Archive Watch on an older Roku
Current sideload build: …
Archive Watch is in the Roku Channel Store, and on any Roku made since 2013 that is the way to get it. But Roku stopped offering new channels to its 2011–2012 players at the end of 2019, and nothing a developer can set changes that. If yours is one of those, this page is for you. The app runs on them — this build was tested on a Roku 2 XD, the least powerful of the group — you just have to install it yourself, using a feature Roku builds into every player: developer mode.
Which players this is for
Roku's last update for these was Roku OS 9.1, and they cannot see channels published since:
- Roku 2 HD (3000), Roku 2 XD (3050), Roku 2 XS (3100)
- Roku LT (2400, 2450), Roku HD (2500)
- Roku Streaming Stick from 2012 (3400, 3420)
Check yours under Settings → System → About. Anything on Roku OS 9.1 qualifies. Players older than these (the 2010 boxes, model numbers starting N1 or 2000–2100) run Roku OS 3 and cannot run this app at all. Anything newer should use the Channel Store.
1. Download the app
Download archivewatch-roku.zip
Save it as a .zip. Do not unzip it — the
Roku installs the zip as-is. It is the same app as the store version,
built from the same source, only without the store's encryption.
2. Turn on developer mode on the Roku
With the Roku on its home screen, press this sequence on the remote, fairly briskly:
Home Home Home Up Up Right Left Right Left Right
A Developer Settings screen appears. Select Enable
installer and restart. Roku will show its Developer Tools
Terms of Use — read it, then choose I Agree. You will
be asked to set a webserver password: pick anything
you will remember; you need it once, in the next step. The screen
also shows the Roku's IP address (something like
192.168.1.23) — write it down. The Roku restarts.
3. Upload the app from a computer
On a computer or phone connected to the same Wi-Fi network
as the Roku, open a web browser and go to the address you wrote down,
e.g. http://192.168.1.23 (plain http, not
https). Sign in with the username rokudev and
the password you just set.
On the Development Application Installer page, click
Upload, choose archivewatch-roku.zip, then
click Install. After a few seconds the page reports
Install Success and the app opens on the television by itself.
4. Finding it later
Archive Watch appears as the last tile on the Roku's home screen. Launch it from there like any other channel.
Things to know
- A Roku holds one sideloaded app at a time. Installing another developer app replaces this one.
- It does not update itself. The Channel Store updates channels automatically; a sideloaded app stays at the version you uploaded. To update, come back to this page — the current build is shown at the top — and repeat step 3. Nothing else is needed; the upload replaces the old version in place, and your favorites and watch positions are kept.
- To remove it, highlight its tile on the home screen, press * and choose Remove channel, or open the installer page and click Delete. To leave developer mode entirely, enter the key sequence again and choose Disable installer and restart.
- What it costs the old box. On a Roku 2 XD the app takes about ten seconds to load its catalog, browsing is slower than on a current Roku, and a few decorations (the hero animation, playlist sharing by QR code) are switched off to keep it responsive. Films play at full quality — playback is done by the Roku itself, not by the app.
- Nothing about this is a hack. Developer mode is a documented Roku feature for installing apps outside the store. It does not modify the player, void anything, or affect your other channels. Everything the app does is described here.
Stuck? ben@learningischange.com. Tell me the model number from Settings → System → About and what the installer page said.