How to Mirror Your iPhone to Roku

Enjoy videos on a bigger screen

Woman holding iPhone in front of television.

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by Lisa Mildon
Lisa Mildon has been an IT professional for 30 years and a tech writer for 12+ years. Her writing has appeared in Geekisphere and other publications.
Updated December 30, 2018

If you’re an iPhone and Roku owner, there's a simple way to mirror your iPhone to a Roku, allowing you to project your favorite videos, pictures, and music onto your TV screen. Below are a few quick and easy steps to save your eyes and see your media on the big screen.

How to Mirror iPhone to Roku

There are two things you’ll need to do to mirror your iPhone to your Roku:

  • Setting up your Roku receiver
  • Setting up the Roku app on your iPhone

First, you’ll want to make sure your Roku receiver and your iPhone are on the same network. You can verify your network settings with the Roku receiver.

Next, you’ll need to make sure mirroring is allowed\setup on your Roku receiver.

  1. On your Roku, go to Settings > System > Screen Mirroring

  2. Under Screen mirroring mode, verify that either Prompt or Always allow is selected, indicated by a checkmark.

    If you’re having problems with your iPhone controlling the Roku, you can check under Screen mirroring devices for a possible blocked device. If it’s being blocked, it will appear under the Always blocked devices section. Devices have to be added manually to this list, so it’s highly unlikely you’ll see your iPhone here unless other family members have added it.

  3. The next step is to download the Roku app from the App Store. Launch the app once it's installed and accept the Terms and Services to continue setup. The Roku app should begin searching for a receiver.

    Roku app searching for devices.

  4. Once a device is found, tap the device to connect.

Stream iPhone to Roku Using Photo+

There are a few other settings to help utilize your Roku on your iPhone. The main setting we’ll be focused on for mirroring your iPhone to your Roku is Photos+.

  1. Tap Photos+ to begin the mirroring process.

    Setting for the Roku iPhone app.

  2. Depending on what you’d like to mirror, tap Music, Photos, Videos, or Screensaver.

    Roku media selection on iPhone.

  3. Next, you’ll want to play your media on your TV screen. To do this, simply tap your media.

  4. Once you tap a video, your TV should display "Play on Roku" before playing your selected media.

Mirror iPhone to Roku Using Screensaver

One of the mirroring features in the Roku app is a Screensaver, which allows you to add some of your photos to a screensaver slideshow to play on your TV.

  1. To start, tap Screensaver on the media selection screen, then tap Screensaver.

  2. Using the dropdown menu, select what source you want to use for your screensaver photos.

    Roku screensaver photo setup screen.

  3. Tap each photo you want to add. You'll see a checkmark on the photos you’ve selected.

    Photo selection screen in Roku iPhone app.

  4. Once you’ve finished adding photos, tap Next.

  5. Tap Style and Speed to adjust how you want the photos to appear, then tap Set Screensaver.

    Roku iPhone app screensaver setting screen.

  6. Tap OK to set the screensaver or tap Cancel to start over.

    Roku app screensaver confirmation dialog box.

  7. You should see the screensaver begin to play on your TV.