How to Stream Apple Music on Roku (2022)

Spotify is the biggest music streaming service across the globe right now. But despite its immense popularity and massive premium subscriber count, it faces fierce competition from the likes of Amazon Music and Apple Music all the time.

Apple Music, in particular, has over 70 million subscribers worldwide, making it the second-largest music streaming service. It competes with the current market leader Spotify and goes toe-to-toe with it in countries like the United States.

If you are an iPhone, iPad, or Mac user, chances are you already pay for an Apple Music subscription to get access to its library of over 70 million songs, curated playlists, and radio stations. You also probably have recently heard of people using Apple Music on Roku, so you might wonder whether you can do the same on your Roku device too. Is Apple Music Available as a Roku Channel?

Many of you have the misconception of Apple Music being officially available on Roku, but that simply isn’t the case. The only Apple service you can get in the form of a Roku channel is Apple TV, which only offers on-demand movies and shows.

Having said that, you can still play Apple Music on Roku devices using the AirPlay protocol.

If you didn’t know, AirPlay is Apple’s proprietary wireless streaming protocol that allows iPhone, iPad, and Mac users to share media on an AirPlay-compatible display, speaker, or the Apple TV device over a secure network.

It works quite similarly to Chromecast, except that it’s more seamless and restricted.

Some of Roku’s newer models support AirPlay, meaning that you can cast tracks from the Apple Music app on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac to your Roku device on the same network. The tutorial below will help you do it.

Unfortunately, AirPlay doesn’t work on Android devices. However, we also have a different workaround for those who use the Apple Music app on Android phones and tablets.

Get Apple Music on Roku Using iPhone / iPad / Mac

AirPlay is seamless, so your iPhone or iPad can natively communicate with your supported Roku device. The process is as simple as it gets, but there are a few requirements:

• Your iPhone, iPad, or Mac has to be connected to the same Wi-Fi or Ethernet network as your Roku device.
• You need a Roku device that supports AirPlay and HomeKit. The process won’t work unless you have one of the following Roku devices:
  1. Roku Streaming Stick+ (3810 or later)
  2. Roku Premiere (3920 or newer)
  3. Roku Ultra (4640 or above)
  4. Roku Smart Soundbar
  5. Roku Streambar
  6. Roku TV (models starting with A, C, and 7 codes).
• The compatible Roku device must be running Roku OS 9.4 or above. To manually check for the update, go to Settings > System > System update menu from the Roku Home screen, then click the Check Now.
• Your iPhone or iPad needs to run iOS 12.3 or later. If you have a Mac, make sure it’s running macOS Mojave 10.14.5 or a newer version of the operating system.
• You need an active Apple Music subscription linked to your Apple ID.

If you meet the requirements, follow the detailed instructions corresponding to your device to get Apple Music on Roku over AirPlay.

iPhone / iPad

• First, launch the Apple Music app from the Home screen, then choose to play your favorite track.
• Next, click the AirPlay Audio icon at the bottom of the playback slider. It looks like three circles with an upward-pointing triangle overlapping at the bottom.
• Select your Roku device from the “Speakers & TVs” section of the AirPlay menu.
• Your Roku device should show you a four-digit passcode. Enter it in the AirPlay menu on your iPhone or iPad.

Upon authorizing your Roku device, the chosen track from Apple Music should almost immediately start playing back through your TV speakers or connected sound system. Here’s another way to stream audio from Apple Music to Roku with AirPlay:

• Start playing music from the Apple Music app on your iPhone or iPad.
• Now open the Control Center, then tap and hold the music controls on the upper-right side.
• After that, tap the AirPlay logo next to the track name, then choose your Roku device in the list.

Once you are done listening, you can deselect your Roku player or TV from the AirPlay menu to stop streaming.

Mac

• Open Apple Music on your Mac. Make sure you update it to the latest version from the App Store first.
• When playing a track, click the AirPlay icon right next to the volume slider above the window.
• Select your Roku player or TV from the list of compatible devices nearby.
• At last, pair your Roku with your Mac desktop or laptop by entering the prompted passcode.

When you wish to stop streaming music, simply deselect your Roku device from the AirPlay menu in the Apple Music app or the menu bar.

Troubleshooting AirPlay

If you don’t see your AirPlay 2-compatible Roku model in the AirPlay menu, chances are it’s disabled on your Roku streaming player, television, or soundbar. Here’s how to enable it:

• First of all, scroll down the Roku Home screen and click Settings.
• Navigate to the end of the Settings page again to select AirPlay and HomeKit.
• Now go to the AirPlay and HomeKit Settings screen and turn on the AirPlay.

Once you follow the steps, we recommend restarting the Roku device for the changes to take effect.

Get Apple Music on Roku Using Android

As we mentioned earlier, AirPlay isn’t available on Android phones and tablets, so none of the instructions above will work if you are using Apple Music on an Android device.

However, the Apple Music app on Android supports Chromecast, allowing you to cast music to a Chromecast player or a smart TV with Chromecast built-in. The problem is– Roku doesn’t support Google’s Chromecast streaming protocol.

So, the only workaround to getting Apple Music on Roku using Android is Miracast or screen mirroring, a rather unconventional solution at its best. Here are the requirements:

• You need an Android device running Android 5.0 Lollipop or later.
• Install the latest version of the Apple Music app on your Android phone or tablet from the Google Play Store.
• You must sign in to the Apple Music app using an Apple ID alongside an active Apple Music subscription.
• Both the Android phone/tablet and Roku device must be connected to the same Wi-Fi or local network.

Provided that you meet the requirements, go through the following steps to mirror the Apple Music Android app to your Roku device.

Screen Mirroring the Apple Music Android App to Roku

• First, go to Settings from the notification slide or the app drawer on your Android device.
• Tap the search bar on top of the Settings menu and search for “Screen Mirroring” or “Cast” using the keyboard.
• Once you get to the cast settings page, turn on the screen mirroring feature if required.

(If your device is running stock Android, tap the kebab (⋮) icon on the top-right corner and select Enable wireless display.)

• From the list of nearby devices, select your Roku device and wait for your Android phone or tablet to establish a connection.
• If a dialog box appears on the Roku interface regarding the screen mirroring request, accept it to continue.

Once you start seeing the mirrored feed of your Android device’s screen on your Roku, launch the Apple Music app and enjoy streaming your favorite music.

Troubleshooting Screen Mirroring

Screen mirroring on Roku is enabled by default. In case you don’t see your Roku player, TV, or soundbar in the Cast settings on your Android device, follow the troubleshooting steps:

• Go to the Settings page from the Roku home screen.
• Scroll down and select System, then head over to the Screen mirroring.
• Ensure that the screen mirroring mode is set to Always Allow or Prompt.

If you can’t find the casting option on your Android device, search for it on the web. Not all Android devices run the same version of Android, even if they are powered by the same Android framework under the hood. Device manufacturers tend to rename the screen mirroring option to something else all the time.

Get Apple Music on Roku Using Windows

If you use Apple Music on a Windows PC or laptop via the iTunes app, screen mirroring your entire desktop to Roku is the only possible workaround. Fortunately, the process of projecting the Windows desktop is relatively straightforward, assuming that you have Windows 10.

• Open Action Center from the right side of the taskbar on your computer.
• Now expand the action tiles and click Connect in the Action Center menu.
• As long as your computer is on the same network as your Roku device (with screen mirroring enabled), you should be able to select it in the list of compatible display and audio devices.

That’s it! Once you get the mirrored view of your desktop on the TV screen, you can go to your Apple Music library from the iTunes app or music.apple.com from a web browser and start jamming to your music.

Related – How to Watch FS1 on Roku

To Conclude

There isn’t any official Apple Music Channel for Roku devices, at least at the time of writing. In spite of that, it’s still possible to stream your favorite songs from your personal Apple Music library to a Roku player, TV, or soundbar.

It’s worth mentioning that AirPlay offers the best experience in terms of convenience and quality. Screen mirroring can often cause deterioration in both audio and video quality due to poor Wi-Fi reception, so make sure your devices get the best possible wireless coverage.

If you find the following instructions in this guide helpful, please leave your feedback in the comments. You may also tell us about your experience with Apple Music on Roku.