There are several causes for AirPlay not working on Roku devices, including incompatible devices, connectivity, screen mirroring settings, and incorrect software.
AirPlay allows Apple and Mac users to share content to other devices. However, sometimes the AirPlay function does not work on other devices such as the Roku device. Fortunately, there are solutions to this problem.
About AirPlay
AirPlay is a built-in functionality in many Apple devices. It allows you to share audio, video, photos, and music to your Apple TV, speakers, and select smart TV models.
AirPlay also allows you to share your content on bigger screens and with more people in your vicinity.
The newer versions of AirPlay, like AirPlay 2, have expanded their lists of compatible devices and have also made it possible for users to mirror the screens of their Apple and Mac products onto another screen if the devices are compatible.
This is often used to share presentations, home movies, footage from streaming applications, and more.
Why is AirPlay not working on Roku?
However, if you want to use AirPlay to share photos, videos, and music to your Roku television and you are having issues with this, there may be a number of things causing AirPlay not to work, or to malfunction, on your Roku device.
These operational issues can be caused by your Roku device, your Apple or Mac device, software issues, network and connectivity issues, or any number of other things.
This is why it can be quite difficult to figure out what exactly is causing the issue and why it is advisable to try various troubleshooting solutions that you can execute on your own to try and fix the issue irrespective of what the cause is.
The most important factor to consider when AirPlay is not working on your Roku device, especially if it is your first time using AirPlay on this device, is whether the device is AirPlay compatible.
The AirPlay compatible Roku devices are listed below as:
- RCA Roku TV (select models)
- Roku Express (2017, 2019)
- Roku Express+ (2017, 2019)
- Roku Premiere
- Roku Premiere+
- Roku Streambar
- Roku Streambar Pro
- Roku Streaming Stick
- Roku Streaming Stick+
- Roku Streaming Stick+ Headphone Edition
- Roku Ultra (2019, 2020)
- Roku Ultra LT
- Roku 3 (2013)
If your device is compatible with AirPlay, you can move on and consider other troubleshooting solutions, such as checking your connectivity, your screen mirror settings, and possibly updating your software.
Checking your connectivity
In order for your Roku device and AirPlay to work effectively, your Roku device and the device you are trying to share content from via AirPlay must be connected to the same internet network.
To check which network your Roku device is connected to, you can go to your “Settings” menu and select the “Network” option. Then, open the “About” section and it will show you which network your device is connected to.
Then, you just need to look at which network your AirPlay device is connected to and switch it to the same network as your Roku device (if they were not connected to the same network to begin with).
Checking your screen mirror settings
You need to turn on your screen mirror settings and a few other settings before you can use AirPlay on your Roku device. If these settings have not been enabled, AirPlay will not work on your Roku device.
To turn on these settings, follow these steps:
Settings | Process |
Screen mirroring | Go to your “Settings” menu and select the “System” option. Then, click on the “Screen mirroring” option, followed by the “Always allow” option. |
Fast TV Start | Go to your “Settings” menu and click on the “System” option. Then, select the “Power option” and find the “Fast TV start” or “Fast start” option and enable it. This allows your Roku device to stay connected to your internet network even when it switches off, for a smoother AirPlay experience. |
Updating your software
One of the last options when it comes to troubleshooting solutions for if your AirPlay is not working on your Roku device is to ensure that all of your software has been updated to the newest versions.
Roku devices should update automatically every 24 hours, but a problem may have occurred with an update, and this could be what is causing AirPlay to malfunction.
Apple and Mac products also regularly have software updates and it is important to ensure that both your Roku and AirPlay devices have been updated to the most recent versions of the software if you are experiencing any issues.
After you have updated your software, you can restart your devices and try to use AirPlay on your Roku device again.