Roon in Russia

[Viacheslav_Vasilyev]

Hello

I have a Lifetime subscription to Roon.

If Russia completely blocks all external internet traffic, will I still be able to continue using Roon? I understand that Qobuz and Tidal will not be available to me.

Will I still be able to use Roon ARC from my phone?

Also, will Roon need to verify my account online periodically? If there is no internet access at all, will my license get blocked or will the app stop working? Is there a fully offline mode available for Lifetime subscribers?

Thank you for your help.

[Suedkiez (Just a fellow user like you)]

@Viacheslav_Vasilyev

If Russia completely blocks all external internet traffic, will I still be able to continue using Roon?

Probably not because your Roon needs to be able to contact the Roon cloud servers.

@Viacheslav_Vasilyev

Will I still be able to use Roon ARC from my phone?

ARC needs to be able to contact the Roon cloud once in 14 days, even with downloaded files.

Is there a time limit for Roon ARC disconnected use?

ARC lets you play your downloads for 14 days with no internet connection. To reset that 14 day clock, it needs to talk to our cloud servers to confirm your license. All you would need to do to reset the 14 day clock is start the app with an internet connection briefly so it can talk to our servers. The core is not required.

@Viacheslav_Vasilyev

Also, will Roon need to verify my account online periodically? If there is no internet access at all, will my license get blocked or will the app stop working?

Yes, once in 30 days:

Roon functionality offline, with no internet [not on roadmap]

The number is 30 days. Roon software requires an internet connection, but supports going offline for up to 30 days. This is a core part of our license checking system. You may not be able to see how this works but the pirates can. Also, it’s a requirement for lyrics reporting that we must adhere to. Lyrics copyright owners requires monthly reports on lyrics viewed. EDIT (September 20, 2022): With the Roon Core on version 2.0, the grace period is not 30 days anymore. You must have internet ac…

Note: The above post says that Roon 2.0 needed to be permanently online, but this was then reverted to the old behavior:

Roon 2.0 and internet connectivity [it's just like 1.8 now]

This was reverted back to 1.8 functionality:

@Viacheslav_Vasilyev

Is there a fully offline mode available for Lifetime subscribers?

No, because as explained above, there are apparently certain copyright requirements

Removing licence check for lifetime users

Just bought a lifetime licence and think it would be fair, at the price, to have a “lifetime access” to Roon independently from any Internet connection (namely dropping the 30-days limitation). It’s obviously more a question of principle than a question of practicality since I’ll need to update the softwares.

[Henry_McLeod (Henry)]

Is this a speculative question or is this a genuine possibility? Russia doesn’t strike me as a country that might need to block all traffic, just those channels openly critical of them. But maybe things are changing?

[Viacheslav_Vasilyev]

unfortunately, in Russia it only works stably using a vpn. Tidal hasn’t been working without a vpn for a long time. Qobuz is holding up for now. But for Roon to work, you need a VPN. some providers seem to be slowly stifling traffic. Just if they make very expensive external traffic in Russia. It will probably be impossible to use the runes.

[MarcMarc]

Maybe time to think about a alternative. Other

Software or maybe a streamer with support for internal/external drives

[Viacheslav_Vasilyev]

Yes, I’ve already thought about it. But I’ve gotten so used to Roon over the years. I would not like to give it up.

[Alicja_Lach]

Would it work on Starlink?

[Suedkiez (Just a fellow user like you)]

Probably, but Starlink is banned in Russia, the company does not operate officially in Russia, and one would have to acquire equipment through unofficial channels.

[Viacheslav_Vasilyev]

Satellite transmitters and receivers cannot be officially imported into Russia without certification. But no one will. In general, it looks like you’ll just have to sit and wait for what happens next. And enjoy, of course, Roon