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Connect your phone to a Roku TV system or streaming player

How to connect your phone to a Roku streaming device with the Roku mobile app

Turn the free Roku® mobile app on your phone into a remote by choosing your Roku streaming device when you first launch the app. If your Roku device does not appear on this initial discovery screen, you can try the troubleshooting tips outlined in this article – including IP address management.

Additionally, Roku enables third-party developers to create remote control applications using an open interface that is designed and published by Roku. The tips in this article may also help if you encounter an issue connecting with a third-party app.

How to check your phone or tablet settings

If your Roku device is missing from the discovery screen, check that your phone or tablet is configured properly. Try the following troubleshooting steps to connect your phone or other mobile device to a Roku TV system or Roku streaming device.

  • Is your phone or tablet connected to the correct Wi-Fi® network? From the Home screen on your Roku device, go to Settings > Network > About to see the name of the network your Roku device is connected to and compare it to the network your mobile device is connected to. If your phone or tablet is connected to a different network, it will not be able to control your Roku device. Learn what to look for if you need help finding the correct Wi-Fi network.
  • Is your Apple device permitted to access other devices over Wi-Fi? If you have an iPhone or iPad and it is running iOS 14 or higher, you must grant "Local Network" access to allow the Roku mobile app to see and connect with your Roku device. A prompt asking you to grant permission typically appears the first time you launch a new app, or you can use the steps below to do it from the iOS settings.
    1. Open Settings on your iPhone or iPad
    2. Scroll down the list of installed apps and select Roku
    3. Tap Local Network until the slider is green
  • Is your mobile device connected to a VPN? A VPN, or Virtual Private Network, is commonly used to access an office network when working from home. If you use your phone or tablet to connect remotely for work, check that it is not connected to a VPN when using the Roku mobile app. Some VPN applications route all traffic through the virtual network causing your Roku device to not be visible.

How to confirm Wi-Fi access is enabled on your Roku streaming device

If you are having trouble when you try to connect a phone to your Roku TV system or streaming player, verify how you have the settings configured on your device. To use the Roku mobile app for iOS® or Android™ as your remote, your Roku device must be permitted to accept commands over the Wi-Fi network. There is a Control by mobile apps setting on your Roku device that when disabled, prevents the Roku mobile app and any third-party app from communicating with your Roku device. When this setting is disabled, you must use your Roku remote and enable the setting again using the following steps.

  1. Press Home home button on Roku remote on your remote
  2. Scroll and select Settings
  3. Select System
  4. Select Advanced system settings
  5. Select Control by mobile apps
  6. Select Network access
  7. Choose one of three options:
    • Default. For users who want to use the Roku mobile app or a third-party app to act as a remote and control their Roku device. Most users choose this setting.
    • Permissive. For users who want the Roku mobile app or a third-party app to control their Roku device and are on a publicly accessible network. This choice is uncommon, and typically used with an advanced network configuration.
    • Disable: For users who do not want a third-party app to be able to control their Roku device.

When your Roku device is configured to allow Wi-Fi network access (set to Default for most users), it should appear on the discovery screen of the Roku mobile app.

How to verify your network is configured properly

Having both devices on the same network is essential to connect your phone or tablet to your Roku TV system or streaming player. If your phone or tablet is configured properly and network access is enabled on your Roku device, check the configuration of your network.

  • Is your Roku device using a wired Ethernet connection? If your Roku device is connected to a wired network using an Ethernet cable, check that it is assigned an IP address in the same range as the wireless devices on your network, such as your phone or tablet. For example, if your wired Roku device is assigned 192.168.2.169 and your phone is assigned 192.168.1.173, the devices will likely be unable to communicate. Ideally, the wired Roku device in this example should be assigned an address like 192.168.1.169 where that third number (or octet) matches the third octet of your wireless devices. You may be able to adjust the range of IP addresses assigned to wired and wireless devices by your router*, but if you are not comfortable configuring network equipment, you should consult a local professional for help.
  • Have you checked the network names closely? Many Wi-Fi routers today use two signals to provide better speed and coverage. These devices are generally referred to as dual-band routers because they transmit data at the lower 2.4 GHz band and the higher 5 GHz band. When connecting devices to your wireless network, choices may include more than one network with a similar name. For example, you may see something like MyNetwork_2.4GHz and MyNetwork_5GHz. Confirm that your Roku device and your phone or tablet are connected to the same band and network name.
  • Is your Roku device using a public IP address? Devices on your network, such as your Roku device, should be using a private IP address that falls within one of the following ranges:
     Start   End 
     10.0.0.0   10.255.255.255 
     172.16.0.0   173.32.255.255 
     192.168.0.0   192.168.255.255 

    You can find the IP address of your Roku device by going to Settings > Network > About. If the IP address is not within one of these private ranges, your Roku device is using a public IP address which is most common when a router is not present on your network. Install a router to manage IP addresses or contact your internet service provider (ISP) or the person who manages your network to help resolve the problem.
  • Is Access Point (AP) isolation enabled on your network? AP isolation prevents devices from communicating on a Wi-Fi network. Refer to documentation for your router to learn how to check and disable this setting or contact the person who manages your network for help.

Additional troubleshooting steps

If the troubleshooting tips above did not help you connect your phone to your Roku streaming device and your device still does not appear on the discovery screen, try the following suggestions.

  • Restart your Roku device. To restart your Roku device, you can either unplug the power cable, wait a moment, and then reconnect it. Or you can use the following steps to restart it from the Settings menu.
    1. Press Home home button on Roku remote on your Roku remote
    2. Scroll and select Settings
    3. Select System
    4. Select Power. If you do not see a Power submenu, skip to the next step.
    5. Select System restart
  • Restart the Roku mobile app. Restart the app by doing one of the following:
     
    • On an Apple device, swipe up, or double click the iOS home button and then swipe the Roku app to close it.
    • On an Android device, press the Recents button and then swipe the Roku app to close it.
  • Connect to your Roku device manually. Locate the IP address of your Roku device by going to Settings > Network > About, and then use the steps below to connect manually.
    1. Launch the Roku mobile app
    2. Tap Devices Devices icon on Roku mobile app
    3. Tap Get help?
    4. Select Connect manually
    5. Enter the IP address of your Roku device and tap CONNECT

*A note on terminology:

To access your network and ultimately the internet, you will typically connect to a device called a router but it may also be referred to as a wireless router, wireless access point, home gateway or cable modem. In some cases, your internet service provider (ISP) may have provided you with a single integrated device that includes a cable modem and a router, or you may have purchased a stand-alone router from a company such as Linksys, NETGEAR, ASUS, Belkin or D-Link. In this article, the term router is used as a generic term to refer to the network device that your Roku device must connect to access the internet. For more information refer to the documentation provided by your ISP or router manufacturer.

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