When we first started our Roon Ready network player certification program, our goal was to provide a way for our customers to know that they were getting the best possible experience with their audio devices. People have come to trust Roon Ready devices to not only sound great, but work seamlessly in their homes with Roon.
Every Roon Ready device goes through a rigorous certification process, and when manufacturers release their Roon Ready implementation before it’s ready, this impacts Roon users.
In an effort to continue making Roon Ready a reliable, trustworthy signifier of quality, we are implementing some changes to what happens when a Roon Ready device has not completed the certification process.
What is changing?
Starting September 21st, Roon Ready network player devices that are uncertified will no longer have the ability to be enabled on the Audio Settings screen. When this change is made, uncertified devices will be discoverable, but cannot be Enabled for use with Roon.
When you navigate to Settings > Audio starting September 21st and there is an uncertified Roon Ready device on the network, this is what you will see:
Why is it changing?
As we mentioned above, the Roon Ready certification allows people to trust that they’re getting the best quality possible, but when products are prematurely released before their certification is complete, that trust is undermined. Not only can it create problematic situations for all parties involved, it hurts the reputation of the entire Roon Ready program.
How will this impact me?
- If your device is Enabled in Roon’s settings, it will stay Enabled. But if you Disable the device, you will not be able to Enable it again after September 21st.
- If you purchase a device that is not certified as Roon Ready, you will not be able to Enable it for use after September 21st.
What do I need to do?
- Avoid Disabling the device after September 21st
- Contact your device’s manufacturer to make sure that they are working to complete their Roon Ready certification.
- If you have a device that is listed on our Partner Pages as Roon Ready, but is appearing as Uncertfied, you should make sure you have the most recent firmware for your device.
- If your device does not say Uncertified in Roon currently, there are no changes that need to be made.
We do not have a mechanism for grandfathering specific products, so when we flip the switch on September 21st, it flips for everyone at once. While we are just announcing this publicly, we began communicating with manufacturers about this in 2018 and have provided ample time for them to come into compliance, and most of them have. Only a very small percentage of devices are affected by these changes.
We hope that taking these steps will ensure that Roon Ready continues to be a sign of quality for our customers. While we can’t comment on specific certifications that are in progress, please reach out to us if you have any questions.
Note
This does not affect non Roon Ready devices like USB DACs, Roon Tested devices, Airplay, Sonos, etc. These devices will continue to be supported. If your device does not specifically say Uncertified on the audio settings screen, it will not be affected.
Also Roon Bridge and Community developed stuff is not affected.
Thanks, and happy listening 
Team Roon