Private listening connects but there is no sound
Private listening sends a steady stream of audio from the Roku to your iPhone across your Wi-Fi. If the TV's speakers go quiet but your headphones stay silent, the connection was made and the sound is being lost on the way.
Check these, in this order
- Check your headphones. Play anything else on the iPhone to be sure the sound is going where you think it is, and that the volume is up and the silent switch is not muting an alert-only route.
- Check that both devices are on the same network, and ideally the same band. A phone on 5 GHz and a TV on 2.4 GHz of the same router usually works, but separate networks never do.
- Switch off any VPN on the iPhone. A VPN routes the iPhone's traffic elsewhere, and the audio stream cannot follow it back to your living room.
- Look for client isolation (sometimes AP isolation, or a “guest” mode) in your router's settings and switch it off for your own network. It is designed to stop exactly this kind of device-to-device traffic.
- Stop and start listening again. If the stream was interrupted, a fresh connection is the quickest fix.
- Move closer to the router, or use the 5 GHz band if both devices can. Audio needs very little bandwidth but does need a steady connection.
If it stutters or breaks up
- A congested network is the usual cause — a big download, or someone else streaming in 4K.
- A mesh network that moves your iPhone between nodes can drop the stream as it switches. Staying in one room while you listen avoids it.
- Microwave ovens and some cordless phones interfere with 2.4 GHz specifically, which makes the problem look mysterious and time-dependent.
If the sound is out of step with the picture
That is not a fault. Open Listen and move the Sound sync slider: Later if the sound arrives before the lips move, Earlier if it trails behind. Bluetooth headphones need more correction than wired ones, and the setting is remembered.
FAQ
- It worked yesterday and not today.
- Start with the VPN and the network: an automatic VPN that switched itself on, or an iPhone that joined a guest network, explains most of these.
- The TV's speakers stayed on.
- Then listening never really started. Stop and start it again, and check that the Roku is the one you think it is if you have more than one.
- Can I use AirPods?
- Yes. Expect to move the sound-sync slider further than you would for wired headphones, because Bluetooth adds its own delay.
Roku Remote is an independent app and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Roku, Inc. Roku is a trademark of Roku, Inc.
The remote you never lose
Roku Remote gives your iPhone a touchpad, a keyboard for searching and signing in, your channels, private listening through your headphones and a sleep timer. It finds your Roku on your Wi-Fi — no account, and nothing through our servers.
Coming soon to the App Store for iPhone.