Airplay Not Working on Roku TV? Here Are 10 Ways to Fix It

Nisha GurungBy
airplay-not-working-on-roku-tv

With the AirPlay feature on Apple devices, you can stream music and videos on your Roku TV for a bigger screen experience. However, there can be instances when you can’t connect AirPlay with your Roku TV device. Or, you might have encountered AirPlay not working on Roku TV even if it is connected. 

Well, if your apple and Roku TV device is connected to a different network, it might not work properly. Also, Firewall Protection on your Mac could be blocking it from pairing with your TV. The issue is solvable since it is a temporary issue and requires some simple fixes.

Why is Airplay Not Working on Roku TV

You may possibly encounter black screen error or video playback error when your AirPlay is not working. Likewise, you can’t pair your Roku TV with AirPlay if the device is incompatible. Besides, other common reasons are:

  • Weak internet connection
  • Large-distance between the Roku TV and Apple Device
  • Incompatible device
  • Outdated Roku TV software 
  • Enabled Firewall Protection on Mac  
  • Connected to different network

How to Fix AirPlay Not Working on Roku TV?

Streaming videos from your AirPlay on your Roku TV requires a strong network. So, you can try improving the slow internet connection by power cycling the router. Besides, you can follow the mentioned fixes sequentially to solve the error.

Check the Compatibility of the Device

AirPlay won’t work if it is not compatible with your Roku TV device. For Roku TV, you can check the system requirements for AirPlay on their official webpage. Similarly, for Apple devices, iPhone/iPad must have iOS 12.3 or higher and macOS Mojave with 10.14.5 or higher software versions for AirPlay 2. You can check your software version of both Roku TV and Apple devices. Follow the given steps. 

On Roku TV

  1. On your Roku TV remote, press the Home button
  2. Go to Settings > System
  3. Click on About
    about-roku

On Apple Device 

  • For iPad/iPhone, navigate to Settings > General > About
  • For Mac, click on the Apple menu > About This Mac

System Restart Roku TV

AirPlay might not work if there is an issue with your Roku TV. Sometimes the device might lag or freeze due to unknown glitches. Or, if you use it for a long time without turning it off, the device might overheat. In such a case, you can system restart the Roku TV to solve the issue. System restarting is quite different from just pressing the on/off button of the remote to restart. It is a reset method but the least intrusive.

Follow the given steps below:

  1. On your Roku TV remote, press the Home button
  2. Go to Settings > System > Power
  3. Click on System Restart
  4. Click Restart
    restart-roku

Check if AirPlay is on 

Another fix you can try is to check whether AirPlay is turned on or not on your TV. If you’ve reset your Roku TV, it might disable your AirPlay feature. So, your Roku TV might not appear when you’re trying to pair it with AirPlay. You should be able to connect and use it after enabling this feature. Find out the steps below.

  1. On your Roku TV home screen, go to Settings 
  2. Choose Apple AirPlay & HomeKit
    apple-airplay-homekit
  3. Click on AirPlay and turn it on

Enable Fast TV start

You can not stream AirPlay unless you’ve turned on Fast TV start on your Roku TV. When you power off your TV, AirPlay might not stay connected to your network connection. Thus, you need to turn on this feature to use AirPlay on your TV. Follow the given steps below:

On Roku TV

  1. On your Roku TV remote, press the Home button
  2. Choose Settings > System > Power
  3. Click on Fast TV start 
  4. Click on the box to Enable ‘Fast TV start’
    enable-fast-tv-start 

On Roku Streambar

  1. On your Roku TV remote, press on the Home button
  2. Choose Settings > System > Power
  3. Click on Fast start
  4. Click on the box to Turn on ‘Fast Start’

Connect Apple Device and Roku TV to the Same Network

AirPlay won’t work if it is connected to a different Wi-Fi. To stream AirPlay on Roku TV, you must connect both Apple and Roku devices to the same network. So, you can check the network connection of your Roku TV device to verify. You can forget the current network and try connecting to the same Wi-Fi. Follow the given steps.

Here’re the steps to check network details for Roku TV Network:

  1. From the home screen of the Roku TV device, navigate to Settings 
  2. Click on Network > About 
    check-the-network-connection

Here’re the steps to check network details for Apple device:

  • On iPad/iPhone, Go to Settings > Wi-Fi
  • On Mac, click on the Wi-Fi icon on the top menu bar

Reset Roku TV Network

AirPlay might not work on Roku TV due to internet connection issues. Streaming videos requires a strong signal to load video faster. So, if your Wi-Fi network lags even after reconnecting to the network, you can reset the Roku TV network.

Since resetting will increase the connection speed, your AirPlay should work. But, you need to note down the Wi-Fi passwords as you will lose all connection details. Here are the steps to reset the network:

  1. On your Roku TV remote, press the Home button 
  2. Navigate to Settings > System > Advanced System Settings
    advanced-system-settings
  3. Click on Network Connection reset and choose Reset Connection  

Turn Off the Firewall Protection

If your AirPlay is not working on Roku TV while streaming from Mac, you can turn off the Firewall of Mac. Firewall protection on your Mac blocks incoming connections from unauthorized programs or services. So, to enable connection requests from your TV, you must disable the firewall protection.

Check out the steps given below:

  1. Navigate to Apple Menu
  2. Click on System Preferences > Security and Privacy 
    mac-security-and-privacy
  3. Go to the Firewall tab and click on Turn off Firewall
    mac turn off firewall

Update Roku TV Device

By default, your Roku TV device updates to the latest version automatically. However, there can be instances when you might need to do it manually. Updating the Roku TV device should solve AirPlay streaming issues.

Follow these steps below:

  1. On your Roku TV remote, press the Home button 
  2. Go to Settings > System > System Update
    update-roku
  3. Click on Check Now (Your Roku TV device will download and install available updates automatically. It will restart when the update is completed)

Factory Reset Roku TV

If the issue still persists, you can factory reset the Roku TV device as of last resort to solve the issue by yourself. It will reset the settings and unlink your account from the device. Basically, your device will go back to the initial setup mode. After resetting, your AirPlay should work. Follow the steps given below.

  1. On your Roku TV remote, press the Home button
  2. Then, go to Settings > System > Advanced System Settings
  3. Click on Factory Reset
    factory-reset-roku

Contact Roku TV support

If you don’t want to factory reset your Roku TV device, we recommend you report the issue to Roku Support. They will reach out to you with a solution. You can either contact customer support or join Roku Community. 

Nisha is a streaming content writer at TechNewsToday. With her love for watching shows on popular platforms, she turned her hobby into exploring it in-depth. You can always find her with one of the streaming gadgets trying out new features, secret menus, and writing about them. She has technological gadgets like Roku streaming stick, Firestick, Chromecast Ultra, Amazon Echo, and many more. Her writing career started when she believed she could help other streaming enthusiasts with her first-hand experience and expertise. She mainly writes about “How-To” and “Fixes” content. Apart from technology, she is a social media enthusiast. She is open to sharing her knowledge and collaborating with other experts in the field. You can contact her at nisha@technewstoday.com

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