A Roku audio out of sync can ruin your streaming experience. The other night, I was watching a show with my wife and noticed the sound would lag when I paused the stream and would not sync back automatically when I resumed back.
It’s frustrating when the sound is not following the action on the screen. This is a common occurrence that many other Roku users have been reporting. Fortunately, there are things that you can do and steps that you can do yourself to possibly fix the issue.
This guide will help you troubleshoot your Roku audio out-of-sync issue so you can go back to enjoying your streaming.
Some of these suggestions will apply to fix other Roku issues, such as when your Roku remote is blinking green, or Roku keeps restarting.
How to Fix Roku Audio Out Of Sync
If your Roku audio is out of sync, you need to restart your Roku device, reset the audio settings, and ensure a strong internet connection. If you still have audio delay problems with your Roku, go through the steps below.
1. Restart Your Roku
As with most electronic devices with some type of operating system, it is always easiest to reboot the device and let the operating system restart.
This is the most basic step to start out with, while it may not solve the current problem. The best way to ensure that the Roku does, in fact, restart is to follow these steps:
- Push the Home button on your remote control.
- Click Settings on the screen.
- Select System on the screen.
- Click Power on the screen.
- Click Restart on the screen.
- Give it time to power off and come back on.
Check to see if the audio is back in sync with the video.
2. Check all the Wires and Cables
If restarting the Roku did not fix the audio problem, the next things to check are the cables and connection to your Internet.
Depending on your specific situation, your Roku might have two wires or cables connected to it. One would be the HDMI cable that connects your Roku to your television.
The other would be the Ethernet patch cord to your Internet router (disregard if you are using a WiFi connection).
Ensure that both are securely plugged in and that they are not being stretched to fit. Also, be sure that they are not frayed or that you see exposed wires. If you do, immediately replace them. Both cables are readily available in stores.
3. Check Your Internet Speed
Another culprit for the audio issues with the Roku is “slow internet speed.” In general, streaming services require a really high-speed Internet connection to deliver the best results.
Unfortunately, this is a very typical issue for people and can be the cause of an audio out-of-sync problem.
Fortunately, Roku provides you with a way to test the Internet connection speed built into its system.
By following these steps, you will be able to see if that is the possible cause.
- On your remote control, push the Home button.
- On the screen, click the Settings button.
- On the screen, select Network.
- On the screen, select About.
- Look on the right-hand side of the screen.
If it says Excellent or Good, then it is not your internet connection. If it says Fair or Poor, you should look into the problem with your Internet connection.
You can use an online speed test site that can tell you the current speed of your Internet connection.
4. Check a Different Streaming Service
One way to better isolate the audio problem to just one streaming service is to open one of the other channels on the Roku and test to see if there is the same out-of-sync issue.
If the problem still exists, then you know it is a problem with the Roku itself and not a problem with your streaming service.
However, if there is no problem with other streaming channels, then you know it is isolated to the one the service.
Follow these steps to remove and reinstall the channel to see if it fixes the problem.
- Remove the app you are having problems with from Roku.
- Select Streaming Channels and click OK.
- Select 4K UHD Content Available.
- Look for the app from the list.
Check to see if you can launch the app.
5. Reset Roku Network Setting
If none of the previous attempts have worked, it could be because the WiFi settings are still being stored in the Roku. To be sure that this is not part of the problem, you can remove the WiFi settings.
You do this by following the steps below:
- Push the Home button on your remote control.
- Select Settings on the screen.
- Select System on the screen.
- Select Advanced System Settings on the screen.
- Select Network Connect Reset on the screen.
- Select Reset Connection on the right of the screen.
Check to see if your Roku still has audio sync problems.
6. Check Roku Audio Settings
The next thing to try is also a popular thing that is tried to fix this issue. Try to tweak the audio settings in the Roku might be the thing that fixes your problem as well.
Going into the settings is really easy using the remote.
- Using the remote, push the Home button.
- Select Settings on the Screen
- Select Advanced Settings on the Screen.
- Select Audio Menu on the screen.
- Select Audio Mode on the Screen.
- Switch it to Stereo Mode on the screen.
- Select PCM-Stereo in the HDMI Mode.
Go back and try to stream a show or movie to see if the sound is still lagging.
7. Check Sound Volume and Audio Leveling
Since the problem you are experiencing is sound-related, it makes sense to keep checking the audio settings of the Roku.
The sound volume and audio leveling may seem close to each, but they are actually different as far as the Roku is concerned. They are actually two separate settings as far as the Roku goes.
Here are the steps to follow to check both settings. Keep in mind you must be playing content inside a streaming channel to access these settings.
To get to the Volume Mode
- On the remote control, push the * (Asterisk button).
- Select Volume Mode on the screen menu
- Select Turn Off volume mode on the screen and count to 30
- Select Turn On volume mode on the screen.
Check to see if the sound issue still exists.
To get to the Audio Leveling
- On the remote control, push the * (Asterisk button).
- Select Audio Leveling from the menu on the screen
- Switch Audio Leveling off.
Check to see if this fixes the audio sync problem with your Roku device.
8. Clear Roku System Cache
Like with your computer, the Roku stores data related to the operation of the Roku in memory to make going back to certain operations faster.
However, as this memory buffer continues to fill up, it can begin affecting the normal operation of the Roku.
In order to clear out the old cache memory, you need to follow the steps precisely in the order below.
Clearing Cache Memory on your Roku:
- Go to the Home tab on Roku.
- Push the Home button five times consecutively.
- Push the Up button on the direction pad portion of the remote control.
- Push the Rewind button twice consecutively.
- Push the Fast forward button twice consecutively.
You will notice the Roku will restart and the cache will be all cleared, and you can test the sound again to see if it is fixed.
9. Reset Your Roku
If none of the above suggestions worked to fix the Out of Sync sound problem, the last resort would be to reset your Roku.
This should fix all of the problems that you are experiencing. By doing this, you will need to go back and set your preferences back to where you had them.
This also means you will have to add the streaming channels you added yourself since the initial setup was done.
To reset the Roku back to factory settings, you need to follow the steps below:
- Push the Home button on the remote control
- Select Settings on the screen
- Select Systems on the screen
- Select Advanced System Settings on the screen
- Select Factory Reset on the screen
Follow the onscreen process once the Roku comes back up.
Final Thoughts on Roku Audio Out of Sync
The Roku Streaming Box is a useful device that brings all of your streaming services into one simple-to-use device.
Unfortunately, it is not without its malfunctions. Many people have experienced issues over the years since it was first introduced.
The sound is a frequently reported issue, with the Out of Sync being one of the biggest complaints. Hopefully, this guide has provided you with a workable solution for your “Roku audio out of sync” issue.
If you have any feedback or questions, then please don’t hesitate to leave a comment below.
