How To Use Apple AirPlay On A Roku Device
From smart TVs to streaming sticks, Roku has made watching our favorite media easy. That’s why it’s become the go-to for cord-cutters who want to gather all of their streaming services in one place. However, even though Roku does a lot, you’re probably always looking for ways toget the most out of your Roku device. If you own an Apple device, chances are there have been times when you wanted to stream your Apple content on the big screen. As many Apple owners know, its closed ecosystem often makes it difficult to stream content to non-Apple devices.
The good news is the company is increasingly embracing greater compatibility with third-party devices and services — and Roku is one of those devices. For example, you canaccess Apple TV on your Roku Device, and with AirPlay and Apple HomeKit, you’re able to mirror your iPhone, iPad, or Mac computer directly to your Roku device. While you may still do most of your streaming directly from your Roku device, having the option to use AirPlay means you can share photos and videos and stream content from unsupported apps like Twitch to your TV.
Preparing your devices for AirPlay
You’ll need to do a few things before using AirPlay with your Roku device, including checking to see if your Roku device works with AirPlay and HomeKit and ensuring you have a compatible Apple device. You can check to see if your Roku device is compatible with AirPlayhere. You’ll also need to confirm your device is using Roku OS 9.4 or higher.
Follow these steps to check the software version of your Roku device:
The following Apple devices are compatible with AirPlay 2 and can be used with Roku devices: iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch with iOS 12.3 or later and Mac computers running macOS Mojave 10.14.5 or later. Once you’ve confirmed the compatibility of your devices, you’ll need to ensure both your Roku device and Apple device are connected to the same Wi-Fi network. If they’re not, you won’t be able to use AirPlay on your Roku device. You can find this information under Settings on your Roku device and in the Wi-Fi settings menu on your Apple device.
Setting up AirPlay on your Roku device
After you’ve confirmed your devices and software are compatible, you’ll be ready to set up AirPlay on your Roku Device. Doing so will allow you to stream content from your Apple devices to your Roku TV or streaming stick.
Follow these steps to set up AirPlay on your Roku Device:
Follow these steps to set up HomeKit on your Roku device:
Keep in mind that you don’t have to activate HomeKit to use AirPlay on your Roku device. However, using it gives you a secure way to use Siri to control your Roku devices on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac. You can also use HomeKit to create scenes by grouping your Roku device with other HomeKit-compatible devices so you can control them all at the same time.
Using AirPlay with your Roku device
Once you’ve got the setup out of the way, you’ll be ready to start streaming from your Apple devices to your Roku TV or streaming stick. You can do this by either mirroring your device or casting supported video apps. When you mirror your device, it’ll appear on your TV screen in the same way it does on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac computer. You’ll use mirroring when casting isn’t an option. Casting is the preferred way to use AirPlay because it doesn’t display the user interface, and there’s no need to keep apps open while casting.
Follow these steps to mirror your iPhone or iPad on Roku:
Follow these steps to mirror your Mac on Roku:
Follow these steps to cast apps on Roku:
Using AirPlay with Spotify and Apple Music on your Roku device
For those days when you’d prefer to listen to your favorite tunes rather than watch videos, you may also use AirPlay to stream music to your Roku device. The process differs slightly from setting up video mirroring and casting, but it’s still pretty straightforward since Spotify and Apple Music have built-in AirPlay streaming compatibility. That means you can select your Roku device from within the app and stream your music without mirroring your entire screen.
Follow these steps to stream music from Spotify:
Follow these steps to stream music from Apple Music:
Showing off your photos with AirPlay on Roku
While sharing photos with friends and family on an Apple device is popular and convenient, there may be times when you want to show off your favorite memories on the big screen. AirPlay makes it easy to cast individual images or photo albums to Roku from your Apple devices, ensuring everyone gets a good view of your favorite pictures.
Follow these steps to cast photos to your Roku:
While casting to your Roku, you can swipe left and right to go through the pictures on your camera roll or photo album. When you’re ready to stop casting, tap the AirPlay icon on your Apple device.
