Roon Early Access Program
What is Early Access?
The Early Access program allows Roon users to test the latest Roon and ARC features and fixes before they are released to the entire user community. Through this program you can have early access (get it? đ) to new features and functionality in both Roon and ARC, as well as the most up-to-date enhancements and bugfixes. In return we ask that you use Roon and ARC as you normally would and report any problems to us via the Roon Community site.
Participants in the Early Access program will always be ahead of or equivalent to the production release and our intention is that those who participate will remain in Early Access without any need to switch back to production. Participants in Early Access will always have the latest features and bug fixes!
This will be the final testing cycle of our products and its purpose is to expose changes to as many different configurations and use cases as possible. As such itâs critical that we maintain a healthy number of participants in the Early Access program.
When are Early Access builds released
Roon releases are now governed by a fixed schedule which allows us to get bug fixes, performance enhancements, and new features into the hands of our users on an ongoing basis rather than through a small number of mega-releases over the course of a year. We started this process (internally called âthe release trainâ) in early 2022 and it resulted in massive improvements in Roonâs stability along with the release of several new features through the first half of the year.
Roon and ARC production releases are scheduled to ship approximately every 2 weeks with earlyaccess testing for each of those releases happening in the 10 days immediately prior.
Is this going to be unstable or make Roon more difficult to use?
In the past Roon releases might contain weeks or months of changes, but since releases now ship regularly, with a limited number of changes, the overall risk of stability issues is vastly lower than it has been in the past. Our developers and QA team members work closely together to ensure that changes are âproduction readyâ prior to release to Early Access. While that doesnât mean that there is zero potential for problems, the vast majority of issues uncovered in Early Access testing are minor annoyances.
Having said that, we strongly encourage all users to ensure that they have proper backups of their Roon database and this is especially important for those participating in Early Access. More information on configuring Roon backups is available in this help center article.
How do I get support?
Early Access builds are fully supported by the Roon team and, since Early Access is available to all users, there is no need for secrecy or concern about leaking information about new features. If you need support you should post to the appropriate section of the Roon Community site and you can determine where to post base on the following guidelines:
- #Support category â General issues related to Roon and ARC functionality
- #Early Access category â Issues related to new content as described in the Early Access release notes or a new issue that has surfaced after installing a new Early Access update.
If you are uncertain about where to post your issue then please post it to the #Early Access category. If it's in the wrong place weâll happily move it on your behalf.
How do I sign up?
All that you need to do to participate in the Early Access program is to download and install the Early Access version of Roon on your server and remote(s).
Updating Windows or macOS Roon Servers or remotes to earlyaccess
Shut down Roon / RoonServer if either is currently running
Download the appropriate installer package(s) for your platform using the links below
Open the downloaded file(s) and execute the installation process as you would normally
This will install the earlyaccess version of Roon and/or RoonServer onto your computer. This is a completely non-destructive process and is no different than installing any Roon update.
You will need to repeat this process for any computers on which you use the Roon application as a remote to your server.
Updating RoonOS (Nucleus / ROCK) servers to earlyaccess
This process requires your ROCK / Nucleus to be running RoonOS 1.0 build 253 or later. If you have not yet updated to RoonOS device to the latest version of RoonOS you will need to do that before proceeding.
1. Download the instruction file from the link provided below and save it on your computer. Do not modify the name, extension, or content of this file.
2. Navigate to the /Data/Reinstall directory on your Nucleus / ROCK.
3. Copy the instruction file that you downloaded into the Reinstall directory.
4. Visit the RoonOS admin page and click on the âReinstallâ button.
Updating Linux servers to earlyaccess
Shut down the RoonServer service using whatever mechanism is appropriate for your flavor of Linux
Download the Linux installer package using the links below
Perform the installation process as outlined in the Linux installation guide using the file you downloaded in step 2.
This will install the earlyaccess version of RoonServer onto your Linux machine. This is a completely non-destructive process and is no different than installing any Roon update.
If you have not done so already you will need to update any remotes using the steps outlined above.
Updating NAS servers to earlyaccess
Download the appropriate installer package for your device from the links provided below
Use the admin interface to load Roon earlyaccess using the admin interface for your device
Updating iOS apps to earlyaccess
On iOS devices you will need to install an app from Apple called TestFlight and then use this app to enroll your devices in Early Access testing. Itâs best to view this article from your iOS device so that you can click on the links directly.
You will need to enroll your device in both of the Roon and Roon ARC testing tracks.
Download and install TestFlight on your iOS device
Enroll in Roon testing by clicking this link: https://testflight.apple.com/join/uyG60hp2
Enroll in Roon ARC testing by clicking this link: https://testflight.apple.com/join/yImqC6X5
The links above will open up the TestFlight activation and give you the option to enroll in testing for Roon or ARC. Once accepted you will be presented with the option to install the earlyaccess version of each app on your device. These will replace the production version of Roon and/or ARC installed on your device.
Once you have executed this process on one device you can install and open the TestFlight app on other devices that use the same Apple ID in order to download and install earlyaccess versions of Roon and ARC.
Updating Android apps to earlyaccess
Access to Roonâs Early Access releases on Android is via the Play Storeâs public beta program. You can join Roonâs public beta by following these steps:
Important: To get the beta version of an app, the app must already be installed on your device.
Open the Play Store.
At the top right, tap the profile icon.
Tap Manage apps & devices -> Installed.
Tap the Roon app to open its detail page.
Under âJoin the beta,â tap Join -> Join.
Repeat steps 4 and 5 for the Roon ARC app if installed on your device
If you prefer you may also download and install the earlyaccess apk package from the link below.
Roon Early Access download links
macOS
Windows
RoonOS
Linux
Information on loading Roon on Linux can be found here. Please use the files linked below in place of those from the helpcenter article when loading earlyaccess.
Android APKs
How do I leave?
Leaving the Early Access program is as simple as signing up. All you have to do is install the current production version of Roon on your devices.
macOS, Windows, and Linux
Downloads and installation instructions for the latest production installers are available on the main Roon downloads page.
Moving RoonOS (Nucleus / ROCK) servers back to production
1. Download the instruction file and save it on your computer. Do not modify the name, extension, or content of this file.
2. Navigate to the /Data/Reinstall directory on your Nucleus / ROCK.
3. Copy the instruction file that you downloaded into the Reinstall directory.
4. Visit the RoonOS admin page and click on the âReinstallâ button.
Moving NAS servers back to production
Visit the App Store page for Roon and install the app
Visit the App Store page for Roon ARC and install the app
This process will install the production versions of the apps in place of the earlyaccess versions. You are free to uninstall TestFlight as well.
Android Remotes and ARC
The process to leave an Android beta is similar to enrollment, but you will have to follow the added steps of removing and reinstalling the apps.
Leave the beta program
Open the Play Store.
At the top right, tap the profile icon.
Tap Manage apps & devices -> Beta.
Find the Roon app.
Tap the app to open its detail page.
Under âYouâre a beta tester," tap Leave -> Leave.
Repeat steps 4 - 6 for Roon ARC
Use the appâs public version
To continue to use the app after you leave the beta program:
Uninstall Roon and Roon ARC. Learn how to uninstall apps.
Reinstall the public versions of Roon and Roon ARC. Learn how to reinstall apps.
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