New UI is an awful experience

Holy cow! I couldn’t see the small icons on the left. You now have to make a complete 360-degree circle to get to the same spot!!

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I wasn’t trying to blame JellyFin. I understood that this was a third party. Your idea is interesting, hadn’t thought of that. The only problem with this is that I would have to use Plex to watch Live TV, which we do sometimes.

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That really depends on the TV and what you are using as a tuner. I am currently using the HD Homerun as my Plex tuner and I know that the Samsung TV can directly access it although it has its own tuner so there is no need. I’m not sure if the Roku can or not and currently, the one I use has defective remote (brand new) that kills its batteries in 3 days or less and it is currently recharging but I will look later to see. I really need to call them about replacing that remote. I have older TV’s downstairs that I used to use Plex to watch live tv on them as well and now also need to see if the Roku box can directly access it. Jellyfin may also be able to watch live TV without a subscription. I believe (but may be wrong) that the guide data is really only needed for scheduling for the DVR capability.

All I can say about this release is it’s definitely channeling a Windows 8 vibe.

Butt Head put it most succinctly, it sucks and blows at the same time..

Please listen to your users and sort this hot mess out, a roll back would be a good start.

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I just found out about this today from about a dozen friends in a Signal chat. Have not seen it yet, but why take the chance? I’ve got at least five TVs, six Roku devices, five mobile phones, and an indeterminate number of tablets, laptops, desktops, etc, just waiting to piss everyone off after 5 or 6 years of peaceful Plex enjoyment. I hear the “Apple iPhone like interface”, and AI involvement, are particularly egregious offenses.

I’d like to request of Plex that the option be granted us to regress to the previous version, or at least switch back to the old interface and turn off the AI. Thereafter-- and perhaps even in advance if I haven’t got the new version. Yet-- so press any and all further updates from Plex now that they’ve broken my trust.

It would also suffice for Roku to be able to let me do these things, because then it would also apply to other apps. I contacted Roku about this but their only response is the bland and unnecessary (because I already know it) statement that "software updates are automatic and cannot be configured or suppressed” – whereupon I gave them a good two or three paragraphs’ verbal tongue-lashing to deliver to their engineers that “just because that’s the way it is, doesn’t mean that’s the way it has to be, and I wish someone there would wake up, take responsibility, and Do The Right Thing, by giving us the ability to configure what we do or do not want updated.“

I also told him that I already know dozens of people who are already irked about this-- and that’s before I saw the 100 plus comments here, and 300 plus comments and yet another Post in this forum-- who are going to be coming down on them, hard, about this, really soon now, if they don’t get on the stick and fix it, suppress or regress or reject this Plex update, pronto, they don’t want to be overwhelmed by a groundswell of hatred for that update. .

So don’t let me down, folks. Make noise, make noise. Call Roku and b**** about this, and keep them on the line for an hour, each and every one of you, until they cave. Pester them, If that’s what it takes (as it seems is the case) into Doing The Right Thing.

To be specific, feel free to take a few notes: I would like Roku to do one or all of the following:

  • Make it possible for the customer to configure software updates on the Roku. Make it possible to turn them on and off, Not only “all or nothing” with one big switch, but fine-grained: allow us to enable and disable updates of system software versus apps (possibly AKA “channels”), screensavers, clocks,. – and perhaps even enable or disable updates for SPECIFIC apps/channels when something egregious is afoot, like right now. If they feel they need to hide this sort of thing from “ordinary” users, by placing it behind a second password, a secret bunch of button presses, or an IQ test, that’s fine, just let ME know how to get to it, please. Failing that, the next best thing would be…
  • Allow the user to simply turn software updates off, period. It’s too big a hammer, but then, it’s also the first thing I always do on every laptop, phone, tablet, or other device that comes into my domain. I haven’t seen an update in 35 years that hasn’t been worse than what preceded it. Features get broken or removed, interfaces change to something less usable, you name it. Hate them, don’t want them, let me turn them off. Failing that, the next best thing would be…
  • Take a stand on behalf of your customers and reject this latest update from Plex. Tell Plex your customers hate it and you want the previous version back. Redistribute that again as the next “update.”

I told them all of this on the phone, and made sure they recorded it so they could pass it along, not only to Upper Management (whom I fully expected to dismiss it out of smug but misplaced confidence that they know what they’re doing ) but also to Engineering, where there might still be a young buck or two willing to swim upstream to Do The Right Thing.

We’ll see if anything comes of it. Suggest you all do the same, though, so they know it’s not just one nutjob out here.

Meanwhile, I would appreciate hearing from, and being in contact with, any existing Roku or Plex software developers who might be reading here, and who yearn to Do The Right Thing but are perhaps prevented from that by Management malfeasance (I saw this at Kodak a lot, from about 50 years ago ‘til they mismanaged the company into bankruptcy). I’m even half-considering signing up to become a Roku developer myself, if that’s what it takes, to get access to the innards of the devices and maybe figure out a backdoor into turning off updates MYSELF if they won’t do it.

The problem is I don’t know how to tell any of you how to contact me, without putting my email address out here in public (especially since I’m logged in under my wife’s Plex credentials and will never see email, including replies to this post, or notifications about them, because they will be sent an account even she never logs into), and it’s a near-certainty that I won’t be able to find my way back here to see any replies. You might be able to track me down by googling my username, but maybe that will simply weed out those who aren’t serious about it..

So, meanwhile and in any case, I’m counting on all of you to raise the roof, raise a ruckus, raise the alarm, and pester the bejeesus out of both Roku and Plex until they fix this.

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I could not agree more. It is terrible and needs to revert to its previous simplistic form.

I cannot imagine it being much worse. It requires far more moving and clicking, it tries to court you into watching their own programming or rentals. It is cumbersome and it feels dishonest.

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I complained to CS about this new interface and they said they only want to hear constructive feedback. Well, I have nothing constructive to say about it. Not one piece of this “upgrade” is a step in making the application work better, look better, or be more functional for most of its users. It is almost like PLEX went WOKE.

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I am requesting they return my money. I would never have purchased a lifetime plexpass if this was the format. I suggest you do the same.

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holy … what did they do to plex? i can’t find any of my stuff now… now i have to use the search which is absolute CRAP to find something that used to only take me seconds and a few button presses before.

for the love of god WHY

if this isn’t fixed really really soon then im done with plex.. jellyfin it will be

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I’m hopeful they’re hearing this. I have multiple “tiers” and groups of lifetimes+subs. Bam, worthless. Weird sabotage, is Plex selling? Some idiot buyer putting on this pressure? Could be a trick to get the price/value down for a takeover. What else would explain such a catastrophic mistake?

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Hope this is fixed, it’s taken months get my wife proficent at using plex on roku. This is very poor usibility strategy.

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We gave them mountains of constructive feedback during the beta. We gave several suggestions on how to redesign the navigation to be more aligned with the old experience. They just simply ignored it and do not care.

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Found a another extra ■■■■■■ thing about the new UI tonight. Now my 5 year old autistic son is confused why he can’t find his favorite movies and TV shows and I get to deal with his frustration now too.

Thanks for the special hell you ■■■■■■■ ■■■■■■

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This. This is exactly what I talking about. They gave ZERO thought to elderly, disabled, and special needs. Absolutely disgusting.

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Everyone is completely right the new UI is the dumbest thing. I do not even want to use Plex anymore!

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oh yea they probably didnt think of the adhd or autistic people that need object permanence. so they now leave plex entirely cause its changed to what they dont like. but wont say anything. im sure the forums are only a fraction of the angry people ditching the system or not even opening the app since update.

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My kids are both autistic and have OCD. I’m ADHD autistic. I have learned to mask and overcome a lot of things like object permanence but for my children, they completely gave up on the app as soon as it was updated on their iPads. It was broken very similarly to how this is broken and now they will most likely never be willing to give it a chance again. Many other people in similar situations will also completely reject this going forward and will never say anything to Plex about it because of their autism.

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My 4 year old used to be able to use Plex. Now they can’t figure it out. Objectively worse UX. I’m so sick of developers having to justify their existence with absolutely unnecessary changes for nothing but change’s sake.

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Completely agree, just remember it’s not the devs fault. They just do the work assigned. This is all product designers/managers and upper management.

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