I am currently testing a third-party Roon driver for RTI control systems. It allows Roon to be browsed and controlled from a conventional RTI handheld remote or touchscreen rather than requiring the Roon app for every interaction.
This type of integration may not yet be widely known within the Roon community, but I believe it represents a valuable use case for Roon and could become even more useful if additional information and browsing functions were exposed through the third-party API.
The objective is not to recreate or replace the full Roon application. Roon remains the right interface for detailed discovery, credits, editorial content, library management and system configuration. A remote-control integration serves a different purpose: convenient and immediate access to the functions people use most frequently.
Making Roon accessible to the whole household
In many households, only one person may be deeply familiar with Roon. A partner, family member, flatmate or guest may not know Roon at all and will probably not have the application installed on their own phone.
Without another control option, these people may struggle to use the music system independently. They may need the main Roon user to start the music, hand them a configured device or explain how the system works.
An RTI integration removes much of that barrier. Anyone can pick up the normal system remote and perform essential actions such as:
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browsing artists, albums, tracks or playlists;
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selecting music;
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viewing and changing the queue;
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carrying out a basic search;
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changing tracks or albums;
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starting and stopping playback.
They do not need to install Roon, understand its complete structure or use someone else’s smartphone. From their perspective, Roon simply becomes part of the household music system.
Greater convenience for experienced Roon users
The same integration also has value for enthusiasts who know Roon very well.
Even an experienced user may not want to reach for a phone or tablet whenever they want to change an album, select a playlist, check the queue or perform a quick search. When sitting on the sofa, the normal system remote is often the fastest and most natural interface.
For this audience, however, basic playback controls are not always enough. A few additional pieces of information would make the remote substantially more useful without turning it into a replacement for the full Roon app.
Information and functions that would improve the API
1. Album release date
Many albums are available in several versions:
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original releases;
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remasters;
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anniversary editions;
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deluxe editions;
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alternative digital masterings.
For music and hi-fi enthusiasts, the release date or edition date is often important when choosing which version to play. On a compact remote interface, two versions of the same album may otherwise be almost impossible to distinguish.
Making this information available through the API would allow integrations to display a simple release year or date beside the album title.
2. Audio format and resolution
It would also be valuable to expose information such as:
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sample rate;
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bit depth;
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file or stream format;
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potentially the content source.
Examples might include:
44.1 kHz / 16-bit FLAC
96 kHz / 24-bit FLAC
DSD64
The same album may be available in several resolutions or masterings, including multiple versions from the same streaming service. For Roon’s core audience, this is often relevant information rather than merely a technical detail.
Ideally, the information could be available both for the currently playing track and when browsing albums or individual tracks.
3. Complete artist discographies across all available sources
Another major improvement would be the ability to select an artist and browse the complete available discography across:
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the local Roon Library;
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Qobuz;
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TIDAL;
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other connected services supported by Roon.
At present, an integration may be able to find an artist and even start playback, while the artist view itself shows only albums already contained in the local Library.
At the same time, a general album search for that artist may display many albums available through Qobuz or TIDAL. From a user perspective, Roon already knows that these albums belong to the selected artist. It would therefore be extremely useful if that relationship could also be accessed through the third-party API.
Ideally, an artist discography could:
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combine local and streaming albums;
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optionally separate them by source;
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sort them by release date;
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display release year and available resolution.
This would make artist browsing far more natural and would allow a remote-control integration to provide meaningful music selection rather than only basic transport commands.
Not a replacement for the Roon app
A handheld remote will never provide the depth of the full Roon experience, nor should it.
The purpose is to create a complementary interface with two clear levels of use:
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a simple and accessible way for family members and guests to listen to music;
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a convenient but still informative everyday interface for experienced Roon users.
The Roon app would remain the complete experience. The remote would provide immediate access to the most useful functions without requiring a phone or tablet for every small interaction.
Why this could benefit Roon
A music platform is not judged only by the person who originally selected and configured it. Its long-term acceptance within a household also depends on whether other people can use it easily.
Better integration with professional control systems would make Roon:
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easier to share;
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more convenient in everyday use;
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more deeply integrated into the home;
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more attractive beyond the established hi-fi community.
It could also differentiate Roon from competing platforms that remain closely tied to their own mobile applications.
A broader browse and metadata API would therefore improve more than one specific RTI driver. It could support future integrations with remote controls, smart-home systems and other third-party interfaces, while strengthening Roon’s position as a whole-home music platform.
The full Roon application would remain central. But allowing complementary interfaces to access release dates, audio formats and complete cross-service artist discographies could make Roon substantially more useful to both enthusiasts and everyone else living with the system.
have a choice to stick with what Roon ships, use their limited API or find alternative ways that stay within the confines of Roon’s ToS.