How to listen to music when the screen on your Roku TV is off

How does Fast TV Start work?

When Fast TV Start is enabled, your Roku TV always maintains the connection with it's built-in speakers or a Roku Streambar®, even when the TV is in standby. This allows you to use them to listen to audio content at any time, whether the screen is off or on.

When Fast TV Start is not enabled, not only do you lose the benefits described above, but you may also get the false impression that your wireless speakers or Streambar is not working when you power on your Roku TV because it takes a moment to establish the wireless connection. Enabling Fast TV Start eliminates this behavior.

• Note: Fast TV Start uses more power than normal standby and overrides default power settings.

How to enable Fast TV Start

You can enable Fast TV start on your Roku TV at any time using the instructions below:

• Note: If you are connecting a Roku Streambar to your Roku TV, Fast TV Start is enabled during the guided setup process. 

Listen to music, live radio, or podcasts when the TV screen is off

When Fast TV Start is enabled, you can say a command to your Roku voice remote and begin listening to music, live radio, or a podcast while the screen on your Roku TV remains off. For the best experience, Pandora and TuneIn require you to create an account and log in to start listening to free or premium content. If you want to begin listening right away, iHeartRadio gives you access to free content without an account. You will need to create an account on iHeartRadio if you plan to subscribe to their premium services.

When you are ready, simply speak naturally to your Roku voice remote saying a command like, "listen to classical music on Pandora", "play Stuff You Should Know on iHeartRadio", or "play Today's Hits on TuneIn". After a moment, you will hear the audio content played from the built-in speakers in your Roku TV or your Roku Streambar (if connected). For more details about voice control of your music, and where you can find audio content, read about how to listen to music with voice commands.

Note: When a Streambar is connected, the speakers built in to your Roku TV are automatically disabled.

While the TV screen remains off, you can control the volume with voice commands like "set volume to 50%", "mute", or "volume up", or control playback by saying something like "pause", "resume", or "next". You can even interact with streaming services using commands like "thumbs up/down", or "what song is this?".

For more examples, learn about voice commands you can use with your Roku TV.

Wake your Roku TV using voice commands

When Fast TV Start is enabled, you can wake your Roku TV using a direct command, or say something more complex to wake your Roku TV and perform another action like launching a streaming channel, or switching an input. To wake your Roku TV, issue a command to your Roku voice remote by saying something like "power on" or "turn on" to power on your Roku TV, or do more with a voice command like "launch The Roku Channel" or "switch to Blu-ray player".

For more examples, learn about voice commands you can use with your Roku TV.

Listen to Bluetooth audio when the TV screen is off

Whether the TV screen is off or on, you must have your compatible Roku device connected to your Roku TV to use a Bluetooth device such as a smartphone, tablet, or computer. When your compatible Roku device is connected and Fast TV Start is enabled, you can begin listening to Bluetooth audio when the TV screen is off. To do this, connect your Bluetooth device and then issue a voice command like "launch the Bluetooth channel" or "open Bluetooth". Next, start playing music, a podcast, or other audio from an app installed on your Bluetooth device. After a short moment, you will begin to hear the content play on your Roku audio device while the TV screen remains off.

If you do not hear sound on your Roku audio device, learn what to check to get Bluetooth audio from your smartphone, tablet, or computer.

How to turn off the TV screen when audio is already playing

When Fast TV Start is enabled on your Roku TV and audio is already playing, you can turn the screen off by using your Roku TV remote or a voice command. After the TV screen turns off, the sound will continue through the built-in speakers in your Roku TV or your Roku audio device (if connected).

To turn off the screen using your remote, press Star and then scroll and select Turn off display.

When you want to turn the TV screen back on, press the OK button on your Roku remote or use a voice command like "turn on display" or "Hey Roku turn on display".

Why do notifications appear when the screen is off?

When Fast TV Start is enabled and the screen on your Roku TV is off, notifications may appear as confirmation that your voice command is recognized and being performed. These notifications are intentional and there is no way to turn them off.