Roku devices were a much-needed welcome in the tech space thanks to their feasibility and low cost of price. Their overall compatibility with all existing hardware and channels is also responsible for making the company experienced a huge success. Latest Roku devices including Roku TVs and STicks come with additional built-in functionality that is meant to make life easier for you.
One such feature is the ability to transcribe whatever is being selected on the screen. While a necessary addition for users with visual impairments, it can end up being annoying if it gets turned on accidentally on your device. Let’s take a look at some settings that you can change to stop your Roku device from transcribing everything.
To turn on the audio guide, Roku offers users a nifty shortcut on the remote which makes it easier to activate this feature. If you do not know how you Roku started talking then it is likely that it was turned on accidentally by your Remote. To turn on or turn off the audio guide on your Roku device, you have to push the ‘*‘ button 4 times. Follow the guide below to help you turn off the audio guide using the * button shortcut.
Turn on your Roku device and initiate playback as you normally would. Once started, hit the ‘*‘ button on your remote 4 times.
You will now get the option to toggle CC and Audio/Voice guide for the current channel. Ensure that the voice/audio guide is turned off. If not, toggle it off by selecting it and pressing ‘Ok‘ on your remote.
The Audio guide should now be turned off on your Roku device and your device should now stop talking.
Audio Guide toggle
The main feature as we have talked about, that allows your Roku to start talking is the Audio Guide. This is a nifty functionality for visually impaired users that you can easily turn off in Roku devices to stop your units from talking back to you. Let’s take a look at how you can do this on your Roku device.
Power on your Roku TV/Stick and go to the homepage. Now select and open ‘Settings‘ by pressing ‘Ok‘ on your Roku remote.
Now select and open ‘Accessibility‘. Highlight ‘Audio Guide‘ and toggle it ‘Off‘ using the ‘Ok‘ button on your remote. Audio Guide should now be turned off and your Roku device should now stop talking.
Switch subtitles and audio
If turning off the Audio Guide does not stop your Roku TV from talking then this is likely an SAP audio track for the particular channel that is provided by your channel provider. While Roku does not offer the functionality to turn such audio tracks off individually, there are a few tricks that you can try to circumvent this problem.
Method #1 (Only for users with a separate TV provider unit)
If you have been provided a separate receiver box from your TV provider then there is a high chance that you can turn off SAP audio tracks from within it. You should switch to your receiver box and use its dedicated remote to navigate to settings. Most SAP audio track settings are located under the Audio tab where you can easily turn them off.
If you are unable to find this setting for your particular box, then it might be that your provider allows you to turn off such tracks for individual channels. Switch to the channel where you are facing this issue and you should see an option to turn off the SAP audio track. If all of this does not work for you, then you can try using the method below as your last option.
Method #2
This method involves switching the audio track on your Roku device. Roku devices and TV providers handle audio protocols differently which is why sometimes switching the audio track on your Roku device can help turn off SAP audio tracks. Let’s take a look at how you can do this.
Turn on the Roku device and navigate and tune in to the channel in concern. Now press ‘Ok‘ on your remote. Select the ‘Audio‘ icon at the top and press ‘Ok‘ on your remote. Now select ‘Audio and languages‘ and press ‘Ok‘.
Select a different language from your originally selected language. For example, most channels will offer you two audio tracks – English 5.1 and English. On most devices, selecting the 5.1 audio track enables SAP audio which is a known issue on Roku devices that is currently being worked on. Selecting the ‘English’ track turns off SAP audio which should solve the problem for you.
Audio feedback from your Roku device should now be turned off for your Roku device.
Change Language
This should be your last resort if nothing seems to work for you. If you have set a custom language for your Roku device which is dictating your audio track then it is likely the reason that SAP is activated for you. You should switch back to Roku’s default English language and this should solve the issue for you.
While inconvenient for users of a different region it should allow you to watch your favorite channels normally. You can switch audio for individual channels to your preferred language then and SAP should remain turned off for you. Let’s take a look at how you can change the language on your Roku device.
Start your Roku device and navigate to the home screen. Now select ‘Settings‘ and press ‘Ok‘ on your remote. Now select ‘System‘.
You should now see ‘Language‘ at the top in the right sidebar on your screen. Select it and press ‘Ok‘ on your remote. Now highlight ‘English‘ and press ‘Ok‘ again.
Restart your Roku device. SAP audio tracks should now be turned off for you.
Reset your Roku device
If nothing seems to work for you then you can try resetting your Roku device. This will cause you to lose all your downloaded data and configured channels which you should keep in mind before proceeding on this track.
Resetting your Roku device will return it to its default settings where no Audio guides or SAP tracks are turned on. This should stop your Roku device from talking back at you. Let’s take a look at how you can Reset your Roku device.
Turn on your Roku device and launch ‘Settings‘ from the home screen. Now select ‘System‘. Highlight ‘Advanced System Settings‘ and press ‘Ok‘ on your Roku remote.
Now select ‘Factory Reset‘. Select ‘Factory Reset Everything‘. Roku will now ask for confirmation. Confirm your choice and follow the on-screen instructions to completely reset your Roku device.
This should reset your Roku device to its original settings and it should now stop talking back to you.
We hope this guide easily helped you turn off audio feedback from your Roku device whether it was the audio guide or an SAP audio track. If you face any issues or have any more questions, feel free to reach out to us using the comments section below.
