Update: Roku has reached out to let us know that this activation feature is currently being tested and is not yet available to all users or on all devices.

Recently a booming market of scammers targeting Roku owners has popped up as scammers try to trick new Roku owners into paying sometimes over $100 to set up their new Roku player or Roku TV. Instead of entering the link shown on their screen and entering the code displayed, many new Roku owners Google Roku Activation and find themselves on websites not owned by Roku. The scam came when many of these sites said the only way to activate was to pay.

Roku has even recently put warnings that they don’t charge activation fees on their set up screens, and now Roku has changed how they set up new Roku players to fight scammers.

Now, when you set up a new Roku player or Roku TV, you will be asked to enter an email address. After you do that Roku will email you an activation link to set up your new Roku player or Roku TV. This way even if you end up on a scammer’s website, it is impossible for them to help you set up your Roku. The only way to do it now is by using the link that is emailed to you—no codes needed.

Hopefully, this protects many new Roku owners from paying for activation, which they don’t need to pay for.

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