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How to control a Hisense TV with your iPhone

Nefarius Apps13 min read

Your iPhone can work as the remote for a Hisense smart TV when both are on the same Wi-Fi network. The remote app you need depends on the system that the TV runs, not on the Hisense name. A Hisense TV with VIDAA uses the VIDAA app. A Hisense Google TV or Android TV uses Google's Google TV app or a universal remote app. A Hisense Roku TV uses the Roku app, a Hisense Fire TV uses Amazon's Fire TV app, and a Hisense Xumo TV uses Xumo's app. A Hisense that is not a smart TV is out of reach: it takes commands by infrared, and an iPhone has no infrared emitter.

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Which iPhone app works with which Hisense TV?

Hisense sells TVs with several different systems. As of October 2026, Hisense USA lists six smart TV platforms: Android TV, Fire TV, Google TV, Roku TV, VIDAA and Xumo TV. Each system has its own remote service, so each needs its own app. The one exception is Google TV and Android TV: they share one remote service, and one app controls both.

Hisense systemiPhone appWhat the connection needs
VIDAAVIDAAThe same network, and the VIDAA license accepted on the TV
Google TVGoogle TV, or TiviThe same network, and a code from the TV screen
Android TV (older models)Google TV, or TiviThe same network, and a code from the TV screen
Roku TVRokuThe same Wi-Fi network, and a sign-in to the app
Fire TVAmazon Fire TVThe same Wi-Fi network, and a sign-in to your Amazon account
Xumo TVXumo TV or Xumo RemoteThe same network, and the app that matches the Xumo version
Each Hisense system and the iPhone app that controls it.

The sections below give the steps for each system. First, find out which system your TV runs.

How do you know which system your Hisense TV runs?

Look at the full product name. Hisense USA puts the system at the end of the name. For example, the 75U7SG is the "U7 Series ULED MiniLED 4K Google TV". You can find the name on the box, on the receipt, or on the product page for your model.

Do not use the series name alone. Hisense USA sells some series with two different systems:

The model number helps for some systems, but not for all. In the Hisense USA listings that we read in October 2026, the Google TV model numbers ended in G, as in 75U7SG. The Fire TV model numbers ended in F, as in 75U7SF. Roku TV and VIDAA models do not follow one letter. The 40A4NR Roku TV ends in R, but the 43R6E3 Roku TV does not. The 32H4030F is a Roku TV, although it ends in F. The 136MX runs VIDAA and ends in X. Use the letter as a first clue, and then confirm the system with the product name.

If you do not have the product name, look in the settings of the TV. On a VIDAA TV, VIDAA says that the system version is on the About page, in Settings › Support › About.

Older Hisense sets with Android TV and newer ones with Google TV pair the same way with a phone. You do not have to tell them apart to pick an app. If you are curious, the difference between Android TV and Google TV explains it.

Is there an official Hisense remote app?

There is no single Hisense app for all Hisense TVs. The official app comes from the company that makes the TV's system.

  • For a VIDAA TV, the official app is VIDAA. Its App Store listing says that it controls "any TV in your home which runs the VIDAA Smart TV OS". The seller is V America Operations Inc. On 14 October 2026, the app was free, listed no in-app purchases, and had a rating of 4.7 from about 13,600 ratings.
  • For a Google TV or Android TV model, the official app is Google's Google TV app.
  • For a Roku TV model, it is Roku's app. For a Fire TV model, it is Amazon's Fire TV app.

VIDAA is not only a Hisense system. VIDAA's support page names Hisense, Toshiba and Newsan as TV makers that use it.

Older guides recommend RemoteNOW, and Hisense South Africa's VIDAA page still tells you to download it. On 14 October 2026, a search for RemoteNOW in the App Store in the US, the UK, South Africa and Australia found no listing. For a VIDAA TV, use the VIDAA app.

Many apps in the App Store have "Hisense" in their name. We searched the US App Store on 14 October 2026. The TV remote apps with Hisense in the name came from independent developers, not from Hisense. Before you install a remote app, read the seller name on its listing.

Hisense VIDAA TV: the VIDAA app

VIDAA says that its app gives you "fully-functional remote control features" and quick access to your favorite apps. It also casts media from the phone to the TV. VIDAA tells you to get the app from the TV menu, so that the version matches your TV:

  1. On the TV, open Settings, select Support, and then select Mobile App.
  2. Scan the QR code on the TV screen with the iPhone camera, and install the app.

Then connect the app to the TV. VIDAA gives these steps:

  1. Connect the iPhone and the TV to the same network.
  2. On the TV, accept the VIDAA End User License, Disclaimer and Privacy Policies, if you did not accept them before. They are in Settings › Support › Disclaimer and Privacy.
  3. Restart the VIDAA app, and select your TV.

If the app does not connect, VIDAA tells you to check the app version again in Settings › Support › Mobile App. These checks use the TV's own menu, so you need the Hisense remote for them. If you lost the remote, read the FAQ below.

Hisense Google TV and Android TV: the Google TV app

The remote in Google's Google TV app works with both of Google's TV systems. Google says that the app can "control your Google TV or Android TV". Hisense USA sells many Google TV models, so this is the app for many Hisense owners.

Put the iPhone on the same Wi-Fi network as the TV. Then follow Google's steps:

  1. Open the Google TV app on the iPhone.
  2. Near the bottom right, tap TVs nearby.
  3. Select your Hisense TV.
  4. Enter the code that the TV shows on its screen.
  5. Tap Pair.

The code goes into the iPhone, so this pairing works even without the Hisense remote. After the pairing, Google says that the app can turn the TV on or off, change the volume and control playback. It can also start Google Assistant and type text for searches and logins.

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Hisense Roku TV: the Roku app

On a Hisense Roku TV, the software is Roku's, so Roku's app controls it like any other Roku TV. Roku says that its app works with "your Roku streaming player or Roku TV system".

  1. Install the Roku app from the App Store.
  2. Connect the iPhone and the TV to the same Wi-Fi network.
  3. Open the app and sign in.
  4. Select your Hisense Roku TV when the app finds it.

Roku TVs also have a setting that decides how much phone apps can do. Roku puts it in Settings › System › Advanced system settings › Control by mobile apps. Roku describes three levels:

  • Limited: phone apps can type text and open apps, and the app can show your activity. Other commands do not work.
  • Enabled: the TV obeys phone apps, but only from devices on the same local network.
  • Permissive: any device, also from outside your network, could send every command to the TV.

Some remote apps with Hisense in the name say that they control Roku TVs. Roku says that third-party apps can control a Roku device. But Roku adds: "we strongly advise against doing so for security reasons." For a Hisense Roku TV, use Roku's app.

Hisense Fire TV: Amazon's Fire TV app

Many Hisense TVs run Amazon's Fire TV system, for example the U6 Series and the Fire TV version of the 75-inch U7. On these TVs, Amazon's Fire TV app is the remote. Amazon gives these steps:

  1. Install the Fire TV app from the App Store.
  2. Connect the iPhone to the same Wi-Fi network as the TV.
  3. Open the app and sign in to your Amazon account.
  4. Select the remote icon, and then select Set Up New Fire TV.
  5. Do the steps on the screen.

After the setup, Amazon says that you can use the on-screen navigation, the keyboard and the menu options in the app.

Hisense Xumo TV: Xumo's apps

Some Hisense TVs run Xumo TV. Xumo has two versions of its TV software, and each version uses a different app. Xumo tells you how to find your version:

  • Berry version: the first item in Settings is Closed captions, and the logo at the top left is plum-colored. Use the Xumo TV app.
  • Teal version: the first item in Settings is Picture and sound, and the logo is all white. Use the Xumo Remote app.

To pair the Xumo TV app, put the TV and the iPhone on the same network. Then select the TV in the app, and enter the code that the TV shows. Xumo says that the TV must be online and must show its home screen.

Apple's Control Center remote

Control Center on the iPhone has its own remote, but Apple limits it to a few kinds of TV. Apple's support page names Apple TV and "AirPlay-compatible smart TVs". A smart TV must also be in the Home app, in a room.

We did not find a Hisense page that lists which Hisense models support AirPlay and HomeKit. Look for AirPlay and HomeKit in the specifications for your model. If your TV supports them and is in the Home app, add the remote to Control Center. Open Control Center, tap Add Controls, then tap Add a Control, and choose Remote. On iOS 17 or earlier, add Apple TV Remote in Settings › Control Center.

One app for a Hisense Google TV and other brands

The VIDAA, Roku and Google TV apps each control one kind of TV. If the living room has a Hisense Google TV and the bedroom has a Samsung or an LG, you change apps when you change rooms.

Tivi, a universal TV remote app for iPhone from Nefarius Apps, controls Samsung, LG, Android TV and Google TV sets from one app. It finds the TVs on your Wi-Fi network automatically, and it does not need an account. With a Hisense Google TV or Android TV, Tivi pairs through the same Android TV remote service as Google's app.

  1. Turn on the Hisense TV, and put the iPhone on the same Wi-Fi network.
  2. Open Tivi, and select your Hisense in the list of TVs that it found.
  3. Type the six-character code from the TV screen into Tivi.

Tivi keeps the Hisense after this first pairing, so later you reconnect with one tap and no new code. Its remote gives you the arrow pad and OK, volume and mute, play and pause, previous and next, back, home, menu, and power off. Each command goes straight from the iPhone to the TV over your network, with no cloud service in the middle.

Tivi does not control Hisense TVs with VIDAA, Roku TV, Fire TV or Xumo TV, and it does not control Apple TV. For these TVs, use the app for the system. For the pairing code, the six-character format and what each button sends, read how to control an Android TV or Google TV from an iPhone.

When the iPhone cannot find the Hisense TV

When the app shows no Hisense TV, or the pairing fails, work through these checks from the top:

  1. Make sure that the TV is on and connected to the network.
  2. Put the iPhone on the same Wi-Fi network as the TV. VIDAA, Roku, Amazon and Xumo all give this condition in their steps. A guest network or a router setting can separate two devices on the same Wi-Fi name. Read the network problems behind one Wi-Fi name.
  3. Open the iPhone settings and check the app's Local Network access. If this permission is off, the app sees no devices on your network.
  4. Check that the app matches the system of the TV. Google says that its app controls Google TV and Android TV. The VIDAA app controls TVs that run VIDAA.
  5. On a VIDAA TV, make sure that the VIDAA license is accepted on the TV, and then restart the app.
  6. On a Roku TV, if the buttons do nothing, look at Control by mobile apps. On Limited, Roku lets phone apps only type text and open apps.

For the full ordered list of causes, see the diagnostic checklist for a TV that doesn't show up.

The short version

Start with the system of your Hisense TV. The product name tells you, the model number can give a first clue, and on a VIDAA TV the settings show it. A VIDAA TV uses the VIDAA app. A Google TV or Android TV uses the Google TV app or a universal app such as Tivi. A Roku TV uses the Roku app, a Fire TV uses Amazon's Fire TV app, and a Xumo TV uses Xumo's app. Every one of these apps needs the TV and the iPhone on the same Wi-Fi network. If you also have a Samsung or an LG, Tivi controls them and your Hisense Google TV from one app. The home page shows how it works.

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Common questions

Do I need an account to control a Hisense TV from my iPhone?

Only for some systems. Roku's steps include a sign-in to the Roku app, and Amazon's Fire TV app needs your Amazon account. The Google TV app pairs with the code on the TV screen. VIDAA's connection steps and Xumo's pairing steps do not mention a sign-in. Tivi does not need an account.

Is there a free Hisense TV remote app for iPhone?

Yes. The official apps for four Hisense systems were free on the US App Store on 14 October 2026: VIDAA, Google TV, Roku and Amazon Fire TV. Tivi is also free to download. A free app helps only if it matches the system of your Hisense, so check the system first.

I lost my Hisense TV remote. What can I do?

If the TV is still on your Wi-Fi network, use the app for its system. With the Google TV app, the TV shows a code, and you type the code on the iPhone. You do not need the Hisense remote for this. On a VIDAA TV, install the VIDAA app from the App Store. If you accepted the VIDAA license when you set up the TV, the other connection steps happen on the iPhone. What to do when the TV remote is lost gives more options, including a replacement remote.

Can I control a Hisense TV from my iPhone without Wi-Fi?

No. Every app in this guide sends its commands over the local network, so the iPhone and the Hisense must share one network. Infrared is not an option either, because no iPhone has an infrared emitter. Does a TV remote app need Wi-Fi? compares Wi-Fi, infrared and Bluetooth.

Sources

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