Does Roku work with Homekit: How to Connect [2023]

With the introduction of HomeKit and Airplay on Roku, a Roku device could be your next central Hub. However, not all models support HomeKit. Let's find out if yours does!

From light bulbs to smart window blinds, the list of HomeKit-supported devices is diverse and vast. Roku products have become one among the many quite recent additions to the HomeKit retinue.

With an update dating back to 2020, most devices in the Roku ecosystem got Homekit support.

Most Roku devices support HomeKit and HomeKit 2. From being able to turn ON and OFF your Roku to setting Scenes to integrate your Roku with other Homekit-supported devices, there are a few controls that you can perform using Homekit on your Roku.

Here are a few tips on how you can get started with Homekit on your Roku.

Check Roku for Homekit Compatibility

Before we explore the many possibilities on offer with HomeKit on Roku, the first step is to check whether your Roku actually supports Homekit.

Here are the many Roku devices that are HomeKit compatible:

Device	Model Number
Roku TV	Axxxx, Cxxxx, CxxGB, 7xxxx, Dxxxx, 8xxxx
Roku Streambar®	9102
Roku Streambar Pro	9101R2
Roku Smart Soundbar	9101
onn. Roku Smart Soundbar	9100
Roku Streaming Stick	3600, 3800, 3801
Roku Streaming Stick+	3810, 3811
Roku Streaming Stick 4K	3820
Roku Streaming Stick 4K+	3821
Roku Express	3900, 3930, 3932, 3960
Roku Express+	3910, 3931
Roku Express 4K	3940
Roku Express 4K+	3941
Roku Premiere	3920, 4620
Roku Premiere+	3921, 4630
Roku Ultra	4600, 4640, 4660, 4661, 4670, 4800, 4802
Roku Ultra LT	4662, 4801
Roku HD	3932
Roku 2	4205, 4210
Roku 3	4200, 4201, 4230

To check whether your Roku device belongs to these model numbers, follow these steps:

1. From the Home tab, navigate and click on Settings.

2. Select the System tile.

3. Click on About.

Now that compatibility has been checked, you can move on to connecting Roku with Homekit.

Enable Fast TV

Normally, your Roku TV or Roku Streambar, in its factory setting, is designed to work in a power-conserving mode.

This can be a problem if you want to ensure smooth operation with Homekit.

If left unsupervised for a particular period of time, Roku automatically powers down to save energy.

This in turn limits your network connectivity.

So when you try to use a particular function, like turning it ON once it powers down, you may not be able to complete your request or rather be slow about it.

This can be resolved by turning ON Fast TV on your device.

Enabling this changes the power settings of your Roku so as to make it responsive to Homekit commands.

Here is how you can turn ON the Fast TV.

1. Navigate and select Settings from the Home tab.

2. Click on System.

3. Select the Power option.

4. Click on Fast TV start(Fast start in the case of Streambar).

5. Enable Fast TV Start or Fast Start.

6. Now you can connect and use your Roku TV with Homekit without any interruption.

Connecting Roku to Homekit - Steps

The absolute first thing to note before you do anything is to ensure that both your Apple device and the Roku are connected to the same network.

With that taken care of, let's ensure that your Roku is in the proper settings to set up Homekit.

Let's start by turning ON screen mirroring on Roku:

Enable Screen Mirroring on Roku

Follow these steps for turning on Homekit on your Roku:

1. In the Home screen tab, open the Settings tile.

2. Click on the System tab.

3. Now select the Screen Mirroring option.

4. Then select Screen Mirroring mode.

5. From the available options select your preferred mode.

6. If you select Allow Always, your device can connect to your Roku without any permission.

7. With Prompt, you will have to accept a popup every time a device tries to connect to your Roku.

Enable HomeKit on Roku

Now that you have enabled all the right settings on your Roku for Homekit, let's enable Homekit on your Roku.

Here are the steps on how to enable Homekit on your Roku:

1. Open the Settings menu.

2. Select Apple AirPlay and HomeKit tile.

3. Click on HomeKit, followed by Set up.

4. In doing so, an 8-digit code with a QR code appears.

5. Open the Home app on your Apple device.

6. Tap on the  “+” in the top right corner and then Add Accessory.

7. Use the camera on your iPhone or iPad to scan the 8-digit code you see on your TV screen.

8. When your Roku TV name appears, tap it. If asked to Add Accessory to Network, tap Allow.

9. Personalize your Roku by naming it and try to assign it to a room to help you identify it better.

10. Tap Next, then Done.

Now your Roku TV is ready for Homekit operations. 

Controls You Can Do with Homekit

Assuming you were able to set up Homekit on your Roku, let's now discuss how you can use it.

There are a few controls that you can use on your Roku with the Homekit implementation.

Here are the different commands and controls supported on your Roku as of now.

1. Power Controls

Pretty straightforward command to turn ON/OFF your Roku without your remote.

Simply select the Roku device from the Home app and tap on the Power icon to turn ON/OFF your device.

Alternatively, you can perform this function through the remote on your device's Control Center.

2. Volume Control

Whether to mute or change the volume of your Roku device, you can rely on HomeKit.

With the help of the Remote app on your Apple device, you can change the volume settings on your Roku.

3. Switching inputs

When using your Roku TV, you can change your TV inputs with Homekit.

Open your Home app, select your Roku TV tile, and then scroll down to change to your desired input.

4. Basic Remote Controls Commands

In addition to the ease of controlling your Roku with the onscreen controls, you can also use voice commands with Siri.

Simply open Siri and try saying some basic commands like “turn off Roku” or “change the input to HDMI 2”.

5. Setting up Scenes

Did you know that you can integrate your Roku with other Homekit-compatible devices to perform and control the many activated Scenes, pretty much like a hub?

Follow these steps to make a scene in the Home app.

1. In the Home app, tap on “+” on the top right corner, then select Add Scene.

2. Choose a suggested scene. If you want to name and create a personalized scene, select Custom scene. Give your scene a name.

3. Tap on Add Accessories to choose the accessories that you want to add, then tap Done once completed.

4. To adjust the settings for an accessory, press and hold it. 

5. To preview the scene, tap Test This Scene. 

6. Turn on Include in Favorites to access your scene in the Control Center.

7. Tap Done.

Common Issues with Connecting Roku to Homekit

Even though using Homekit can be cumbersome and might need some getting used to, you may experience a few hiccups right from the gte-go.

Users have reported a number of issues that they encountered while using Homekit on Roku.

Let's take a look at some of the most common problems. 

1. Connectivity issues

One of the most common problems that users encounter is that they cannot establish a proper connection with the devices.

This is especially evident in the TCL Roku TV wifi issues users have been facing.

The causes of such an issue can be various.

Let's look at some troubleshooting you can do:

★Maintain close proximity while connecting. If your devices are not in close contact during the initial setup, you may not be able to connect them.

★Check for updates. If your devices are not updated to the latest version, you may have difficulty connecting them. 

To check for updates on Roku, go to Settings>System>System update>Check now. Click on Download/Install to install the latest update, if any. 

Your Roku must be version 9.4 or higher, and the iOS version 12.3 or higher.

2. Faulty commands

Having trouble with Homekit showing “no response” messages?

Well, you are not alone. No response error messages are quite common among smart home gadgets and virtual implementations.

You may also experience unresponsive commands like your Roku being Off when it is showing the device is ON on your Home app.

Try these steps to get rid of this issue:

★Check whether your devices are updated to the most current version.

★Check whether the Fast TV option is enabled on your Roku TV.

★Check whether your Roku device other than Roku TV is connected to an HDMI-CEC port.

This is essential for the device to work properly.

Check whether your TV supports CEC by referring to the product manual.

★Reset, only if absolutely necessary. If you have decided to reset your Roku, you have to remember that doing so will revert all your preferences back to factory settings.

Due to a clumped-up cache and wasted memory, your Roku may become slow and unresponsive.

A reset may be the solution to this issue. Here's how you can do it.

1. Open the Settings option.

2. Navigate to the System option.

3. Click on Advanced system settings.

4. Then select Factory reset.

5. Enter the code and click OK.

6. Wait for the procedure to be completed.

7. You will have to pair your Apple device again to use Homekit.

Final Thoughts

From being able to change your Roku's volume from a different room to setting a scene to your liking, Homekit on Roku has proven to be a welcome addition.

Make sure to have a stable enough network connection to sustain a good link between the two devices.

If you are experiencing issues even after going through our brief yet insightful troubleshooting guide, contact the customer services of Roku for further assistance.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Can I AirPlay to Roku?

You can use Airplay on your Roku. Go to Settings>Airplay and Homekit>Enable Airplay. Now select the Roku from your Apple device and follow the prompts to connect the devices.

What is Apple's version of Roku?

Apple TV is Apple's very own streaming platform that features a refined user interface, blazing-fast performance, and support for tons and tons of streaming applications.

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