If you own a Roku, you’re likely using at least a few of its streaming services for entertainment like the Apple TV. But, what happens when your Apple TV is not working on your Roku?
There are several reasons why the Apple TV app may not work with Roku at times, most of which rarely have to do with the app itself.
Your Apple TV not working on Roku could be due to the following:
- Internet connectivity problems
- Remote issues
- Roku bugs
- Software issues
The frustrating thing is that once you have discovered your Apple TV is not working, there is no instant way to diagnose the issue.
But there is a list of common solutions that could help resolve most of the likely reasons for the problem.
Although there are many other reasons the Apple TV app may not work on Roku, the methods suggested here typically solve most of them.
After all, when we want to watch our favorite Apple TV programming, we care about the solution more than that problem, right?
See: Apple TV No Sound? (Do THIS First!)
Let’s talk about 10 easy, common-sense solutions to fix it when your Apple TV is not working on Roku.
Apple TV Not Working on Roku
If your Apple TV is not working on Roku, you need to reset your Roku to factory defaults. On the Roku remote, press the home button five times, the up button once, the rewind button twice, and then the forward button twice. After 10 or 15 seconds, it will automatically reboot.
Allow Roku a few minutes to reconnect after it restarts. Your Apple TV should work on Roku now after a short time!
Restart Your Roku
Without question, the most common fix for almost all glitches and problems with any apps on streaming devices is rebooting them.
A system refresh will usually fix most of these temporary issues, so restarting the device should solve them all. The situation is no different with Roku.
If the Apple TV app does not open or connect after restarting it, the fastest and easiest thing to try is to reset the Roku.
Reset Your Roku
Resetting most modern Rokus is as simple as going to the System menu, then clicking on the System tab. From there, you can navigate to the Power section and select the Restart option.
Alternatively, you can take the much faster route by simply disconnecting the Roku from its power source, waiting about ten seconds, then plugging it back in.
Depending on the Roku device, its age, and its firmware, it should take anywhere between 5 and 30 seconds for the system of the device to run its initialization actions. Once it has restarted, try your Apple TV app again.
Reset Your Wi-Fi Router
If you can’t connect to the Apple TV app after the restart, try some of the other apps that require a Wi-Fi connection.
If you are unable to access those either, you likely have a connectivity problem. As the main hub of connections is either your modem or your router, they may be the issue.
In the event that your Wi-Fi signal is out (which you can see if your phone is also not connected to Wi-Fi), or just your Roku is not detecting it, you can try rebooting your main connection.
You can do this by unplugging your router or modem from its source for about 10 to 15 seconds, then plugging it back in.
Most modems and routers will take about a minute or two to fully reinitialize. This does, however, help to clear out most of the common problems with connectivity.
Check the Roku Remote
If navigation isn’t working and you cannot maneuver around the interface on the Roku, the problem might be with the remote.
The batteries could be low (or missing) which could result in this type of issue. This one doesn’t involve the connection, the app, or the device at all, and might be the easiest to fix by just replacing the batteries with fresh ones.
Unplug the TV from Power Source
At this point, if your Apple TV is still not working on Roku, you’re going to unplug your TV from the power source.
It will probably fix your Apple TV issues if you unplug your TV, such as when your TV won’t turn on or if your TV screen flickers.
It’s important to wait for 60 seconds before plugging your TV and Roku back in. Hold the TV power button for 30 seconds while the TV is unplugged. This will enable the TV to soft reset itself and drain any remaining power in the device.
After 60 seconds, plug in the TV and Roku again, turn on the TV, and Apple TV should start working normally once again.
Check if Apple TV Servers Are Down
Sometimes the problem might not be on your side. Next, you’re going to make sure the Apple TV servers are not down.
You can check Apple’s status page for updates on their services. A red dot will appear next to services that are down. If for some reason the servers are down, you’ll have to wait for Apple to fix the problem.
If Apple’s end seems to be working fine, then the problem is on your side. You can, follow the troubleshooting steps below to fix your Apple TV not working on Roku.
Reinstall the Apple TV App
If you are experiencing issues with the Apple TV app, but none with any of the other apps you have tried, there may be some glitch with the start-up logic of the app itself.
One of the easiest solutions to this issue is to uninstall and then reinstall the app on your Roku device. When you uninstall the application it clears out the cache which is often where problems like this stem from.
A reinstall gives you a new, fresh version of the application, potentially with some updates that have addressed the very problem you are encountering. Once the app is reinstalled, give it another try.
Check Your Internet Speed
Chances are if you have a slow internet speed, your Apple TV will have problems working on Roku.
In order for your Roku player to stream smoothly, you need a minimum download speed of 3.0 Mbps for standard definition and up to 9.0 Mbps for HD content, according to Roku.
If you don’t meet these requirements, then you need a faster internet plan. Or maybe you have an old and low-quality router. If that’s your case, you need to buy a new router that can handle your streaming needs.
Update Roku to the Latest Version
If most apps don’t work or are not accessible, there might be a problem with Roku’s firmware. It could have encountered an error or is simply outdated.
You can take the Roku back to Factory defaults which should take care of this issue. But before you do that, navigate to your Settings menu, then under the System section. check the current version build.
The Roku will tell you if this is the latest version or if there is a more recent firmware update available when you run the Check Now function. If so, update to the latest version and try again.
Factory Reset Your Roku
If that doesn’t work, you’d need to factory reset your Roku device. From the same System menu, navigate to Advanced System Settings and choose Factory Reset.
The Roku will ask you to confirm that you actually want to do this and understand the effects of taking this action. You will be prompted to enter a provided code, and the rest will start.
Keep in mind that this will revert the Roku to factory settings. You’ll have to reinstall any apps that weren’t preinstalled when you first set it up since it will display only those that were included when you first set it up. Additionally, this will erase all your data so you will need to log in again to any apps.
If your Roku is at a point where the system is not navigable, all Roku devices feature a small button at the back or bottom that allows for a “hard” reset.
Locate the reset button (typically small and may require a physical pin to reach), press it, and hold it down for 20 seconds.
The indicator light will start to flash rapidly, at which point you can release the button and allow the factory default reversion to complete.
Final Thoughts on Apple TV Not Working on Roku
Having the Apple TV app not work on the Roku can be frustrating, but the solutions to fix it are very easy.
- Restart your Roku
- Reset your Roku
- Reset your Wi-Fi router
- Unplug TV and Roku device
- Check if the Apple TV servers are down
- Check the Roku remote
- Reinstall the Apple TV app
- Check your internet speed
- Update your Roku to the latest version
- Reset Roku to factory settings
The factory default reset is likely one you will never need to actually reach, as the other solutions are likely to take care of your issue, but it is a good last resort option to keep in mind.
Let me know if this helped fix your Apple TV on Roku. If you found success doing something else, leave me a comment down below!
If none of the options worked, you could reach out to Roku’s tech support to see if they have any other ideas for addressing your issues.
