Roku TV Private Listening: How to Activate and Use

Roku offers many additional features like night mode, movie mode, guest mode, and more. In that lineup, Roku added a unique feature known as private listening to the users. Mainly, private listening focused on a convenient way to watch TV or listen to music without disturbing others in the room, especially during night-time. So, if you have a pair of headphones, you can connect them to your Roku remote or mobile app to experience private listening.

FYI: When Private Listening is enabled, you won’t be hearing audio from the TV speaker.

How to Set Up Private Listening Mode on Roku Via Roku Remote

Private listening works on a compatible Roku voice remote with headphones connected.

[1] Fetch your Roku remote and connect your 3.5mm headphone jack to the remote’s port.

Note: If your headphones have a USB port, use a 3.5mm USB adapter.

[2] After that, open the Roku menu and select Settings.

[3] Under Settings, choose Audio.

[4] Further, turn On the Headphone Mode to enable private listening.

Now, the audio from your Roku device will be outputted via headphones. You can turn Off the Headphone Mode to disable private listening on Roku.

How to Activate Private Listening Mode on Roku Via Roku App

[1] Connect your smartphone and Roku device to the same WIFI network.

[2] Then, install the Roku official mobile app via App Store or Play store.

[3] After installing, launch the app and pair it with your Roku device.

[4] Once paired, tap the Remote icon at the bottom of the screen.

[5] Now, a navigation menu will display on our screen. Click the Private Listening (Headphone icon) button to activate private listening.

Note: After a successful activation, you can see a headphone icon at the top-right corner of your Roku device.

Private Listening Not Working: How to Fix

If the private listening feature doesn’t work properly on your device, here are some troubleshooting methods to try:

• Connect your headphones properly on the Roku remote/mobile app.
• If you’re using wireless headphones, try disconnecting and connecting back in.
• An outdated Roku mobile app may also cause the error. So, update the Roku mobile app to its latest version.
• Some devices are not compatible with Roku. Make sure to check the compatibility before pairing.
• Finally, try to reset your Roku device to revert improper audio settings to their default.

The above troubleshooting work for audio-related and intermittent connection issues with Private Listening.

Know the Limitations of Roku Private Listening

It is obvious that any feature has a limitation, and Private Listening isn’t an exception.

• Note that Private Listening by more than one person is possible on smartphones with Roku mobile app.

• When the headphones are connected to the voice remote, private listening will be disabled on the connected mobile devices.
• The feature is not available for a few Roku TVs with HDMI inputs. i.e., if your TV shows HDMI input source and not the built-in streaming channels, it may not work.

FAQ