How to cast and mirror photos and videos to your Roku device (2022)

Summer is officially in full swing. Whether you took a big vacation abroad or threw the season’s most mouth-watering BBQ right in your own back yard, you’re going to want to relive your memories on the biggest and best screen in the house.

But how?

With this guide, we’ll give you all the tips and tricks you need to cast and mirror content from your iPhone, Android, and Windows devices straight to any Roku device, like the Roku Ultra—our fastest and most powerful player ever.

How to cast photos and videos from your smartphone

“Casting” is when you send video from a compatible app on your smartphone to another display. It’s a common feature of streaming platforms like Netflix and YouTube.

If you’ve ever used an app on your phone and noticed the  symbol in the corner of the video frame, it has casting capabilities. When both your mobile device and Roku streaming device have the app installed, tap the icon while your Roku device is powered on and nearby to select your Roku device from a pop-up list. Doing so will automatically launch the app on your Roku device, and playback of your selected content will begin.

It’s important to remember that for this to work, you must also connect your phone or tablet to the same wireless network as your Roku device. For more info, check out our comprehensive casting guide.

How to mirror your smartphone screen

“Mirroring” differs from casting in that it replicates the screen of your mobile device or tablet, opposed to displaying content only. That means you can share exactly what you see on your device, like web pages, videos, photos, music, and more.

To mirror your screen, first set up and enable the feature on your Android or Windows device and request a connection to your Roku device. Once the request is confirmed and the connection is established, the mobile screen will display on your TV.

While mirroring, as we’ve discussed it here, is not available on Apple devices, a version of it is available through Apple AirPlay, which we’ll discuss next.

For more background on mirroring, take a look at our complete guide on mirroring.

Using Apple AirPlay to cast content

Apple AirPlay lets you effortlessly stream movies, music, shows, and photos to your compatible Roku device right from your iPhone, iPad, or Mac. It can both cast specific content, as well as mirror your Apple device’s screen directly to your Roku device. And because it’s an Apple app, you can use Siri to control the content you stream to your Roku device, too.

For a complete guide to what Apple and Roku devices are compatible for using AirPlay, please refer to our comprehensive AirPlay guide.

How to share content with Roku Photo Streams

Imagine turning your TV into a giant picture frame with all your favorite memories. That’s exactly what Roku Photo Streams does!

Roku Photo Streams is a new feature that lets you display your personal photos and videos on your Roku device. You can create up to 10 Photo Streams with your free Roku account, and even invite up to 25 family members and friends to contribute to shared Photo Streams. Your favorite photos and videos can be displayed using the Photo Streams app on your Roku device home screen or as a Photo Streams screensaver.

To learn more, read all about Roku Photo Streams.

Play on Roku with the Roku mobile app

The free Roku mobile app for iOS and Android includes a helpful feature called Play on Roku. It lets you display personal media files from your mobile to your Roku streaming device or Roku TV.

Once you’ve installed the latest version of the Roku mobile app, make sure to connect your phone or tablet to the same wireless network as your Roku device. Upon launching the mobile app and choosing what to view from your phone or tablet, it will appear on your TV!

Refer to the Roku device comparison chart to determine which Roku products support Play on Roku or read our complete guide on using Play on Roku.

And there you have it! You’ve got all it takes to experience all your memories on the biggest, brightest display in your home.

Now that your best moments are on display, why not spruce up your Roku device home screen with our new Roku City wallpaper? Or level up your streaming experience with our RCA, Westinghouse, and Sharp Roku TV models!

Happy Streaming!

Apple, AirPlay, iPhone, iPad, Mac and Siri are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries and regions.