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The following tutorial will help you to use Facebook Watch or Facebook on Roku. Roku devices are built to bring many of the online streaming libraries to your living room television, allowing you to access services like Netflix, Prime Video, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max, and more. But when it comes to social media platforms, they are nowhere to be seen on Roku.
If you didn’t know, the Facebook Watch service was once officially available for Roku streaming players as a channel. While It only allowed users to stream Facebook videos from their news feeds, targeting a niche audience in the first place. Its sudden disappearance from the Roku Channel Store left many of its users disgruntled.
Unfortunately, the Facebook Watch app never got an alternative on Roku. However, if you are willing to sacrifice a bit of convenience for watching Facebook videos on the big screen once again, we have a couple of workarounds for you to use Facebook on Roku.
Can you get Facebook Watch / Facebook on Roku?
No, a long time has passed since Facebook discontinued its Facebook Watch Roku channel. It’s still supported on Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Apple TV devices, alongside LG, Samsung, and Vizio smart televisions. The app is also available on Windows 10 devices and the Xbox One / Xbox Series X / Xbox Series S game consoles.
Despite its unavailability on Roku, you can watch Facebook videos and browse through your news feed on the television by screen mirroring the Facebook app from your smartphone or tablet. It’s a rather inconvenient solution, but the end result is the same nonetheless.
How to Mirror Facebook Mobile App on Roku
Luckily, all the currently supported Roku streaming players and TVs have Miracast support, so you can mirror your Android device’s screen to your Roku and watch Facebook videos on the big screen.
Now that select Roku devices also have AirPlay 2 support, you can mirror your iPhone, iPad, or Mac computer screen to your Roku and enjoy browsing Facebook on your TV. Depending on which device you use, check out the prerequisites and follow the corresponding guide below.
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Prerequisites
- Download and install the newest version of the Facebook app on your Android or Apple device if you haven’t already. Android users will find it in the Google Play Store, while iPhone and iPad can get it from the Apple App Store. Fire tablet users should be able to download the Facebook app from the Amazon Appstore.
- If you have an Android device, make sure Screen mirroring is enabled on your Roku player. You can verify it by going to Settings > System > Screen mirroring The screen mirroring mode has to be set to either Prompt or Always Allow.
- iPhone and iPad users will need to ensure that Apple AirPlay is enabled on their supported Roku device. To check whether it’s turned on or not, go to Settings and scroll down to the Apple AirPlay and HomeKit After that, visit the AirPlay and HomeKit Settings menu and make sure it says “On” next to the AirPlay option.
- Connect your phone/tablet to the same Wi-Fi or local network as your Roku device for screen mirroring to work.
Mirroring Facebook App on Roku
Assuming you have enabled screen mirroring on your Roku player, follow the steps below to screen mirror the Facebook app to it from your Android phone or tablet.
- Go to your device’s Settings menu from the app drawer or home screen.
- Tap the search bar above the Settings menu to find the “Cast” or “Screen Mirroring”
- When you are on the correct menu, turn on the mirroring feature and choose your Roku device name in the list.
- If your Roku’s screen mirroring mode is on Prompt, accept the connection using your Roku remote.
In a few seconds, you should see your Android screen projected on the television. Now all is left for you to do is launch the Facebook app and start watching the videos on your news feed. We recommend holding your phone or tablet in landscape mode so that the projection fills the entire screen.
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Note that the screen mirroring works on pretty much every Android device running 5.0 Lollipop or later versions of the operating system. However, the terminology for “Screen Mirroring” varies by the device manufacturer. If you are unable to find the option in Settings, search for terms like AllShare Cast, SmartShare, Display mirroring, Screen Casting, or Smart View instead.
Mirroring Facebook iOS/iPadOS App on Roku
Screen mirroring from an iPhone or iPad is a lot easier. Provided that you have a Roku device that supports AirPlay 2, follow the steps below to mirror the Facebook app to it.
- Start with opening the Control Center on your iPhone or iPad by swiping down from the upper-right corner of the screen.
If you are using the new iPhone SE, iPhone 8, or an older model, swipe up from the screen’s bottom portion. - Next, tap the Screen Mirroring tile, followed by selecting your Roku device from the list of nearby devices.
- Enter the four-digit AirPlay passcode shown on your television and tap OK.
That’s it! You should immediately see your iPhone or iPad screen mirrored to your TV. Now you can launch the Facebook app from the home screen and enjoy.
To disconnect, you can open the Control Center and tap Stop Mirroring in the “Screen Mirroring” window.
Disclaimer
At the time of writing, AirPlay 2 works on the following Roku devices only:
- Roku Ultra: 4640, 4660, 4661, 4662, 4670, 4800
- Roku Premiere: 3920, 4620, 4630
- Roku Streaming Stick+: 3810, 3811
- Roku Smart Soundbar: 9100, 9101
- Roku Streambar: 9102
- Roku TV: Axxxx, Cxxxx, CxxGB, 7xxxx
In case you can’t find the AirPlay settings on your supported Roku device, chances are it’s running an older version of Roku OS. You need to upgrade it to Roku OS 9.4 to get AirPlay 2 and HomeKit features.
How to Mirror Facebook / Facebook Watch to Roku from Windows OR MacOS
It’s also possible to get Facebook Watch or Facebook on Roku by screen mirroring the websites from Windows and macOS computers. The process is straightforward and hassle-free. Here’s how you can do it:
Windows 10
- First, you need to connect your computer or laptop to the same local network or wireless access point as your Roku device.
- Now click the Action Center icon on the far-right corner of the taskbar.
- Expand the quick action tiles In the following sidebar and click the Connect.
- Assuming screen mirroring is enabled on your Roku device, you should see it in the list of “wireless display and audio devices.” Click it to connect.
- Once you see the desktop’s duplicated feed on your television, proceed to launch your preferred web browser and go to www.facebook.com.
For Facebook Watch, you need to type in facebook.com/watch. Note that the official Facebook Watch Windows 10 app is available on the Microsoft Store.
When you wish to disconnect, you can go back to the Action Center and click the Disconnect button.
macOS
- Make sure your Mac computer is on the same network as your AirPlay 2-compatible Roku device or TV.
- Click the AirPlay (Rectangle with an isosceles triangle at the bottom) icon in the top menu bar.
- Select your Roku device in the drop-down menu and then enter the AirPlay passcode shown on your TV screen.
- When your Mac desktop is mirrored to your big screen, you can launch Safari and go to either facebook.com or facebook.com/watch to browse FB and watch videos.
You will have to enable the “Show mirroring options in the menu bar when available” option from the Apple menu > System Preferences > Displays to see the AirPlay icon in the menu bar.
To stop mirroring once you are done, you can go to the AirPlay menu and click Turn AirPlay Off.
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Wrapping Up
This is how you can use Facebook or Facebook Watch on Roku. As you can see, the following workarounds aren’t conventional at all, but they at least do the job.
If you are looking for a native experience, this isn’t it. Instead, you will have to invest in another streaming device that officially supports the Facebook or Facebook Watch app.
Alternatively, you can use an HDMI cable to connect your PC or laptop to your television and access Facebook’s services. For connecting smartphones and tablets to a TV, there are MHL-compliant HDMI cables and special AV adapters.