Device guide
IPTV on Roku: what works and what does not
Roku is the one popular streaming system on which you cannot install an IPTV player. It is better to know that before you order than after. This page explains why, and what you can do with a television that has a Roku.
- Player on the Roku itself
- Not possible
- Extra apps allowed
- No
- Workarounds
- Screen mirroring, AirPlay
- Practical answer
- A second stick in another HDMI port
Why Roku is different
A Roku only runs the channels that Roku approves for its own store. It has no setting to install an app from elsewhere, unlike a Firestick or an Android TV device, and its store is not a place to count on for players that open an M3U playlist or an Xtream Codes login: the few that appeared over the years were later removed.
That is a limit of Roku, not of your plan. Smartiflix works on any device that runs an IPTV player app, and a Roku is the rare one that cannot run any. Guides that promise a trick to unlock a Roku are best ignored: the system is closed, and such tricks either never worked or were shut down long ago.
None of this stops you from watching Smartiflix on the television your Roku is plugged into. It only means the Roku itself will not be the device that plays it.
Two ways to send the picture to a Roku
A Roku can show what another device is playing. You install the player on a phone, a tablet or a computer, start a channel there and send the picture to the television.
| Method | From which device | What it is like |
|---|---|---|
| Screen mirroring | An Android phone or a Windows computer | It works, with some delay and a softer picture, and the device is busy while you watch |
| AirPlay | An iPhone, an iPad or a Mac | A better picture than mirroring, on Roku models that support AirPlay |
To allow screen mirroring
- On the Roku, open Settings, then System, then Screen mirroring.
- Set the mode to Prompt or Always allow.
- On the phone or computer, start casting or projecting the screen and choose the Roku.
To allow AirPlay
- On the Roku, open Settings, then Apple AirPlay and HomeKit, and turn AirPlay on.
- Make sure the Roku and the Apple device are on the same Wi-Fi network.
- Start a channel in the player on the Apple device, tap the AirPlay button and choose the Roku.
Both are fine for an occasional evening. For daily viewing they are a compromise, because a second device has to stay on, charged and nearby. The iPhone and iPad guide and the Windows guide explain how to set up the player on those devices.
What we recommend: a stick beside the Roku
Most televisions have more than one HDMI port. Leave the Roku where it is and plug a Fire TV or Android TV stick into another port. Switch the TV input to the stick when you want Smartiflix, and back to the Roku for everything else.
On the stick you install a player, enter your details once and use the remote like any other app. Follow the Firestick guide or the Android TV guide.
If your television is a Roku TV, with the system built in, the answer is the same: the stick goes into one of its HDMI ports and the Roku side of the TV stays as it is.
Before you order
- Decide how you will watch: a stick on the same TV, or another device in the house.
- Use the free trial to test that route on your own screen. It costs nothing and no payment details are requested.
- If you plan to mirror or use AirPlay, try it for a whole evening before you rely on it.
- Ask support if you are unsure. The team answers by WhatsApp or email at any hour.