Roku update that broke AirPlay & HomeKit has yet to be fixed weeks later

A Roku streaming device

An apparent bug in a recent Roku software build has broken support for both Apple's HomeKit and AirPlay systems, and weeks later, there doesn't appear to be a fix in sight.

User reports of problems with the Roku platform started appearing when the company rolled out Roku OS 10.5. According to user reports on the Roku forums and other outlets, the update caused a number of problems on older streaming devices and set-top boxes.

At the time Roku OS 10.5 was released, media outlets like TechCrunch reported on issues with a number of streaming platforms caused by the release, including HBO Max and Disney+. Other issues included frozen screens and non-functioning Roku remotes.

Roku appeared to be aware of the issue and said it would be working on a fix. In the interim, it allowed users to roll back to a stable build. However, nearly five weeks later, it seems like the company still hasn't fully restored AirPlay and HomeKit functionality.

As of Friday, Dec. 17, Roku users are still having problems with both AirPlay and HomeKit. Users describe being met with a blank black screen when attempting to cast a video using AirPlay on Roku streaming devices. Additionally, the problems only seem to appear on Roku OS 10.5 and later.

"When rolled back to 10.0 everything worked fine but then the system automatically updated to 10.5 again and broke all the same stuff," wrote a user on the Roku forums. "It has been weeks now with no change and we are stuck with a still bricked TV that even the over the air function does not work properly let alone the streaming functions."

It isn't clear what is causing the AirPlay and HomeKit problems, with Roku support staff seemingly only giving generic troubleshooting advice.

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23 Comments

bobolicious

said about 2 years ago

Bosa said:

Why are people with iPhones using Roku? And not Apple TV? My Tv has Roku and it’s clunky and basically not usable

Apple TV is an added box/cost ? Fragmenting tracking for profiling privacy ?

Ofer

said about 2 years ago

Bosa said:

Why are people with iPhones using Roku? And not Apple TV? My Tv has Roku and it’s clunky and basically not usable

Because my Roku device cost me $30 giving me access to all of the features I want (stream Netflix, Hulu, Disney, AppleTV, and let me use AirPlay), while an Apple TV 4K starts at $179 for a bunch of features that I’ll probably never use.

when Apple treats their streaming box as more than a hobby piece (their words), provides an actually good remote and maybe invests in some quality gaming titles that rival PlayStation/Xbox/Switch, maybe then I’ll consider spending that kind of money on it. Until then, I’m happy with what I’ve got.

chasm

said about 2 years ago

Ofer said:

Because my Roku device cost me $30 giving me access to all of the features I want (stream Netflix, Hulu, Disney, AppleTV, and let me use AirPlay), while an Apple TV 4K starts at $179 for a bunch of features that I’ll probably never use.
Have you ever pondered WHY a Roku/Fire stick/Chromecast cost so much less than an Apple TV box? I’ll clue you in: massive amounts of data collection and additional ads.

I have a Roku-based smart TV, and once a year I dutifully connect it to the internet to check for firmware updates, then promptly disconnect it again. My Apple TV box — which in addition to more privacy/security offers a vastly superior interface, ARC/eARC support, CEC support, Apple Arcade, and access to all streaming services (including all the smaller services), HomeKit, and AirPlay — serves as the “smarts” rather than my would-be data-mining television for any streaming service I can think of, along with the media assets on the computers in the house.

In terms of TV service, the Apple TV box has been the smartest thing I’ve ever bought next to my dual-HomePod “sound bar.” Being a cheapskate has a lot of hidden costs, beyond the occasional publicly known problems like Roku’s previous fights with YouTube and Disney and this latest lack of support for AirPlay/HomeKit.

george kaplan

said about 2 years ago

I stopped trying to explain to folks why Fire Stick and Roku devices are dirt cheap.

Beyond the obvious differences in build quality ( you may or may not be surprised at the DOA rate on Roku, and Amazon has an apparent endless supply of “refreshed” Fire Sticks), I know Apple isn’t selling data on what I watch to scores of different marketing operations. That may not matter to some, but it matters to me.

I use a VPN, Ecosia instead of Google, no Facebook/Instagram/LinkedIn, that sort of thing. Being “off the grid” is a fantasy in a normal life, but we can do things to stop the bleeding.

microbe

said about 2 years ago

I have three Apple TVs sitting in a drawer because the system is basically obnoxious. Their constant screaming to reenter PWs. to change streams and the hassles to change users (and associated PWs ) before you can access programming from different accounts will have you looking up pws most of the evening instead of viewing. And enetering them on those remotes is enough to make suicide legal! The screen is cluttered as much as any other box but in a different way. Not as cluttered as my two Fire TV Cubes but more than the Roku in my theater. And the remotes!! Apple=horrible, Fire pretty nice and Roku solid and easy to use. Backlighting would help on all three. Regarding data collection, much of it is program viewing which I would urge them to collect for the simple reason they will sell it to the ratings companies, and programs I like get reported as having eyes on, hopefully prolonging their existence. Which leads us to pricing…. Why not save money for equal performance? Not to mention Apples habit of knocking products, particularly these, into the twilight zone with updates for which there is no recourse, as has happened to two in the past. Which has led to me throwing the perfectly good remaining HD and two 4K Apple TVs into a drawere marked “get rid of”.