Streaming sticks and boxes: ACR, microphones and ads

Amazon Fire TV Stick and Fire TV Cube

Interest-based Ads

Settings → Preferences → Privacy Settings → Interest-based Ads

Tells apps that use the device's advertising ID not to use it to build an ad profile or show you ads based on your interests. Ads continue.

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Device Usage Data

Settings → Preferences → Privacy Settings → Device Usage Data

Turn it off and Amazon says it stops using data about how you use the device for marketing offers and product improvement. It still collects what the device's features need, such as the Recents row.

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Collect App Usage Data

Settings → Preferences → Privacy Settings → Collect App Usage Data

Turn it off to stop Amazon collecting when you open and close other companies' apps and how long you use them.

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Manage Sharing From Apps

Settings → Preferences → Privacy Settings → Manage Sharing From Apps

Turn off Share App Viewing and Content Info to stop supported apps sharing what you watch with Fire TV, or untick apps one by one. Sync Across Devices stops your viewing activity syncing between your Fire TV devices.

Amazon says this is only on Fire TV devices with a Continue Watching row.

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Microphone off (Fire TV Cube)

Mute button on top of the Cube

The light turns red. Amazon says this cuts power to the Cube's microphones, so it can't record or send audio even if you say the wake word. The voice button on the remote still works.

A Fire TV Stick has no microphones of its own: you talk to Alexa by holding the Voice button on the remote.

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Same paths in the UK and US. Amazon says these settings are per device, so change them on each one.

The Fire TV Stick 4K Select and Fire TV Stick HD (2nd generation) run Amazon's Vega OS rather than Fire OS. Amazon's privacy FAQ covers all Fire TV devices but doesn't say whether the menu labels differ on Vega OS.

Roku streaming players

Personalised ads

Home → Settings → Privacy → Advertising

Roku's privacy policy says the personalised ads setting is in this Privacy section on Roku players as well as Roku TVs. With it off, Roku says you still see ads, but they're less relevant and can still be based on what you're watching or the time of day.

Roku's US policy calls it "Personalized Ads" and its UK policy "Ad Personalization". We haven't found a Roku page showing the exact label on a player, so check the wording on yours (Unverified). Apps you install may ignore it and have their own settings.

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Sensitive ad content

Home → Settings → Privacy → Advertising → Sensitive ad content

Tick categories (such as gambling or politics) to keep those banner ads off the Home screen and screensaver. It only works while personalised ads are on, and doesn't cover video ads or ads inside apps.

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Voice

Settings → Privacy → Voice

Controls which apps can use the microphone on your remote or the Roku mobile app.

Roku's policy says you can also stop Roku keeping voice recordings from the Voice Settings page of your account on Roku's website.

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Hands-free voice (Roku Voice Remote Pro)

Slider on the side of the remote

Green means the remote is listening for "Hey Roku". Move it off and you can still hold the voice button to speak.

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Smart TV Experience (if your player shows it)

Home → Settings → Privacy → Smart TV Experience → Automatic Content Recognition (ACR)

Untick it to turn ACR off. Roku says ACR isn't on out of the box, and data already collected is kept.

Roku describes this setting for Roku TVs. Whether Roku players have it isn't confirmed (Unverified); if your Privacy menu has no Smart TV Experience, there's nothing to change here.

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Roku's ad and sensitive-content preferences apply to every Roku device on your account. Roku's US help article on ACR says its More Ways to Watch feature is US-only.

Google TV Streamer and Chromecast with Google TV

Delete advertising ID

Settings → Privacy → Ads → Delete advertising ID

Apps can no longer use the device's advertising ID to personalise ads, and Google doesn't give you a new one. Google says you can't turn the ads off, and apps can still show ads based on other things.

The same screen has Reset advertising ID, which swaps the ID for a new one. On Google TV Streamer and Chromecast with Google TV, Google's own steps reach Settings by selecting your profile picture at the top right, then All settings.

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Apps only mode

Settings → Accounts and sign-in → Your profile → Apps only mode → Turn on

Hides personalised recommendations on the home screen. Google says sponsored content still appears, Search and the Assistant stop working, and if Web & App Activity is on in your Google Account it keeps improving your recommendations.

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Usage and crash reports

Google Home app → Your Google TV Streamer or Chromecast → Settings

Google says it collects usage data and crash reports by default and you can turn this off in the Google Home app. It still collects basic device details, activation date, connection status and some security information.

Google doesn't give the exact switch name in the app.

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Microphone

Microphone button on the remote

Google's specifications list a microphone in the voice remote only. The Google TV Streamer and Chromecast with Google TV themselves have no microphone listed.

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Apple TV 4K

Tracking

Settings → General → Privacy & Security → Tracking → Allow Apps to Ask to Track

Set it to Off to stop all apps asking. Apps must ask before tracking you across other companies' apps for advertising; you can also turn permission off app by app on the same screen.

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Share Apple TV Analytics

Settings → General → Privacy & Security → Share Apple TV Analytics

Turn it off to stop sending analytics to Apple. In the same Analytics and Improvements section: Share with App Developers, and Improve Siri & Dictation (lets Apple store and review recordings of your Siri requests).

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Use Play History

Settings → Apps → TV → Use Play History

Turn it off and Apple says it won't use what you watch on this Apple TV in the Apple TV app to personalise it. Clear Play History is on the same screen. To stop another company's app sending what you watch to the Apple TV app, go to Connect to TV on that screen and turn the app off.

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Siri and its history

Settings → General → Siri

Turn Siri off on this Apple TV, or choose Siri & Dictation History to delete what's held on Apple's servers for it.

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Personalised Ads

On your iPhone or iPad: Settings → Privacy & Security → Apple Advertising → Personalised Ads

Apple's advertising notice gives this setting's path for iPhone, iPad and Mac, not Apple TV, and says Apple's personalised ads appear in the App Store, Apple News and Stocks. We haven't found an Apple TV path for it (Unverified).

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Paths are from Apple's UK user guide and privacy pages; Apple's US pages give the same menus.