Has Plex for Roku recently updated, and become messed up?

Plex Players
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Server Version#: 1.32.6.7557
Player Version#:7.8.4

Here’s the setup; I have Plex Media Server on my home PC with media, etc. I have two Roku in my house, I signed on with my email and password - I BELIEVE that meant I didn’t get the 4-character code…thing to access my server. My friend and sister both accessed my server with their Roku…again, I BELIEVE they just connected using the 4-character code, which I linked to my account at plex.tv/link. Now, simultaneously, my sister and friend lost access to my server - gives the message “server unavailable”. All my devices - computer, IPad, Roku, Samsung TV - are all connected with no problem. Finally, I had my friend sign out of Plex, then connect again. It asked him to sign in, so he did with my email and password, and now he has access to my stuff again…So my first question is “Why didn’t he have the option of the 4-character code?”

Further to that, during my work with him, I signed out of my Roku’s Plex and resigned on…When I did, it had the usual annoyance of putting my libraries up in seemingly random order - I have my libraries named with a number at the start: 0 Just Downloaded TV, 0 Just Downloaded Movies, 1 Current TV, etc., and I find it weird that Roku’s Plex app doesn’t put them in alphabetical order.

Continuing on…and THIS happened the last time I set up Plex on the Roku: EVERY library defaults to showing “Recommend” titles, instead of “Library”, which is IDIOTIC, as, new to the app, there are NO RECOMMENDATIONS because I haven’t watched anything! I have to go into EVERY LIBRARY and select “Library” to have it show anything, otherwise it says there is “no content” in the libraries. This is ridiculous and should be changed.

HOWEVER, something new happened now…when I select “Library” and go to another library to do the same, IT DOESN’T SAVE THAT SETTING…it goes back to “Reccomend” and shows the “no content” message".

This all makes me wonder if there’s been an update to Roku’s Plex app that has gone fairly wrong…Why can’t my friend and sister use the 4-character code anymore, and have to sign in as me, instead? Why to libraries not show up in the home page in alphabetical order by default? Why are the libraries showing up with “Recommend” as the default view, instead of “Library”? and WHY is it not saving the selection of “Library”, instead of “Reccomend”?

Thank you.

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Regarding not having the option for the pin to login anymore, that is explained here:

Specifically this section from the Roku Certification documents under section 2. Purchases (unless I am mistaken and it is a different section but this is the only thing I found relevant to it).

If you are having your sister and friend sign in to your account, even if you were doing that when the pin was available, you should just have them create Plex accounts and invite them to your server with their own account.

There are multiple benefits from this such as having their own watch history and not needing to have you log them back in if their device get signed out for whatever reason (or if they get a new device and need to sign in). There is really no reason for them not to have their own Plex accounts.

I suggest you read this support article which explains about customizing the apps:
https://support.plex.tv/articles/customizing-the-apps/

For this, read this support article (specifically under the Experience section):
https://support.plex.tv/articles/204275243-settings-plex-for-roku/

That should answer your questions.

-Shark2k

1 Like
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Thank you for all the answers!
Regarding the article that shows how to customise the pinned libraries’ order…yes, I knew that, and have done it; my complaint is that there should be SOME order by default, and I’d think alphabetical would be the logical choice. The same that, to me, the logical choice would be to have “Library” be the default setting in the view of a library, since there is nothing in “Recommend” at the start. And to have this “Remember Selected Tab” active, by default.

This is just my take as a computer programmer with decades of experience; look at what would be your users’ most likely preference and start with that.

But again, thank you VERY MUCH for all the suggested links!

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As for the sharing option, I didn’t actually know that was possible. It sounds like a GREAT, logical solution…so of course, something had to go wrong. :slight_smile:
I went to Manage Access and tagged my sister to have access to my server, all libraries. After a few false starts, we got connected; she now shows up in my list as “Accounts with Library Access”, where it says “Jo-Ann has access to 14 libraries”, which are my 14. And that’s great; she goes into Manage Access and she can see all the libraries I have…I’d’ve THOUGHT she could see my server on the main page (hitting “More” on the Home Page) but apparently not…but when she clicks on ANY of my libraries, nothing happens. I asked her to click on “Media” in the top of the screen and it tells her “The user hasn’t granted you access to anything yet”.

Well THAT gave me pause…the articles on sharing access are great for MY end of the deal, granting access, but are kinda sparse on HER end, accepting access…I see I can right-click on a show and choose “Grant Access”, apparently to grant access to that SHOW. I tried selecting multiple shows and it would not work

So…if I’m reading this correctly, it’s saying I can grant her access to my LIBRARIES in one swell foop, but I have to go into EACH SHOW INDIVIDUALLY to grant her access to the shows WITHIN that library? Is that how this sharing is supposed to work?

If so, that’s pretty ludicrous; if not, what am I doing wrong?

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It’s should be that difficult to share the libraries you want with your sister.

From the we app (https://app.plex.tv) click the wrench icon in the top right corner.
On the settings page, click on “Manage Library Access” in the left menu pane.

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After you do that, on the right side you will see a list of friends you are sharing with (in this case it should just be your sister) or if it’s empty you’ll need to click the “Grant Library Access” button.

If you needed to click the “Grant Library Access” button either enter the username or email address for the person you want to share with. If the person doesn’t have an account yet, use their email address and they will get an invite which will have them sign up for a Plex account first and then complete the process.
After entering their username or email address, click on the correct entry in the search results and then click the continue button. On the next screen you will be able to select the libraries you want to give access too. Since you have 14 libraries, you can click the checkbox next to your servers name and that will give access to all the libraries. Note checking the box will collapse the list but if you check it again you’ll see that all the libraries were checked off (so you’ll have to uncheck them if you don’t want to give all or only select libraries).

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Click continue to go to the next page to be able to set some restrictions if wanted and then click send to have the email go to your sister to be able to join.

If you already see your sister in the list, click on her username which will take you to the user page. I’m not sure what it will look like if there are no libraries shared with the user but if a library is shared, click the edit button for your server which will expand the box so that you can check off which libraries you want to give access too.

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After clicking the edit button:

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After you updated the library access, click the save button and then your sister should have access to your libraries.

You may want to refer her to the first support link I gave in my first post as that should help explain how to pin the libraries your sister wants easy/quick access to.

-Shark2k

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Yep, I did all that; put in her address, selected All Libraries, no restrictions, and Sent the invite. She got it and I received an email saying she accepted the invite. On my Plex, when I select her, it says she has access to All my Libraries.

It’s interesting you mention Pinning Libraries for my sister; wouldn’t that mean she should be seeing my server and libraries under “More” on the Home Page, so she could click on the libraries she wants to pin? My server does NOT appear there at all…she sees it if she goes to Settings and Manage Library Access and clicks on me (I appear as a friend), like so (ignore that she’s sharing with me; that was a mistake on her part :))

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When I told her to click “Media” at the top of that screen, this is what she sees:

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It says I haven’t granted her access to anything…but I HAVE granted her access to all my libraries, Plex even SAYS that on the previous screen. But NOT to any media?

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I’m going to Grant Access to one show and see if it appears for her.
[time passes]
Hm. So now, when I select her in my Manage Library Access option, and click on Media, it shows this:

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I’ve messaged her to make sure she sees it, but yeah, I can grant access to an individual show, but granting access to a library doesn’t appear to go down to the show level.

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Ha! Got a call from my sister. When I set up the Simpsons, it showed up. Now, she was doing all this on her computer. She went to the TV to verify Simpsons showed up there, too, and lo and behold, EVERYTHING was there; under More, my server appears, like we thought it should.

But it does NOT do that on her PC. So I don’t know why the PC Plex doesn’t work like that, but she’ll be fine limiting it to the TV only.

It’s weird one…

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OK, that makes it clear what’s going on.
The picture you are showing in your first reply to me for this issue is related to the administration of library shares. Your sister shouldn’t require going to that screen unless she is planning on hosting her own Plex server. The only thing she would get from the settings tab is to adjust the Plex Web settings and maybe a couple of other things (I only use the web app from an admin account so not sure what a non-admin (doesn’t have a Plex server) would see).

First, you need to click on the libraries tab for your sisters account.
From the libraries tab you’ll be able to select which of your libraries she has access too.

In this case, you shouldn’t need to use the media tab as you will be giving full access to your libraries.

In order to see the actual contents of the library, she needs to be on the main page (just go to https://app.plex.tv if you are having her do this from her computer in a browser).

From that main page, there will be a left menu that will show the libraries that are shared with her and if she does not see them pinned to the menu, she can click the More button to get the full list and pin what she wants to so she doesn’t need to click more (I’m not certain about the number of items that will be displayed before more is necessary/required).

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For something like the Roku app, she should see something similar and usually on the first sign in it asks you to customize the app so you can select which libraries you want pinned (which can always be updated to add or remove libraries afterwards).

-Shark2k

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Yeah…I’ll have to go over to her place. She DOES run her own Plex Media Server, btw…she stopped using mine and I showed her how to use Plex Media Server.

But yes, on her computer, she goes to More, as you showed in your last screenshot…my Elke Server does NOT show up there, like it does on her TV.

At least that’s what she told me. :slight_smile: Now, if I go visit her and see that it actually IS there…well, someone is going to owe little brother some baked goods. :slight_smile:

Thanks again for all your help!

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