Private listening: the TV's sound in your headphones
Private listening is the feature people install a remote app for. Your Roku sends its sound to your iPhone over your Wi-Fi, your iPhone plays it into your headphones, and the TV's own speakers go silent. Watch a film at two in the morning without waking anybody, or hear the dialogue clearly in a room full of other people.
Start listening
- Connect your headphones to your iPhone first — wired or Bluetooth, either is fine.
- In Roku Remote, tap Listen.
- Tap Start listening. It takes a second or two to connect.
- The TV's speakers go quiet and the sound arrives in your headphones. Use your iPhone's volume buttons to set the level.
- If the sound is slightly ahead of or behind the picture, move the Sound sync slider towards Earlier or Later until lips and voices line up.
- Tap Stop listening when you are done, and the TV's speakers come back.
It keeps playing with the screen locked
Lock your iPhone and the sound carries on, with the usual playback controls on the Lock Screen. Pausing from there stops private listening and gives the TV its speakers back, so you can put the phone down without digging through the app.
About the delay
Sound sent over a network and played through headphones arrives a fraction of a second late, and Bluetooth headphones add a little more than wired ones. The Sound sync slider exists for exactly that: set it once for the headphones you usually use and it is remembered. Wired headphones need the least correction.
FAQ
- Can other people in the room still hear the TV?
- No — that is the point. The Roku mutes its own speakers while you are listening, and they come back when you stop.
- Can two people listen at once?
- One iPhone at a time. The Roku hands its sound to a single listener.
- Does it use my microphone?
- No. The app plays sound; it never records. It does not ask for microphone access at all.
- Does private listening need PRO?
- Yes. It is one of the three things Roku Remote PRO unlocks, along with the keyboard and the widgets.
- Will it work with my Roku?
- Most Roku TVs and players offer it. A few of the oldest players do not, and on those the Listen button says so rather than failing silently.
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.