Hidden Roku upgrade gives you totally free access to TV voice control trick you’d normally have to pay to use

ROKU users can instantly unlock a feature for free that would have cost money.

If you've got a Roku TV or streaming stick, you can get set up with a special voice control feature in seconds.

Voice controls let you issue spoken commands to your TV.

It makes searching for content or controlling playback very fast and easy – especially compared to typing things in.

Normally you'd need to pay for a Roku model with a Roku Voice Remote or Voice Remote Pro, or buy one separately.

But you can access voice controls for free by using the Roku mobile app instead.

It's available on iOS and Android, instantly giving you access to voice controls even if you don't have one of the Roku Voice Remotes.

You can use the mobile app with any Roku device running OS version 6.2 or later.

To check for the version (and any updates), just go to Home > Settings > System > System Update > Check Now.

Then simply download the Roku mobile app and follow the instructions to connect it to your TV.

To issue a voice command, just tap the voice icon (a microphone) on the Remote or Search screen.

Then simply speak normally, and tap on the middle of the screen once you're done.

OTHER ROKU MOBILE APP PERKS

Voice controls aren't the only benefit of using the Roku mobile app.

For starters, it's a great remote control replacement.

So if you've lost your remote or you can't be bothered to get up to grab it, you can use the Roku app instead.

You can also use the mobile app for a feature called Private Listening.

This lets you connect headphones to your smartphone so you can listen to the TV without disturbing anyone else.

It's perfect if you want to watch something loud while other people in your house are sleeping.

And up to four people can use Private Listening at one time, so it even works if you've got friends visiting after hours.

Roku voice commands – the official list

Here are some voice commands to try with your Roku mobile app, as revealed by the TV giant itself...

• Find a specific movie or show
• “Harry Potter"
• "find Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire”
• “show me episodes of Silicon Valley”
• Search for your favorite actors or directors
• “Halle Berry”
• “search for comedy movies with Will Farrell”
• "find all Martin Scorsese films"
• Browse popular genres
• “show me comedies”
• “find thriller movies”
• Find content in a genre on a channel

• “show documentary films on Sky Store”

• Launch a streaming channel

• “go to YouTube”

• “launch Prime Video”

• "BBC iPlayer"

• Playback commands
• "fast forward"
• "rewind"
• "pause"
• "stop"
• "resume"
• "continue"
• "skip"
• "next"
• "replay"
• Closed captioning commands

• “turn on closed captioning”

• “hide the captions”

• "show captions during replay"

• "turn on captions during mute"

• "what's my captions setting?"