TV streamer Roku just lately introduced it is ending Photograph Streams in early 2026 and changing it with one thing known as Backdrops, which limits private photograph choices however features a library of art work to cull from.
The transition from Photograph Streams to Backdrops is already underway. “Over the subsequent few months, you’ll begin seeing messages about Photograph Streams shifting to Backdrops,” Roku introduced on their web site. “On the finish of January 2026, Photograph Streams will cease working and solely show a message directing you to open Backdrops.”
Photograph Streams presently operates as a screensaver for customers who set it up, filling in inactive display screen time by that includes footage uploaded by the consumer. These uploaded photographs will nonetheless be accessible on Backdrops, however just one gallery is on the market to view directly — and Backdrops have to be particularly turned on for the images to look. By Feb. 2026, the screens of all inactive Roku periods will default to the (in)well-known Roku Metropolis background, which options promoting.
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This transformation is clearly a bummer for many who liked that includes their private pics on a big display screen with out having to suppose a lot about it. Roku is making an attempt to melt the blow by providing free digital artwork, totaling about 4,500 photographs, for customers of Backdrops. Works by artists like Johannes Vermeer, Paul Gaugin, Leonardo da Vinci, and Mary Cassatt have been out there as of early December, together with photographs of nature and cityscapes. Background customers may even have the ability to regulate the photograph show time and launch it instantly with the Roku distant’s energy button.
Roku doesn’t say there’s an promoting element behind the change, as a substitute stating, “Backdrops brings images into one app that is simpler to make use of, extra customizable, and can enable us to maintain including new photograph and ambient experiences over time,”
