Enabling Roku Universal Search

Overview

Roku Universal Search helps users discover your app by searching across channels from the Roku home screen. If you’ve published an app using Zype's Apps Creator and listed it on the Roku Channel Store, you can enable your content to appear in Roku’s Universal Search results.

This guide walks you through how to enable and validate Roku Universal Search Feed integration.

Enabling the Roku Search Feed

To activate the Roku Universal Search Feed for your app:

1. Log in to the ttps://admin.zype.com Apps Creator Dashboard.
2. Navigate to: Manage > Platforms > Roku Setup
3. Toggle the Enable Roku Universal Search Feed switch to ON.

Once enabled, the cloud feed will update automatically. Roku’s search feed ingestion is scheduled to refresh every 4 hours.

Roku Search Feed URL Format

You can view your app’s Roku feed at the following URL:

https://catalog.maz.tv/<app_id>/roku_feed

Replace <app_id> with your specific app ID.

Validating the Roku Search Feed

Before submission, validate your Roku search feed to ensure it's properly formatted:

1. Go to the Roku Developer Dashboard.
2. Select Search Feed Validator under the “Channel” section.
3. Enter your feed URL (e.g., https://catalog.maz.tv/<app_id>/roku_feed).
4. Click Validate. This process can take up to 15 minutes.
5. Review the validation results:
   • Passed entries follow Roku's schema.
   • Failed entries contain errors that must be corrected.
   • Warnings are optional improvements and don’t block submission.

Click the validation percentage to review and resolve any errors. Re-validate the feed after making corrections.

Submitting the Roku Search Feed

After passing validation:

1. In the Roku Developer Dashboard, go to Search Feeds under your channel.
2. Click New Search Feed and complete the form:
   • Channel: Select your public channel.
   • Feed URL: Use your validated Roku feed URL.
   • Email: For receiving validation results.
   • Images: Upload logos per Roku’s size requirements.

After submission, monitor the Feed Ingestion Report to check for any further validation issues.

Final Steps

1. Receive Confirmation Email

Roku will send a confirmation email once your feed passes validation.

2. Submit Required Channel Assets

Provide the following to Roku:

• Logo Icons
  • Square logo: 143x113 px
  • Horizontal logo: 165x60 px
• Vanity Code Link
  • Create a private, published version of your channel named [ChannelName]SearchBeta (no spaces).
  • Share the vanity link with Roku.

3. Confirm SearchBeta Channel

Ensure the SearchBeta channel:

• Uses the same build as your production app.
• Is published in all regions where Roku Search is supported.

4. Await Roku Approval

Roku will notify you once the feed is linked to your SearchBeta channel and ready for device testing.

Additional Notes and Default Values

Here are important behaviors and fallback values to be aware of:

Other key behaviors:

• Content ≤ 900 seconds is labeled as shortForm; longer content defaults to movie.
• Square thumbnails are not supported.
• Previews and EPG are not included in Roku Search.
• Licensing types in playOptions include: subscription, purchase, rental, free, event (as rental), and registration (as free).
• Episodes must be categorized under "Series" or "Limited Series" to avoid validation errors.
• Duplicates in series/collections can cause identifier conflicts—avoid this to prevent feed breakage.