Roku Express 4K (2021, 2022)

The Roku Express 4K is a compact streaming box that plugs into an HDMI port and adds 4K HDR streaming to a television that has none. Its relevance to an Apple household is that Roku supports both AirPlay 2 and Apple Home.

What works in Apple Home

The player appears in the Home app as a television accessory, so you can turn it on and off, and include it in scenes and automations. That is what lets a “Movie night” scene dim the lights, close the blinds and wake the Roku in one command.

AirPlay 2

AirPlay 2 is the part you will use daily. It sends video and audio from an iPhone, an iPad or a Mac straight to the television, and it puts the Roku into the same multi-room audio group as your HomePods, so music can play on the television speakers alongside the rest of the house.

Before you buy

Check the model. Roku sells the Express 4K alongside the Express 4K+, and the difference is the remote: the plus model ships with the voice remote, this one with the simple infrared remote.

AirPlay 2 and Apple Home need a reasonably recent version of Roku OS, so update the player before you go looking for it in the Home app.

Wi-Fi reception matters for 4K. If the television sits far from the router, the Roku Streaming Stick 4K has the better aerial.

Specifications