So here’s the puzzle: I’d love to wake the Roku from my iPhone without digging out the physical remote every time. Sometimes the app connects only after I nudge the player with the TV remote, which defeats the point. The box is on home Wi-Fi, the phone is too, and I already gave the app Local Network access. If wake-from-standby is possible, what settings need to be on—both on the player and the phone—so it reliably comes to life straight from the couch?
top of page
bottom of page
Label your primary Wi-Fi name where the router sits, keep a short “wake sequence” note near the TV (wake player → open app → wait a few seconds), and give the router a proper reboot if devices stop seeing each other after an update. Spacing gear so nothing blocks antennas or IR windows helps more than you’d think, and picking one band for both phone and player cuts down on roaming hiccups. Once you find the combo that’s steady, write it down so the routine stays brain-off simple next time.
Keep phone and player on the exact same SSID (no guest isolation), leave the Roku connected in standby, and enable any “mobile app control”/network-wake style toggle in its settings. On iPhone, allow Local Network permission, keep Bluetooth on for discovery, and pause VPN/Private Relay if discovery is flaky. In the middle of that routine, an iPhone Roku remote app outlines the same idea step by step. Bonus: if you’ve got a Roku TV, turn on its fast-start option; and as a fallback, HDMI-CEC from a console/streamer can wake the screen, which also helps the app latch on.