How to use your smartphone to control Roku
In case you’ve never tried it, the Roku mobile app can double as a handy remote control when the real one isn’t within reach.
We’re always losing track of one remote or another, especially if we have to share them with someone else while hunkered down on the couch.
Roku announced this week that their latest update to their mobile app for iOS and Android has a new feature or two that you should try out.
You can download the latest Roku app either at iTunes or your Google Play Store. This is a quick rundown of what you can now do on the Roku mobile app.
Navigation on Roku mobile app
There is a new navigation bar at the bottom of the Roku mobile app. Tap it once and you can pull up a menu of streaming channels that are on your Roku device.
Once you launch the Roku app, you can scroll through all of your streaming channels – whether it’s Netflix, 4K content, Sling TV or CNN go. You can also hit the What’s On button to explore shows and movies.
When you start a streaming channel like Netflix, the remote control automatically appears so you can navigate around the menus to pick a show or movie.
4 features to try on the Roku mobile app
Remote control mode transforms the screen of your smartphone to resemble the actual Roku remote. It’s a similar idea to the Amazon Fire TV
The update on Roku app brings us a closer match to the actual remote that comes with your Roku device. At the top right of the remote screen, there is box-shaped channels icon for quick access to your installed streaming channels.
Plug your headphones into your smartphone for private listening. This is another great feature on the Roku remote for when you want to watch shows at night and not have to worry about waking up loved ones after their bedtime.
Search for movies, or favorite shows with your voice. Voice control will be a key feature for streaming devices in 2017. Roku doesn’t plan on being left behind. Even if you don’t have a voice-control option on your Roku remote control, your Roku app does. So feel free to search for your favorite shows by uttering commands into your phone.
Share your photos, music and videos from your smartphone to your TV. You can easily cast content from your smartphone to Roku.
Jim Kimble is a seasoned industry expert with over two decades of journalism experience. He has been at the forefront of the cord-cutting movement since 2016, testing and writing about TV-related products and services. He founded The Cord Cutting Report in 2016.
Major publications, including MarketWatch, Forbes, and South Florida Sun Sentinel, have interviewed Kimble for his years of expertise. He gives advice on the complexities consumers are navigating with streaming options, and over-the-air TV. Kimble has been a staff writer or correspondent for several award-winning, daily newspapers, including The Boston Globe. You can follow Jim on LinkedIn, YouTube and at X at @james_kimble
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