How to Screen Mirror an iPhone or iPad to a Roku TV or Streaming Stick

The quick answer

• Roku with AirPlay? Turn it on in Settings > Apple AirPlay and HomeKit, put your iPhone or iPad on the same Wi-Fi network, then open Control Center, tap Screen Mirroring and choose the Roku.
• Not sure yours has it? Find the model number in Settings > System > About and look it up in Roku's list below.
• Roku's own “screen mirroring” is for Android and Windows. An iPhone or iPad mirrors to a Roku only through AirPlay.
• Netflix won't play while you mirror. Netflix doesn't support AirPlay on iPhone and iPad, and other streaming apps go black. Open the service's app on the Roku itself instead.
• No AirPlay, or no Wi-Fi? On a Roku TV with a free HDMI port, a USB-C to HDMI adapter and an HDMI cable work on every model.

Roku stick plugged into a Samsung, LG or Sony TV? The TV itself may have AirPlay: see how to connect an iPad to a smart TV.

Every way to get an iPhone or iPad onto a Roku

The AirPlay rows need a Roku with AirPlay turned on, on the same Wi-Fi network as your iPhone or iPad. Casting needs the app on both your phone and the Roku. The cable row works on a Roku TV, or on any TV your Roku stick is plugged into, from a USB-C iPad or an iPhone with USB-C video out. ScreenCommand is supported over a cable and over AirPlay to an Apple TV; we haven't verified it over AirPlay to a Roku, so the table doesn't claim it.

Which Roku devices have AirPlay

Roku lists AirPlay and HomeKit support by model number, and some models need a minimum Roku OS version. To find yours, press Home on the Roku remote and go to Settings > System > About: it shows the model number and the software version. “Roku TV” means any TV with Roku built in, whoever made it: Roku, TCL, Hisense, Philips and others.

Roku writes Roku TV model numbers as patterns, where each x stands for any character. Roku also lists its Streambar (9102), Streambar Pro (9101R2), Smart Soundbar (9101) and the onn. Roku Smart Soundbar (9100), on Roku OS 9.4 or later. AirPlay works from an iPhone or iPad on iOS 12.3 or later.

Running an older Roku OS? Roku devices update themselves, but you can check now: press Home, go to Settings > System > Software update and select Check Now.

Model not in the table? Look for Apple AirPlay and HomeKit in the Roku's Settings menu: that's where Roku puts the AirPlay switch. If it isn't there even after an update, plan on a cable to a Roku TV, or one of the other routes above.

Turn on AirPlay on your Roku

AirPlay is a switch in the Roku's settings. If it's off, your Roku won't appear on your iPhone or iPad.

1. Press Home on the Roku remote and open Settings.
2. Select Apple AirPlay and HomeKit.
3. Set AirPlay to On.

On a Roku TV or a Roku Streambar, Roku says the device may not stay connected to Wi-Fi while it's powered off. To keep it connected, turn on Fast TV start (Fast start on a Streambar) in Settings > System > Power. Roku notes that it uses significantly more power than normal standby.

HomeKit is optional, and you don't need it to mirror. It adds the Roku to the Home app, so you can control it from there: power, plus volume and inputs on a Roku TV. To set it up, go to Settings > Apple AirPlay and HomeKit > HomeKit > Set up, scan the eight-digit code on the TV with your iPhone or iPad camera, and finish in the Home app. Turning the TV on and off through a Roku player also needs HDMI-CEC switched on in the TV's settings, and 1-touch play on the Roku, in Settings > System > Control Other Devices.

Mirror your iPad or iPhone to the Roku

These are Apple's Screen Mirroring steps, the same ones you'd use for an Apple TV.

1. Connect the iPad or iPhone to the same Wi-Fi network as the Roku.
2. Open Control Center: swipe down from the top-right corner of the screen. On an iPhone with a Home button, swipe up from the bottom edge instead.
3. Tap Screen Mirroring, then choose your Roku from the list.
4. If an AirPlay code appears on the TV, type it on your iPad or iPhone. Your screen now shows on the TV.

To stop, open Control Center, tap Screen Mirroring, then tap Stop Mirroring.

The TV shows an exact copy of your screen, in its own shape: an iPad leaves black bars at the sides of a widescreen TV, and an iPhone held upright is a narrow strip in the middle, so turn it sideways in apps that rotate. Notifications and everything you type show on the TV too.

AirPlay or cast from an app instead of mirroring

To watch one video, you don't need your whole screen on the TV. Sending just the video keeps your notifications, messages and everything else on your device.

• AirPlay from the app: start the video, tap the AirPlay button in the player and choose your Roku. In Photos, tap Share first, then AirPlay. Roku says you can then pause, fast-forward and rewind from your iPhone or iPad or with the Roku remote; press Home on the remote to stop.
• Not every app has AirPlay. Apple notes that some video apps don't support it, and Netflix says AirPlay isn't supported with Netflix on iPhone and iPad.
• Casting: apps like YouTube have a cast button that hands the video to the same app on the Roku. The app opens on the Roku and plays there, so you can use your phone for something else or even switch it off. The app has to be installed on both your phone and the Roku, on the same Wi-Fi network. Netflix lists only a few devices its cast button works with, and Roku isn't one of them.

Just want YouTube on the TV? See how to watch YouTube on a TV from an iPad or iPhone.

What the Roku app can show (Play on Roku)

The free Roku app, listed as Roku Remote on the App Store, turns your iPhone or iPad into a remote, with its keyboard for typing searches and passwords on the TV. It can also share personal photos and videos from your phone on the TV, which Roku calls Play on Roku.

It isn't screen mirroring. It sends photos and videos saved on your phone, not your screen, so apps, websites and streaming services don't show up this way. For your screen, use AirPlay.

If the app can't find your Roku, check that both are on the same Wi-Fi network, and let the app see it: in your iPhone or iPad's Settings, open the Roku app's settings and turn on Local Network. Roku also suggests turning off any VPN on the phone.

Roku's own screen mirroring is for Android and Windows

Roku's help pages use “screen mirroring” for a separate feature that's limited to compatible Android and Windows devices: the phone or PC asks to connect, and you allow it on the TV with the Roku remote. For iPhone, iPad and Mac, Roku points to AirPlay. So an iPhone or iPad mirrors to a Roku only through AirPlay.

That's why Roku Express models are confusing. Roku says screen mirroring works on the Express 3900, 3930 and 3960, but those models aren't on its AirPlay list. The Express 3700 and Express+ 3710 are the other way round: AirPlay on Roku OS 10.0, but no screen mirroring.

The App Store also has third-party apps that offer to mirror an iPhone to a Roku without AirPlay. They aren't from Apple or Roku, and we haven't tested them.

Use an HDMI cable when the TV has a free input

A cable works on every Roku TV, AirPlay or not, and needs no Wi-Fi. If your Roku is a stick plugged into another TV, the cable goes into a different HDMI port on that TV, and the stick isn't involved.

1. Plug a USB-C to HDMI adapter into the iPad or iPhone, or use a single cable with USB-C on one end and HDMI on the other.
2. Run an HDMI cable from the adapter to a free HDMI port on the TV.
3. On a Roku TV, press Home and select that HDMI input's tile on the Home screen. On another TV, press Input or Source on the TV's remote.
4. Your screen appears on the TV. If the adapter has a USB-C charging port, plug your charger into it to keep the battery up.

Blank or odd-looking picture on a Roku TV? Roku's fix is to change that port's HDMI mode: press Home, go to Settings > Inputs, choose the HDMI input, select HDMI mode and try another option (Auto, Compatibility or Standard).

Every USB-C iPad sends video this way. An iPhone needs USB-C video out: iPhone 15 or later, except the iPhone 16e, iPhone 17e and iPhone Air. A Lightning iPad or iPhone needs Apple's Lightning Digital AV Adapter, which tops out at 1080p. More on connecting an iPhone to a TV.

Which adapter to buy, and why some only charge: the USB-C to HDMI adapter guide.

Why Netflix and other streaming apps won't play when you mirror

Streaming services protect their video with copy protection (DRM), and AirPlay Screen Mirroring never carries protected video, so most apps show a black picture, often with the sound still playing. Netflix goes further: with Screen Mirroring or AirPlay on, its iPhone and iPad app shows “Cannot play title” (error AVF:11870), because Netflix doesn't support either.

Nothing is wrong with your Roku. These work instead:

• Open the service on the Roku. Streaming is what the Roku is for: add the service's app, sign in with the remote, and the video comes straight from the internet instead of through your phone. Roku even has an Apple TV app on select models.
• Use the app's own AirPlay or cast button, if it has one, instead of Screen Mirroring. Netflix has neither for a Roku.
• Use a cable to a Roku TV with a free HDMI port. Protected video is allowed over a cable, and Netflix supports watching from an iPhone or iPad this way, as long as nothing in between, such as a splitter or capture card, breaks the HDCP copy-protection handshake.

What plays where, and why: the Netflix black screen, explained.

Where ScreenCommand fits

If you just want to watch Netflix or YouTube, the Roku's own apps are free and the better choice. ScreenCommand is for the web: it puts a full-screen desktop browser on the TV, at the TV's own resolution with no black bars, and turns your iPad or iPhone into the trackpad and keyboard. It draws its own picture on the TV instead of mirroring your screen.

• On a Roku TV, over a cable: plug the iPad or iPhone into a free HDMI port with a USB-C to HDMI adapter. It's the recommended connection, with the lowest cursor lag, and it works whether the Roku TV has AirPlay or not.
• Roku stick on another TV: the same, using another HDMI port on that TV.
• Wireless needs an Apple TV: ScreenCommand works over AirPlay to an Apple TV plugged into the TV, with a little more cursor lag than a cable.
• Streaming over a cable: Netflix, Prime Video, Apple TV+, Paramount+ and Peacock play in ScreenCommand over a USB-C cable. YouTube and other web video play over a cable or AirPlay to an Apple TV.
• Websites, not apps: it shows web pages, not iPad or iPhone apps or games. For those, use mirroring.
• $4.99 one-time: no subscription, no account to create, zero data collection.

It needs an iPad with USB-C on iPadOS 17 or later, or an iPhone on iOS 17 or later. From an iPhone, a cable needs USB-C video out: iPhone 15 or later, except iPhone 16e, iPhone 17e and iPhone Air.

Have an Apple TV too? Here's how to put a web browser on an Apple TV.

Roku AirPlay not working? Check these

• The Roku isn't in the Screen Mirroring list. Check its model number in Settings > System > About against Roku's list above. Some Roku models have no AirPlay.
• Update the Roku. Many models need Roku OS 9.4 or 10.0 for AirPlay. Go to Settings > System > Software update and select Check Now.
• Make sure AirPlay is on in Settings > Apple AirPlay and HomeKit.
• Same Wi-Fi network, same band. On the Roku, Settings > Network > About shows which network it's on. If your router has two names, like MyNetwork_2.4GHz and MyNetwork_5GHz, Roku says to put both devices on the same one. A VPN on the iPhone or iPad can also hide the Roku.
• Roku TV turned off? Turn on Fast TV start in Settings > System > Power so it stays on the network while it's off.
• Still nothing? Restart the Roku and your router, reconnect both devices to the same network, and try again.
• Black video with sound, or “Cannot play title”. That's copy protection, not a fault: see why streaming apps won't play, above.
• “No signal” over a cable. Select the exact HDMI input you plugged into, reseat both ends, and make sure the adapter supports video output, not just charging. The iPhone 16e, iPhone 17e and iPhone Air send no video over USB-C.

Frequently asked questions

More product questions (pricing, gestures, privacy) are covered in the main FAQ.

Keep reading

• Connect an iPad to a smart TV
• Mirror an iPhone or iPad to a Hisense TV
• Connect an iPhone to a TV
• Netflix black screen, explained
• Which USB-C HDMI adapter to buy
• Web browser on Apple TV