Today, Roku is announcing the latest update to our app certification criteria. This update does not include any new requirements; however, it does remove the requirement related to paused ad breaks and clarifies exemptions to the other ad-break playback requirements.

In addition, most instances of the words “channel” and “Channel Store” have been changed to “app” and “Streaming Store”, respectively, to match the migration already completed throughout the rest of the Roku developer documentation.

As a reminder, all apps must pass Static Analysis testing in order to be published. Subscription (SVOD), ad-supported (AVOD), and free apps must also pass all tests run by the automated Channel Behavior Analysis tool in order to be published. Any errors generated by the Static Analysis and Channel Behavior Analysis Testing tools automatically block the publishing of apps.

Read on for a breakdown of Roku’s latest changes to our app certification criteria.

Clarifications

This update includes the following clarifications related to exemptions to the ad break playback requirements (Requirement ADS 4).

• Requirement 4.1 – Ad break – back button behavior: The language in this requirement states all apps must attempt to initiate an ad break to preserve the previously exited ad experience when playback resumes, except for (1) live streams and (2) replays of broadcast streams, unless ad insertion is used to insert new ads in the replay. 
• Requirement 4.2 – Ad break – FF/REW commands: The language in this requirement states all apps must ignore FF/REW commands received during an ad break (via either key presses or voice, except for (1) live streams and (2) replays of broadcast streams, unless ad insertion is used to insert new ads in the replay. 
• Requirement 4.3 – Ad break – pause: This requirement has been removed. This requirement previously stated that apps could only display static graphics when an ad is paused (apps were not allowed to display video ads during a paused ad break). Apps should consider the overall user experience when determining the behavior of their paused ad breaks.

Complete criteria list & test cases

To review the complete list of app certification criteria, visit our page on Certification.

Our Certification Tests document details the specific test cases that we run at the time of app certification. Developers should run these tests on their apps before submitting them for publishing in order to ensure success during the app submission process.