I discovered this morning that the latest 2.0.40 Roon release (build 1455) not only adds the banning of artists and albums but also the banning of older Android devices .
Due to updated requirements from Google, Roon Remote on Android now requires Android 9+
I admit that my Pixel C, bought when I started using Roon back in 2016, is an old device, but hey, it sill works and who needs e-waste?
For all others who are effected by this change I want to share that Iām running a project for an alternative remote, called Community Remote, and it runs on older Android devices.
The latest version of Community Remote can be downloaded from the release page, linked below. Be aware that in its current state you need to sideload the apk file on your device, it is currently not available in the Play Store.
Community Remote has more features than supporting older Android devices. If you want to learn more, you can have a look at the thread of the Linux version, that is running since late May.
This thread is the support thread for the Android version of Community Remote, questions and feedback about it are welcome!
I have also been running Roon Remote on a Pixel C and have noted and observed the lack of an update to Roon Remote 1455 for this Android 8.1 device
For the moment, Roon Remote 1442 is still working fine on the Pixel C and whilst it continues to do so, I shall continue to use it whilst noting that this situation is unlikely to last indefinitely.
I have Community Remote installed on the Pixel C and it is good to know that there is a fallback position avialble for when Remote 1442 ceases to work.
That reminds me that I have a Pixel C tablet laying at the bottom of a drawer somewhere.
Maybe I should dig it out and try it, but it was very slow the last time I used it
Mine suddenly got a lot slower with a round of updates that happened, probably, around 8 months ago. These days it is terrible for web browsing and the like but it still worked well as a Roon Remote.
Itās possible that my Pixel Cās days are numbered. We shall have to see. Maybe Community Remote can keep it going for a while longer yet.
Why not get a new tablet? They arenāt that expensive.
EDIT: Donate the old tablet. Roon usually works best with robust āstate of the artā equipment. That said, I am using a 10 year old MacMini as a secondary Roon server.
For this reason it might go by unnoticed for those using older devices. I manually update my apps and missed the Roon update on my tablet. If using auto update you just donāt see.
How to use Android as end point without roon remote?
I have squeezeplayer installed on the phone and shairtunes2 on the Lyrion server. Use squeezeplayer as airplay device.
Maybe there are simpler options without lms?
Yes, but nevertheless you can use squeezeplayer as endpoint as described, so together with CR you have almost all features of roon remote on devices where it is no longer supported.
Community Remote for Android is not only useful for older devices, it can also be used to give devices restricted access. So a phone passed through to a family member can now be a controller for a limited set of Roon Endpoints.
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