How to Use Private Listening Mode in the Roku App

The Roku app that you can download on your iPhone allows you to control your Roku device when you are connected to the same wireless network as the Roku. This is great if you can’t find your remote, or if you need to type something on an app and want to do it a little more quickly.

The Roku app also has a feature called Private Listening Mode that will output audio (except audio from games) through your iPhone so that you can listen to it on headphones. This means that audio won’t come out of the TV, and you will be able to hear it on your headphones instead.

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The Prime Video app is a great way to watch movies and TV shows, but you might need to change accounts. Our article about how to sign out of Prime Video on Roku can help you.

How to Use Private Listening Mode in the iPhone Roku App

The steps in this article were performed on an iPhone 7 Plus in iOS 12.2, with the most current version of the Roku app available at the time this article was written. I am connecting to a Roku Express (view on Amazon), but this will also work on most newer Roku models.

This guide assumes that you have already downloaded the Roku app to your iPhone and signed in with your Roku account. Additionally, you will need to have the following prerequisites in place:

  • iPhone and Roku both connected to the same wireless network
  • Headphones (either wired or Bluetooth) connected to the iPhone
  • Roku model must be compatible with Private Listening Mode (visit the Roku model comparison page here to see if your model is compatible)

Step 1: Open the Roku mobile app. As stated previously, your headphones should already be connected to your iPhone.

open the roku app

Step 2: Tap the Remote tab at the bottom of the screen. If you are prompted to connect to a device, you can follow the instructions to do so, then choose the Remote tab again when you are connected.

select the remote tab

Step 3: Touch the headphones icon at the bottom-right of the screen.

how to use private listening mode in the iphone roku app

When Private Listening Mode is activated you will see the following pop-up, where you can choose whether or not you wish to see this message again in the future.

private listening mode activated

Now that you know how to use private listening mode in the Roku app, you can use this feature to watch content on your television without disturbing someone else in the room.

Do you have another Bluetooth device that you want to connect to your iPhone? Find out more about connecting multiple Bluetooth devices at the same time.

You can also check out our Roku Express review to learn more about that device.

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