How to cast videos to Roku from your phone onto your TV

Michelle Greenlee/Business Insider

• When you cast to Roku, you’re quickly queuing up content from your phone to play on your TV.
• First-time set-up for casting to Roku requires a few steps.
• Casting plays content from supported channels and is not the same as screen mirroring.

You may already know of the conveniences of casting video from your phone to your TV using a Google Chromecast device.

But did you know you can also cast content to a Roku? Casting to a Roku is as simple as tapping an icon, once you set it up.

It may look like a long process, but it’s really quite short.

Setting up your devices

Set-up is required the first time you use the cast feature on Roku. Rest assured, you won’t need to repeat these steps each time you want to cast video from your mobile device.

1. Verify your mobile device and Roku are accessing the same network. Casting to Roku will only work if both devices are connected to the same WiFi network.
2. Ensure the app you want to use is installed on your mobile device and on Roku. The Roku version of the app you want to use (example: Netflix) must be installed on Roku before you can cast to it.

How to cast content to Roku

Michelle Greenlee/Business Insider

Casting to Roku is a straightforward process. There are just a few more steps to go.

1. On your mobile device, open the app you want to use and choose the video you want to cast to your TV.
2. Tap the casting icon from inside the app.
3. Choose your Roku when prompted to select a device.
4. The appropriate Roku channel will launch automatically and playback will begin.

Tips and tricks

Casting is only available on supported Roku channels. You will know a Roku channel is supported when you see the casting icon next to a video on your mobile device. However, some mobile apps wait to display the casting icon until after playback has begun.

During casting, content playback can be controlled using the Roku remote or your mobile device. If you choose to control playback with the Roku remote, your mobile device is free to handle other tasks or use another app. You can even shut down your mobile device if you would like.

The difference between "casting" and "screen mirroring" on Roku

The term "casting" is sometimes used interchangeably with "screen mirroring." Casting and screen mirroring to Roku are not, in fact, the same feature. Casting on Roku is limited to supported channels and does not display your mobile device’s screen on a TV.

Personal photos, videos, and music on your mobile device cannot be shared using the cast function. You’ll instead need to use the Play On Roku option in the free Roku mobile app to listen and view this content to your TV.

Casting to Roku is a quick way to share video from your mobile device. While there are a few limitations, the feature can be handy and save you a few clicks on the Roku remote (no more onscreen keyboard "typing" one letter at a time). Casting will be quite a bit faster after the initial set-up process.  

• Read more:

• The best streaming sticks and boxes you can buy

• ‘We outperform all of them’: Roku is readying itself for competition from the likes of Amazon and Comcast as the streaming war heats up

• I haven’t paid for cable in years — here’s how I keep up with TV without it

NOW WATCH: The history behind duct tape and what makes it a handy solution for just about anything

See Also:

• How to sign out of Amazon from various devices
• How to reset your iPhone to its factory settings
• How to take a screenshot on any iPad model

SEE ALSO: We compared the Roku Streaming Stick and the Amazon Fire TV Stick — and there’s a clear winner

Source: Business Insider – feedback@businessinsider.com (Michelle Greenlee)