t forget to do the Factory Reset!
Here’s how:
From your Roku Home screen, scroll up one to Settings, then move right and up one to System, then move right and down to Factory Reset. It then gives you the option to Factory Reset Everything. Click that and the instructions for resetting will appear on the screen.
That’s it! The reset process is very simple therefore there should be no excuses for NOT doing it. (Remember that when you’re wondering who charged all the movies to your M-go account.)
Don’t compromise your credit card OR your privacy. Your credit card goes without saying, but your channel selection is your own private business, too.
If you don’t want family members, friends or colleagues — or complete strangers, for that matter — knowing you enjoy Weed TV or Nowhere Porn, be sure to RESET YOUR ROKU before you give it away or sell it.
P.S. If you’re upgrading your Roku device, be sure to pass your old one on to a friend (after you reset it.) Don’t just let it sit around collecting dust when someone else can be enjoying the Roku experience for the first time!
— P.
Phil Autelitano is Founder and CEO of Mediarazzi. We develop TV channels and applications for Roku and Connected TV. www.mediarazzi.com
@PhilAutelitano
