Android TV & Google TV
Android TV or Google TV not showing a pairing code? Causes and fixes
Nefarius Apps12 min read
When an Android TV or Google TV shows no pairing code, one of two things happened. The request from the phone app did not get to the part of the TV that shows the code, or the code appeared on a screen that you are not looking at. First, make sure that the TV is on and shows the correct input, and look at the other TVs in the house. Then make sure that the device runs Android TV or Google TV, that the network lets the request through, and that the Android TV Remote Service on the TV is current.
What shows the pairing code, and when?
The code comes from Android TV Remote Service, a Google system app on the TV. Its Google Play listing says that the service is included with the device and that it "works with all Android TV devices". The Google TV app on your phone connects to this service. Other remote apps can use the same service. The developer of one open-source remote library says that it uses "the same protocol the Google TV mobile app is using". The library needs only the Android TV Remote Service that comes pre-installed on most Android TV devices.
The TV shows the code one time, when a phone app pairs with it for the first time. Google's steps are short: select the TV in the app, "enter the code that displays on your TV screen", and tap Pair. After that, the TV remembers the app, and the next connections need no code. If the app connected to this TV before, no code is the correct result, not a fault. The guide on how to control an Android TV or Google TV from an iPhone shows the full first connection.
Find the cause from what you see
Before you change a setting, note what the phone and the TV show. Each symptom points to a different cause.
| What you see | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| The TV screen is dark, or it shows a different input | The TV is off, or the code is on the input of a streaming device | Turn on the TV, and select the input of the device |
| Nothing on this TV, and the house has more than one TV | The code is on a different TV | Look at each TV, and give each TV its own name |
| The app does not list the device | The network, or a permission on the phone | Check the Wi-Fi network and Local Network access |
| The app lists the device, but no code appears | The pairing connection is blocked, or the Remote Service is old or stuck | Test with Google's app, restart the TV, then update or reset the service |
| The device is a Samsung, an LG, a Fire TV or a Chromecast without Google TV | The device does not use this code | Use the method for that device |
| You typed a code, and the TV shows a new one | The code was wrong, so the TV made a new one | Type the new code |
Is the TV on, and does it show the right screen?
Google's first step for a phone remote is to "power on your TV and Google TV or Android TV device". The code appears on the screen, so a TV in standby cannot show it.
A streaming device, such as a Chromecast with Google TV or a Google TV Streamer, shows the code on its own HDMI input. If the TV shows a different input, you cannot see the code. Do these steps:
- Turn on the TV and the streaming device.
- On the TV, select the HDMI input of the streaming device.
- Wait until the Google TV or Android TV home screen appears.
- In the phone app, select the device again.
Did the code appear on another TV?
In a home with more than one Android TV or Google TV, the code can appear on a different TV. In a Home Assistant thread on Reddit, a user with three Google TVs reported that the code always appeared on the same TV. The code on that TV worked for the TV that the user set up. This is one user's report, but it is easy to check:
- When you start the pairing, look at each TV in the house.
- If two TVs have the same name in the app, give each TV a different name in its settings. Then start the pairing again, and select the correct name.
Does your device show a code at all?
Only devices with Android TV or Google TV have the Remote Service, so only they show this code. Other TVs pair with a phone in a different way, or they do not accept a phone remote.
| Device | What the TV shows | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| TVs with Android TV or Google TV, for example Sony Bravia models with Google TV or Android TV, and the Google TV models of TCL and Hisense | A pairing code | Use the checks in this article |
| Chromecast with Google TV, Google TV Streamer | A pairing code, on the input of the device | Select that input, then use the checks in this article |
| Samsung TVs, which run Tizen | A prompt to allow the connection, with no code | Accept the prompt with the TV's remote |
| LG TVs, which run webOS | LG's own PIN, or a prompt | Use the LG PIN guide |
| Chromecast without Google TV, and TVs that have Chromecast built-in but not Android TV or Google TV | No code: these devices receive casts only | Cast from an app, or use the TV's own remote |
| Fire TV | No code for apps that use the Android TV protocol | Use Amazon's Fire TV app |
For a Samsung, read Samsung's allow-this-device prompt. For an LG, read the LG webOS pairing PIN.
A Chromecast without Google TV can play what you cast from an app. A TV that has Chromecast built-in but does not run Android TV or Google TV can do the same. These devices have no remote service, so a remote app cannot pair with them. The difference is in casting is not remote control. A Google TV also receives casts, but it has the Remote Service too. Thus an Android TV or Google TV set with Chromecast built-in shows the code like any other Android TV.
Fire TV is a special case. Home Assistant's documentation says that Fire TV devices do not have the Android TV Remote Service, and that attempts to install it have failed. For a Fire TV, use the Amazon Fire TV app. Its App Store listing says that you need an Amazon account and the same Wi-Fi network as the Fire TV to launch content to your TV.
If you are not sure whether your device runs Android TV or Google TV, Android TV vs Google TV shows how to find out. For a remote app, the two work the same way.
Does the network let the pairing request through?
An app finds a TV and pairs with it in two separate steps. A network can let the first step through and stop the second one. In an openHAB forum thread, a Chromecast with Google TV appeared in the app, but no code appeared on the TV. The log showed that the pairing connection timed out. A forum member explained that the pairing uses its own port, 6467, and that a network problem stops the pairing.
Do these checks:
- Connect the phone and the TV to the same Wi-Fi network. Google says that "your phone and TV must be on the same Wi-Fi network". On a Google TV, the network name is in Settings, then Network & Internet.
- Do not use a guest network, and turn off any VPN on the phone. Guest networks, client isolation on the router, mesh systems and VPNs are explained in same Wi-Fi, still not connecting.
- On an iPhone, allow Local Network access for the app. Apple says that, from iOS 14, an app must ask for permission before it connects to devices on your local network. Go to Settings, then Privacy & Security, then Local Network, and turn on the app. The guide on why a TV remote app asks for Local Network access gives the details.
Then test the TV with Google's own app. The openHAB forum member gave this test: pair the TV with the Google TV app on a phone. If Google's app gets a code and your other app does not, the TV is in good condition. The problem is the other app, or the network path to it. Home Assistant gives the same test from the other direction. If the Google TV app or the Google Home app cannot send commands to the device, Home Assistant cannot either.
If the app does not list the TV at all, the problem occurs before the pairing. Your TV doesn't show up in the remote app has the full checklist for that case.
Restart the TV and try again
A restart is Google's own fix for a phone remote that does not work. Google's steps are:
- Disconnect the power cord of the TV.
- Wait 10 seconds.
- Connect the power cord again.
- Set up the phone remote again.
For a streaming device, disconnect the power of the streaming device. In the Reddit thread, the owner of a Hisense Android TV restarted the TV from its settings, and the pairing then worked at the first attempt.
Update or reset the Android TV Remote Service
The openHAB documentation says that some devices ship with an outdated version of the Android TV Remote Service. If the code does not appear because of this, it says to update the service from the Play Store on the device. On the TV, open the Play Store, find Android TV Remote Service, and install the update if one is available.
If the service is current and the code still does not appear, reset the service. Home Assistant's documentation gives this fix when you cannot connect to the TV, or when the TV asks you to pair again and again: force stop the Android TV Remote Service, and clear its storage.
Caution: clearing the storage resets the service. TCL says that clearing an app's data "may sign you out of the app or reset its settings". Each phone that controls this TV will probably need a new pairing code after this step.
- On the TV, open Settings, then Apps, then See all apps. Google gives this path for system apps on Google TV. The names can be different on other TVs.
- Find Android TV Remote Service. If it is not in the list, select Show system apps, or look in the Disabled apps section. If the service is in Disabled apps, select Enable, and try the pairing again before you continue.
- Select Force stop, and confirm.
- Select Clear storage or Clear data, and confirm.
- In the phone app, select the TV again, and enter the new code.
When you typed a code and it did not work
This is a different problem: the code appeared, but the pairing failed. In Tivi, a wrong code stops the attempt, and the TV shows a new code. Type the new code into the same field.
The code that Tivi asks for has six characters, made of the numbers 0 to 9 and the letters A to F. Thus a round character in the code is the number zero, not the letter O. Tivi gives you three minutes to type the code. If the time ends, select the TV again to start a new pairing.
Pair an Android TV or Google TV with Tivi
Tivi, a universal TV remote app for iPhone from Nefarius Apps, finds the TVs on your Wi-Fi network and pairs with each one in the way that the TV expects:
- An Android TV or Google TV shows a code. Type it into Tivi.
- An LG webOS TV shows a PIN. Type it into Tivi. Some LG models show a prompt instead: accept it on the TV.
- A Samsung TV shows a prompt. Accept it with the TV's remote.
Tivi remembers each TV, so you pair only one time. Tivi also lists cast-only Chromecasts, TVs that have only Chromecast built-in, and Roku players. It cannot control them yet, so they show no code. It cannot control an Apple TV, because Apple does not let third-party apps do that. The free version gives the full remote on one TV, with no account.
The short version
The pairing code comes from the Android TV Remote Service on the TV, and the TV shows it only the first time an app pairs. If no code appears, turn on the TV, select the input of the streaming device, and look at the other TVs in the house. Make sure that the device runs Android TV or Google TV: a Samsung shows a prompt, an LG shows its own PIN, and cast-only Chromecasts and Fire TV show no code. Then check the Wi-Fi network and Local Network access, test with Google's app, restart the TV from the power cord, and update or reset the Remote Service.
For the full first connection from an iPhone, read how to control an Android TV or Google TV from an iPhone.
Common questions
Where is the pairing code on my TV?
On an Android TV or Google TV, the code appears on the TV screen after you select the TV in the phone app. For a Chromecast with Google TV or a Google TV Streamer, the code appears on the HDMI input of the device, so the TV must show that input.
Why isn't my Samsung TV showing a pairing code?
Samsung TVs run Tizen, not Android TV, so they do not use this code. When a phone remote app such as Tivi connects to a Samsung, the TV shows a prompt to allow the connection. Accept it with the TV's remote. If no prompt appears, read about Samsung's allow-this-device prompt.
Do I have to enter the pairing code every time?
No. The TV remembers the app after the first pairing. A new code appears only when the TV forgot the pairing, for example after a factory reset or after you clear the storage of the Remote Service. Each app pairs on its own, so a second app on the same phone usually needs a code one time too.
Can I pair an Android TV without the pairing code?
Not with an app that uses the Android TV remote protocol: the code is the pairing step. On an iPhone, Google's instructions for the Google Home app list no code step for a Chromecast with Google TV or a Google TV Streamer. Select the device, then tap Open remote.
Sources
- Google Play. Android TV Remote Service.
- Google. Cast, connect & control your TV with the Google TV app.
- Google. Cast from a device to Google TV.
- Google. Use your phone as the remote for your Chromecast or Google TV Streamer.
- Google. Use your phone as the remote for your Android TV.
- Google. Learn how to fix problems with the Google TV virtual remote.
- Apple. If an app would like to connect to devices on your local network.
- Home Assistant. Android TV Remote integration.
- openHAB. Android TV binding.
- tronikos on GitHub. androidtvremote2.
- TCL. Troubleshooting App Issues on Your TCL Google TV.
- App Store. Amazon Fire TV.
- Reddit r/homeassistant (2023). Android TV Remote configuration: no PIN displayed.
- openHAB Community (2023). Chromecast w/ Google TV not showing code with Android TV binding.