Blog
TV remote guides for iPhone and Android.
Guides to controlling a TV from your phone — how discovery works, how Samsung, LG and Android TV sets pair, and what to do when a TV won't show up.
Setup & pairing
Local network access, discovery and the pairing prompts each TV shows on first connection.
22 articlesSamsung Tizen
Controlling Samsung smart TVs — the prompt that appears on screen and what Tizen exposes.
9 articlesLG webOS
Pairing with webOS sets, the prompt on the TV and the buttons the LG protocol supports.
5 articlesAndroid TV & Google TV
Android TV boxes and Google TV sticks, and the pairing code they ask for up front.
10 articlesGoogle Cast
Chromecast and Cast-built-in TVs — playback, volume and what casting can and can't do.
1 articleRoku
Roku players, sticks and Roku TVs, and the keys their remote protocol makes available.
1 articleDLNA
Generic DLNA renderers — the fallback for sets that speak nothing more specific.
Coming soonTroubleshooting
A TV that won't appear, a pairing that won't take, a command that doesn't land.
17 articles5 min
How to find your TV's IP address without a remote
No remote? Find your TV's IP address in the router device list, with the free Fing scanner, or in the TV network menu. Steps for Roku, Sony, LG and Samsung.
7 min
Samsung remote keeps disconnecting? Why it happens and how to fix it
Samsung remote keeps disconnecting? Why the Bluetooth link drops and how to re-pair, recharge and fix it, plus an iPhone fallback.
8 min
"Best TV remote app for iPhone: which one fits your TV"
"Which TV remote app is best for iPhone? Compare brand apps and universal remotes for Samsung, LG and Android TV, and pick the right one."
8 min
TV keeps disconnecting from Wi-Fi? Causes and fixes
Your TV keeps dropping its Wi-Fi connection? Find whether the TV or the router is at fault, then fix it with steps for Samsung, LG, Roku and Google TV.
10 min
How to control a Vizio TV with your iPhone
Use your iPhone as a Vizio remote with the Vizio Mobile app or AirPlay. Setup steps, what works, and fixes when the TV is not found.
10 min
TV keeps turning off by itself? Why it happens and how to stop it
TV keeps turning off by itself? Check power, sleep timer, Eco mode, HDMI-CEC and overheating, brand by brand, and fix it.
11 min
TV has no sound? Why it happens and how to fix it
TV has no sound though nothing looks muted? Work through the checks in order, from volume and speakers to cables, settings and a reset.
10 min
Forgot your Samsung TV PIN? How to reset it, with and without the remote
Forgot your Samsung TV PIN? Reset it to 0000 with the remote button sequence, or use the TV button and a phone remote app when the remote is gone.
10 min
TV turns on by itself? Why it happens and how to stop it
TV turns on by itself at night? Check timers, HDMI-CEC, connected apps, the remote and power, with steps for Samsung, LG and others, and how to stop it.
8 min
How to reset a TV without a remote
No remote? Reset your TV with its buttons or your iPhone. Steps for Samsung, LG, Google TV, Roku and Sony, plus what to try first.
9 min
How to control a Roku TV with your iPhone
Control a Roku TV with an iPhone using the official Roku app. Same Wi-Fi, setup, buttons that work, and fixes when the TV does not appear.
7 min
LG Magic Remote not working? How to fix it
LG Magic Remote not working? Fresh batteries and a two-button re-pair fix most cases. How to do both, plus an iPhone backup.
13 min
How to control a hotel TV without a remote
No remote in your hotel room? Which methods work: TV buttons, phone app, HDMI, and why hotel Wi-Fi often blocks phone remotes.
6 min
Why the iPhone Control Center remote does not control a Samsung TV
Your iPhone Control Center remote only works with Apple TV and AirPlay TVs in the Home app. Why Samsung sets are excluded and what controls them instead.
13 min
TV remote sensor not working? How to test it and what to do
Remote fine but the TV ignores it? Test the TV's IR sensor, find where it is, clear what blocks it, and control the TV over Wi-Fi while it is broken.
13 min
TV slow to respond to the remote? How to find the cause and fix it
TV slow to respond to the remote? Find out if the delay is in the remote or in the TV, then fix it: batteries, interference, memory and updates.
13 min
TV keeps scrolling by itself? Why it happens and how to stop it
TV keeps scrolling through menus, channels or inputs on its own? Find the stuck button on the remote or the TV, or the device that sends commands.
12 min
TV remote: only the power button works? Why it happens and how to fix it
TV remote turns the TV on and off but nothing else? It usually lost its pairing. Fixes for Samsung, LG, Google TV, Fire TV, Roku and universal remotes.
11 min
Samsung TV keeps asking to allow a device? Why it happens and how to stop it
Samsung TV keeps asking to allow a device? Find out who is asking, from the Facebook app to a smart home hub, and which TV settings stop the pop-up.
14 min
TV keeps going back to the home screen? Causes and fixes
TV keeps going back to the home screen? Find the cause by when it happens: a startup setting, a remote or HDMI device, or an app crash. Then fix it.
11 min
How to press Allow on a Samsung TV without a remote
No remote, and your Samsung TV asks you to allow a device? Press Allow with a USB keyboard, the button on the TV or SmartThings. What works on each model year.
12 min
Samsung TV Accessibility Shortcuts keeps popping up? How to stop it
Samsung TV Accessibility Shortcuts keeps popping up? Find the remote that holds Mute, from a stuck button to an Apple TV remote, and stop the menu.
11 min
Samsung remote blinking red? What each light means and how to fix it
Samsung remote blinking red? Find out what each light pattern means, from a lost Bluetooth link to a low battery, and how to charge, reset and pair it.
12 min
TV stuck on mute? Why it happens and how to fix it
TV stuck on mute? Find out why your TV stays muted or keeps muting itself, from the sound output setting to a stuck remote button, and how to fix it.
10 min
How to find a lost TV remote: the remotes your phone can make ring
Which TV remotes your phone can make ring or locate (Google TV Streamer, Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, onn), how to trigger each, and what to do if yours can't.
11 min
How to unlock a TV key lock without a remote
Key lock stops the buttons on the TV, not the remote. Turn it off with a phone app, a universal remote or a replacement remote, brand by brand.
13 min
Free TV remote app for iPhone: the apps with no subscription
Which TV remote apps for iPhone are free, with no subscription? The free app for each TV brand, how to check an App Store listing, and how to stop a trial.
11 min
How to watch Netflix on your TV without a remote
Netflix no longer casts from your phone to most TVs. How to open and control Netflix on your TV without a remote: phone apps, the TV's buttons or a cable.
11 min
How to turn off captions on a TV without a remote
Captions on and no remote? Find out if they come from the TV, an app or a cable box, then turn them off from your phone or with the button on the TV.
14 min
How to turn off a TV without a remote
No remote? Turn off the TV with the button on the set, a phone app, a streaming device or a timer. How the button works on Samsung, LG, Sony and Roku TVs.
12 min
Google TV remote not working? Causes and fixes
Google TV remote not working? Read the light on the remote, check the batteries, then pair or reset it. Steps for Chromecast and Google TV Streamer remotes.
12 min
onn remote app for iPhone: which app works with your onn TV or streaming box
The onn remote apps in the App Store aren't Walmart's. The iPhone app that works depends on your onn device: Google TV box, Roku TV or TV powered by VIZIO.
11 min
TV remote app keeps disconnecting? Why it happens and how to fix it
TV remote app keeps disconnecting? Find when it drops: when the iPhone locks, when the TV sleeps or after the TV gets a new IP address. Then fix that cause.
11 min
Can you turn on a TV with your phone? How it works, brand by brand
Yes, if the TV is set up for it. How to turn on a Samsung, LG, Sony, Google TV or Roku from your iPhone, and the setting each TV needs first.
12 min
Android TV or Google TV not showing a pairing code? Causes and fixes
No pairing code on your Android TV or Google TV? See where the code should appear, which devices never show one, and how to fix each cause.
12 min
How to control a TCL TV with your iPhone
The right iPhone app for a TCL TV depends on its system: Google TV, Roku TV, Fire TV or Android TV. How to find yours, then set up and pair the app.
10 min
How to change your TV's name: Samsung, LG, Google TV, Roku and Fire TV
Change your TV's name so you can tell two TVs apart when you cast or use a phone remote. Menu paths for Samsung, LG, Google TV, Roku and Fire TV.
13 min
How to control a Hisense TV with your iPhone
Which iPhone app works with your Hisense TV depends on its system: VIDAA, Google TV, Roku TV, Fire TV or Xumo. How to tell, and how to connect.
14 min
How to change the input on a TV without a remote
Change the TV input without a remote: use the button on the TV, a phone app or HDMI-CEC. Steps for Samsung, LG, Roku TV and Vizio, and why hotel TVs refuse.
12 min
TV remote not working? How to find the cause and fix it
TV remote not working? Check the batteries, test the signal with your phone camera, pair the remote again and restart the TV. Samsung, LG, Roku and more.
12 min
How to get to your TV's settings without a remote
No remote? Open the TV settings with the button on the TV, a phone app on the same Wi-Fi, or a USB keyboard. What works on Samsung, LG and Google TV.
11 min
LG ThinQ app not connecting to your TV? Causes and fixes
LG ThinQ app not connecting to your TV? Check the Wi-Fi network, iPhone permissions, the PIN and a VPN, then register the TV again. Each fix has its source.
13 min
Lost your Chromecast remote? How to control and set up a Chromecast without it
Lost your Chromecast remote? Use your phone if the Chromecast is on Wi-Fi. If it is not, get it online, pair a new remote, or reset it. Steps for each case.
9 min
Google TV remote app not working on iPhone? Causes and fixes
Google TV remote app not working on your iPhone? Check the Wi-Fi network, Local Network access, the TV and the pairing code, in this order.
11 min
How to change the TV volume without a remote
No remote? Change the TV volume with the button on the set, a phone app on the same Wi-Fi, or another device's remote. What works on Samsung, LG and others.
14 min
How to stop your TV from talking: turn off the narrator on any TV
TV keeps talking? Turn off the narrator, voice guide or audio description on Samsung, LG, Google TV, Roku and Fire TV, step by step.
10 min
How to use your iPhone as a keyboard for your TV
Type on your TV from your iPhone. See which app gives Apple TV, Google TV, Samsung, LG, Roku and Fire TV a phone keyboard, and what to check if it fails.
11 min
SmartThings TV remote not working? Causes and fixes
SmartThings TV remote not working? Check the Samsung account, the TV's online status and the Wi-Fi, then add the TV again. The steps, from Samsung's own guides.
10 min
How to control a Sony TV with your iPhone
A Sony Bravia TV can be controlled from an iPhone over Wi-Fi. Which app works with which Sony model, the pairing code, and how to turn the TV on from the phone.
13 min
How to connect a TV to Wi-Fi without a remote
No remote, and the TV is offline? Reuse the old Wi-Fi name, plug in an Ethernet cable or a USB keyboard, or use the TV's button. What works, in order.
10 min
One remote controlling two TVs: why it happens and how to stop it
One remote controls two TVs because same-brand sets share infrared codes. How to stop it: pair the remote, shield a sensor, or use a Wi-Fi phone remote.
11 min
Lost your TV remote? What to do, and how to control the TV without it
Lost your TV remote? Use the TV's buttons, your iPhone, HDMI-CEC or a replacement. What works depends on whether the TV is on and on Wi-Fi.
11 min
Same Wi-Fi, still not connecting: the network problems that hide in plain sight
Phone and TV on the same Wi-Fi but not connecting? They are usually on different networks, or the router stops devices talking. How to tell which, and fix it.
7 min
The LG webOS pairing PIN, explained
An LG TV shows a pairing PIN the first time a remote app connects. Where it comes from, how long you have, what a rejected code means, and why it can return.
13 min
Why LG TVs are harder to find on a home network than Samsung ones
An LG webOS TV announces its remote service over SSDP, not Bonjour, and iPhone apps need an Apple entitlement to hear SSDP — so an LG shows up after a Samsung.
10 min
How to control an Android TV or Google TV from an iPhone
An iPhone controls Android TV and Google TV over Wi-Fi through the Android TV Remote protocol. The six-character code, the buttons, and which Chromecasts work.
5 min
Android TV vs Google TV: what changes for a remote
Google TV isn't a separate operating system — it's the interface layered on Android TV OS. What's actually different, and what stays the same for a remote.
6 min
Casting is not remote control: what Google Cast can and can't do
Casting sends a TV a link to fetch and play; a remote drives the TV's own menus. What a Cast connection actually controls, and what it can never reach.
11 min
How to control an LG TV with your iPhone
An iPhone drives an LG webOS smart TV over Wi-Fi through LG's own remote protocol. The PIN it asks for, the buttons that work, and why LG appears slower.
7 min
Samsung's “allow this device” prompt, explained
Samsung's allow-or-deny box is how Tizen authorises a remote connection. What it means, when it comes back, and how to clear a denial.
11 min
How to control a Samsung TV with your iPhone
An iPhone drives a Samsung smart TV over Wi-Fi through the remote service Tizen exposes. The prompt on screen, the buttons that work, and the ones that don't.
11 min
Your TV doesn't show up in the remote app: a diagnostic checklist
A TV usually fails to appear for one of four reasons. Check them in this order — the permission is the most common and the only one iOS gives no error for.
7 min
Does a TV remote app need Wi-Fi? Wi-Fi, infrared and Bluetooth compared
Yes, and not infrared — no iPhone has an infrared transmitter. What each transport actually does, and what to buy if your TV is not a smart TV.
7 min
Why a TV remote app asks for Local Network access on iPhone
iOS hides every device on your Wi-Fi until you grant Local Network access. What the permission covers, what it does not, and how to turn it back on.
13 min
How to use your iPhone as a TV remote
An iPhone controls a TV over Wi-Fi, not infrared. What your TV has to support, how pairing differs by brand, and what a phone remote cannot do.