The Best Roku Night Owl Feature You’re Probably Not Using

If you’re someone who likes to stay up all night watching TV, you’ve probably resorted to hiding in bed with Netflix on on your phone so you don’t disturb your roommates or family members. There, in the dark, you hold the phone up to your face, staring at the tiny shapes of the characters on the screen while the glowing atmosphere of your television seats leaves the next room.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. Modern smart TV applications such as Roku, Google TV and Amazon Fire TV are full of little things that many overlook, and one of the most useful is Bluetooth support. That means you can enjoy the biggest screen in your house even when your significant other is asleep, or while your roommate has a Zoom conference that you could swear has been going on for six hours. Just put your AirPods in your ears and enjoy the content of the big screen at full volume.

On Roku, the process is more complicated compared to other platforms, but only during the setup. Some new Roku streaming devices and Roku TVs can connect directly to Bluetooth, but most can’t, and you’ll need your smartphone to make everything work. On other platforms, the process will be very familiar and will only require a simple pairing process with your Bluetooth device.

While some smart TV apps let you directly connect your Bluetooth headphones or speakers to your TV, set-top box, or streaming dongle, most Roku devices require you to use your phone as an intermediary (check which Roku devices support direct connection). You’ll first need to download the Roku app from the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store.

Press the home button on your Roku remote, then navigate to “Settings” from the text menu on the left side of the screen in the newly redesigned Roku interface. Select “System,” then “Advanced System Settings,” then click “Manage Mobile Devices.” Make sure network access is set to “Permission” or “Enabled.”

Go back to your smartphone and make sure it’s connected to the same Wi-Fi access point as your Roku. Open the Roku app and tap the Devices tab at the bottom of the screen. You should see your Roku device listed. Tap on it to connect the app to the Roku. Tap again to enter the virtual remote control.

Below the purple directional pad, you’ll see a grid of icons. Select the headphones icon at the top right of that grid. The audio from your Roku is about to play on your phone. If no headphones are connected to your phone, the sound will play through your phone’s built-in speakers. The upshot of this is that you don’t need to use Bluetooth headphones. Wired headphones or earbuds connected directly to your phone will work.

Some smart TV operating systems in the best streaming devices of 2026, including Google TV and Amazon Fire TV, also support wireless audio. Unlike Roku, they allow you to connect headphones directly to your streaming device. The connection process is straightforward.

On a Google TV device such as Google TV Streamer or Chromecast with Google TV, press your home button until the quick settings panel appears, then select “Bluetooth.” Select “Pair remote control or device” on the next screen. Put your Bluetooth earbuds or headphones in pairing mode, and select them from the list of devices displayed on your TV. Confirm pairing with your remote, and audio should start playing through your headphones. You can also connect game controllers, keyboards, mice and more using the same process.

On Amazon Fire TV, the new Fire Stick streaming dongles and other supported Fire TV components, press the home button on your remote. Open the settings (represented by the gear icon), and select “Bluetooth controllers and devices.” Select “Other Bluetooth devices” from the available options, then put your Bluetooth headphones in pairing mode and select them when it appears on the screen. Follow any confirmation instructions from there, and you’ll be able to enjoy wireless audio.