How To Connect Phone To Roku TV Without WiFi? Best Methods

Kevin Wood Updated on
how to connect phone to roku tv without wifi

Wondering how to connect phone to Roku TV without WiFi? Luckily for you, there are more than enough ways to do that if you’re having an Android.

We have even prepared a way to cast an iPhone to Roku even though they use Airplay limiting them only to mirror to Apple devices.

To connect Android phones to Roku TV without WiFi, you can use the Roku application feature, the native screen mirroring, or a 3rd party app called Miracast. iPhone users can easily cast the screen on Roku TV by using a hotspot.

To learn how to do it properly without a chance to fail, make sure to read the next part explaining the main differences in screen casting.

How Do I Connect My Phone To My Roku TV Without WiFi?

Before we begin with all possible methods of connecting a smartphone to your Roku TV, it is important to mention the difference between the sharing.

Generally, there are two different types of screen mirroring/sharing a smartphone device to your Roku TV.

The first one is a direct screen mirror, using a feature or a committed app for the purpose and the second one is casting.

What Is The Difference Between Screen Mirroring And Casting?

The major difference is that Casting services can be provided by apps and have more optimized efficiency.

While the screen mirroring can go through bugs and glitches and sometimes they are not optimized.

Screen mirroring is most frequently used for playback on videos stored on your smartphone devices, while the casting is focused on a singular feature that the corresponding app includes.

How To Connect Phone to Roku TV Without WiFi?

connect phone to roku tv without wifi

Now that we have the differences mentioned, let’s take a look at the easiest methods to connect a smartphone or cellphone device to your Roku TV without using the services of a WiFi connection.

Method #1 Use The Roku App

The first and most widely recommended method is to use the Roku app your TV’s manufacturers offer.

The Roku app has the best-optimized functions for screen mirroring to a Roku TV but sadly, only works on Android devices.

Alert: If you’re an iPhone user, your Roku TV will be unable to detect your smartphone because Apple uses Airplay.

Here is a step-to-step list on how to download and apply the Roku app:

  1. Go to the Google Play store and search for “Roku TV”.
  2. Download the trusted result of your search.
  3. Wait for the app to be initialized and open the app.
  4. Follow the on-screen instructions until you set up the app.
  5. Once done, go to the Devices tab and select a type of Media (Search for TV).
  6. And for the final step, click on a file to screen mirror to your Roku TV.

Once you’re done with these steps, to load a different file, head back to the app and since your TV is already connected with the Roku app, choose a different media stored on your Phone.

Method #2 Use Native Screen Mirroring

Another way of screen mirroring your Android phone to your Roku TV is to use the native screen mirroring feature.

Nowadays, almost every new Android device wields the native screen mirroring feature, which will let you scan for your TV manually and broadcast media.

Here are the steps to use native screen mirroring:

  1. Go to the settings on your Android phone.
  2. Head to the connected devices tab and click on connection preferences.
  3. Look for a feature under one of those names: Cast/Screen mirror/Screen Cast.
  4. Once you have found a similar feature, wait for your phone to scan for your Roku TV
  5. Now click on the result once.

If the process was successful, from that tab you will be able to add media which your Roku TV is going to broadcast directly from your phone.

Method #3 Use Miracast

If you still don’t know how do I connect phone to my Roku TV without WiFi, use Miracast

Unlike any other service that requires an active WiFI connection to the screen mirror, Miracast is free of using any WiFi services.

Since it uses a direct connection with your TV from a smartphone, it will let you screen mirror without using an active Wi-Fi point that has both your TV and smartphone connected to it.

Below are all of the steps on how to set up and use the screen mirroring feature Miracast your Roku TV has:

  1. Go to the settings of your Roku TV and search for the Miracast feature in the “Cast” tab.
  2. On your Android phone, head to Settings > Display > Wireless Display and locate the Wireless display feature, and turn it ON.
  3. Let your phone scan for your Roku TV for a couple of minutes.

Note: Miracast will only work on Android phones that are with the 5.0 version or above.

Any Android firmware that is below that, won’t have the Wireless display feature and won’t be able to scan for your Roku TV.

Keep in mind that Miracast does not work with iPhones either and will only screen mirrors with Android units.

Next, we’ll be focusing on how to share screen on iPhones, but the upcoming method is also suitable for Androids so feel free to try it if necessary.

Method #4 Use WiFi Hotspot (iPhone & Android)

If using a direct WiFi to screen mirror is unavailable for you, then you can use a hotspot connection to identify both of your devices and let them connect.

Down below we have all of the steps on how to enable and use a WiFi hotspot to screen mirror your Roku TV and smartphone:

Step 1: On your Android phone, head to Wi-Fi & Network > Hotspot & Tethering > Hotspot and turn the feature on. (The same steps stand for iPhones as well).

Step 2: Once your hotspot is discoverable, disconnect from the Wi-Fi on your Roku TV if you had already connected to one and connect with your smartphone’s hotspot.

Step 3: On your Android phone, go to Settings > Display > Wireless Display and turn on the feature.

Step 4: Then, go to Settings > Bluetooth >Cast and turn on “Enable Wireless Display”.

That’s it! This is the easiest way so far of screen mirroring since it is both accessible to Android and iPhone users as well!

You should now be able to screen mirror media freely from your TV device to your Roku TV!

Read Next: Why is My Disney Now App Not Working on Roku?

Bottom Line:

There are three different ways to connect an Android phone to a Roku TV. You can do that by using the Roku TV app or the native screen mirroring. The third way is by using a 3rd party app called Miracast and for iPhones, you can emit and use a hotspot.

Now that we have answered the question “how do I connect phone to my Roku TV without WiFi?” you should not have any difficulties regardless of your phone’s brand.

We hope that you’ll enjoy streaming content directly from your phone to Roku TV and if you need any help with other smart devices in your home, make sure to check our blog!