Among the best budget smart TV brands today are Roku TVs. It’s compatible with most streaming apps and has various useful features. However, some Roku TV users are curious about “does Roku TV have Bluetooth?”
Having TCL Roku TV Bluetooth is essential when connecting to other Bluetooth-ready devices. This guide will show you whether Roku TVs have Bluetooth functionality and how to connect external Bluetooth devices to your Roku TV.
Read on to learn more.
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Does Roku TV and Roku Streaming Sticks Support Bluetooth?
No. Unlike other smart TV brands and streaming sticks, Roku devices don’t have Bluetooth connectivity. However, when you’re using it with an external Roku accessory—a Roku wireless soundbar or a wireless speaker—you can use them to pair your Bluetooth devices. Also, your Roku soundbar or speaker must be properly set up for this to work.
So if you’re wondering, “Do Roku sticks have Bluetooth?” Unfortunately, they don’t. But you can still follow some workarounds to connect your Bluetooth device through other means.
How to Connect Bluetooth Devices to Your Roku TV
Since, according to Roku, you cannot directly connect Bluetooth devices to a standalone Roku TV, you’ll need to use a Roku-compatible speaker or soundbar to add this feature to your TV.
We’ll explain in detail below some methods that you can try to connect Bluetooth devices on your Roku TV. Remember to review each method and check which one you think is the most effective:
Method #1: Connect a Roku Wireless Speaker or Soundbar to Your Roku TV
The most recommended way to add Bluetooth functionality to your Roku TV is by using a Roku wireless soundbar or speaker. Since these external audio devices primarily support Bluetooth, you can pair your Bluetooth devices to them while linked to your Roku TV.
To pair your Roku wireless speaker or soundbar to your Roku TV, follow these steps:
- Plug the power cable for your Roku wireless speakers or soundbar and turn on your TV.
- Once switched on, your audio device will dictate the necessary steps to help pair your device to the TV.
- Press the Home button on the Roku remote for five seconds to show the pairing screen. Your Roku TV will now begin scanning for nearby Roku devices.
- Select your Roku Wireless Speaker or Roku Wireless Soundbar from the list of devices to pair.
- Follow the on-screen steps to set up your audio device and select Confirm Settings to finish.
Once you’ve paired your Roku wireless speaker or soundbar, you can now use it to link other Bluetooth-compatible devices to your Roku TV. To do this, proceed to these steps:
- Press the Home button on the remote and go to Settings > Remotes & Devices.
- Choose Pair a new device and select Bluetooth device.
- Navigate to the Bluetooth settings on the device you want to pair to your Roku TV.
- Select Roku TV from the list of nearby Bluetooth devices.
- Your preferred device will now be paired with your Roku TV.
Method #2: Use a Bluetooth Adapter or Transmitter
If you want to connect your own wireless speaker or headphones to your Roku TV, you’ll need to use a Bluetooth adapter or transmitter. Make sure to find one that supports various Input/Output (I/O) connections and has excellent digital-to-analog converter (DAC) capabilities.
To connect a Bluetooth adapter to your Roku TV and use it for your Bluetooth-ready audio device, follow the steps below:
- Plug your Bluetooth adapter into your Roku TV’s I/O ports at the back. Plug it into a power source if it needs external power.
- Turn on your Roku TV and press the Home button.
- Navigate to Settings > Audio and choose S/PDIf and ARC.
- Choose the PCM-stereo option.
- Next, set the Bluetooth adapter and your wireless audio device in pairing mode. Remember to keep them close to each other to avoid pairing issues.
- Once paired, you can now start streaming audio content from your Roku TV to your wireless headphones or speakers.
Method #3: Connect Bluetooth Devices to Your Roku TV via the Roku App
Another way to connect wireless Bluetooth audio devices to your Roku TV is through the Private Listening feature in the Roku app (available in iOS and Android). This works by connecting your Bluetooth headphones to your smartphone, which has the Roku app installed and paired to your Roku TV.
However, note that when Private Listening is active, you won’t hear audio from your Roku TV’s speakers since they’ll be exclusively going through your connected wireless audio device.
To connect your Bluetooth audio device to your Roku TV via the Roku app, do the following:
- Connect both your smartphone and Roku TV to the same wireless connection.
- Launch the Roku app on your smartphone and choose Remote.
- Select Devices and tap Connect Now.
- Choose your Roku TV from the list of nearby Roku devices and follow the on-screen steps to connect both devices.
- Next, set your wireless Bluetooth audio device to pairing mode and enable the Bluetooth feature on your smartphone.
- Then, go to your phone’s Bluetooth settings and tap your audio device from the list of nearby Bluetooth devices to pair.
- Once connected, go back to the Roku app and choose Remote > Remote Listening (headphone icon). Tap OK.
- You can now begin streaming audio from your Roku TV to your paired wireless audio device.
Final Thoughts
Having Bluetooth on devices like your smart TV is a handy feature when pairing various external devices. While Roku TVs don’t have Bluetooth capabilities—besides pairing to Roku wireless soundbars and speakers—you can still pair your Bluetooth devices by following the steps above.
Hopefully, this guide helps you know if Roku devices have Bluetooth and the workarounds to pair a Bluetooth device to your Roku TV. If you’re having Bluetooth connection issues, try re-pairing your device and avoiding signal interference.