Free TV remote app for iPhone: the apps with no subscription

Universal remote apps are usually free to download too, but most of them sell a subscription. In our check of the first 10 App Store results for "tv remote", all 9 apps from other developers listed a weekly plan. This guide shows the free app for each TV, how to read the price lines on a listing, and how to stop a trial before it charges you.

Which free app works with your TV?

The free app comes from the company that makes the system inside the TV, not always from the brand on the front. For example, a Sony, TCL or Hisense TV with Google TV works with Google's app.

On 15 October 2026, the listings of these six apps showed no in-app purchases, so the full remote costs nothing. The requirements in the table come from each company's own instructions. Samsung says that "A Samsung Account and internet connection are required" for the SmartThings remote. Roku says that its remote app "is a free application", and that you must "sign in to the mobile app".

The other companies give their requirements in their setup steps. Google's steps for the Google TV app ask only for the code on the TV screen. LG's steps tell you to log in to ThinQ and enter the PIN from the TV. Amazon's steps include a sign-in to your Amazon account. VIZIO's page tells you to enter the 4-digit code that the TV shows.

Free does not always mean without ads. The listings of Google TV, LG ThinQ, Roku and VIZIO \| WatchFree+ say "Contains Advertising". The SmartThings and Amazon Fire TV listings do not.

These apps have one limit in common: each one works only with its own maker's TVs or system. A home with a Samsung in the living room and an LG in the bedroom needs two apps. For the first connection, step by step, read how to control a Samsung TV with your iPhone, how to control an LG TV with your iPhone, or how to control an Android TV or Google TV from an iPhone.

The free remote that is already on your iPhone

The iPhone has a remote in Control Centre, and it costs nothing. It does not work with every TV. Apple says: "The Apple TV Remote in Control Center works only with Apple TV 4K, Apple TV HD, and AirPlay-compatible smart TVs." For a smart TV, Apple tells you to "add your smart TV to the Home app and assign it to a room".

To add the remote to Control Centre:

1. Open Control Centre.
2. Tap the Add Controls button.
3. Tap Add a Control.
4. Find Remote, and tap it.

On iOS 17 or earlier, go to Settings, Control Centre, and tap the Add button next to Apple TV Remote. The iPhone must be on the same Wi-Fi network as the Apple TV or the smart TV.

If your TV does not work with AirPlay, this remote does not control it. Then use the TV maker's app from the table above.

Why do "free" remote apps ask for a subscription?

The remote apps from other developers that we checked are free to download, and they sell subscriptions. On 15 October 2026, we looked at the first 10 results that Apple's App Store search service returned for "tv remote" in the US store. Nine were apps from other developers. The tenth was Roku's official app.

• All 9 apps from other developers listed at least one weekly plan in their in-app purchases.
• The weekly prices listed were from $2.99 to $14.90.
• 5 of the 9 also listed a one-time lifetime purchase, from $14.99 to $69.99.
• 6 of the 9 also said "Contains Advertising".
• The Roku app listed no in-app purchases.

Prices change, and they are different in other countries. A listing can also show one plan name more than once, at different prices. Use the table as a picture of the market on one day, not as a price list.

People on Reddit describe the same pattern from the other side. In a thread on r/iphone, the first post says: "All the apps i find are free but as soon as you do something they ask you to pay for a subscription." One reply describes apps "letting you change the volume once and then wanting a $19.99 subscription". In another thread, a user writes that "the apps say 'free' till I get through the fine print". These are reports from users, not tests, but they show where the frustration comes from.

A weekly plan is the shortest subscription that Apple allows. Apple's App Review Guidelines say that "the subscription period must last at least seven days". Per year, it is also the most expensive plan: in every listing in the table, 52 weeks of the weekly plan cost more than the yearly plan. On the EVOLLY.APP listing, the weekly plan at $6.99 comes to $363.48 after 52 weeks. The same listing has a yearly plan at $39.99. The same guidelines say that an app must "clearly describe what the user will get for the price" before it asks you to subscribe.

How to check an app's price before you install it

The App Store listing shows what an app sells before you download it. Do these checks on the listing:

1. Read the line under the app name. "Free" alone means that the listing shows no in-app purchases. "Free · In-App Purchases" means that the app sells something inside it.
2. Scroll down to Information, and open In-App Purchases. Look for plan names such as Weekly, Monthly, Premium or Pro, and for their prices.
3. In Information, look for a Contains line. If it says Advertising, the app shows ads.
4. Read the end of the description. Many listings give the length of the trial and the renewal rule there.

A typical renewal rule, from one of the listings in the table, says: "Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period." Five of the nine listings had a similar rule in their description.

Then compare the plans. If you think that you will use the app for more than a few weeks, calculate 52 weeks of the weekly price, and compare it with the yearly price on the same listing. Apple tells developers not to put prices in the description, because "Pricing is already shown on the product page" (Apple's page for developers). So trust the In-App Purchases list more than a price in the description.

How to stop a free trial before it charges you

A free trial in the App Store becomes a paid subscription unless you cancel it. Apple says: "If you signed up for a trial subscription and you don't want to renew it, cancel it at least 24 hours before the trial ends."

To cancel a subscription on your iPhone:

1. Open Settings, and tap your name.
2. Tap Subscriptions.
3. Tap the subscription.
4. Tap Cancel Subscription. If you do not see it, scroll down.

If there is no Cancel Subscription button, the subscription is already cancelled. If you cannot find the subscription, Apple tells you to search your email for "receipt from Apple" or "invoice from Apple", and to check which Apple Account the receipt shows.

Deleting the app does not stop the payments. In its instructions for deleting apps on a Mac, Apple says that this "doesn't cancel any subscription that you purchased with the app". Cancel the subscription in Settings instead.

If a trial already changed into a paid plan, you can ask Apple for a refund. Apple's steps are:

1. Sign in at reportaproblem.apple.com.
2. Select "I'd like to", and then select "Request a refund".
3. Select the reason, and continue.
4. Select the subscription, and submit the request.

Apple says that "Refund eligibility might vary by country or region". An update to the request can take 24 to 48 hours.

What a free remote app can't do

A free app has the same limits as a paid one, because the limits come from the iPhone and the TV:

• The TV must be a smart TV on your network. An iPhone has no infrared emitter, so no app can control a TV that only reacts to infrared. Why a TV remote app needs Wi-Fi explains the other options for an older TV.
• The iPhone usually must be on the same Wi-Fi network as the TV. LG, Amazon, VIZIO and Apple say so in their instructions.
• The TV must be on and connected. Roku says that its app cannot find a Roku device that is not connected to the internet, for example after a reset or during the first setup.

If the TV is on and on Wi-Fi, but the app does not find it, read what to do when the TV doesn't show up in the app. How an iPhone works as a TV remote explains the connection in more detail.

One free app for Samsung, LG and Google TV

The TV makers' apps are free, but you need one app for each TV system. Tivi is a universal TV remote app for iPhone from Nefarius Apps. It controls Samsung, LG, Android TV and Google TV sets and streamers from one app. It finds the TVs on your Wi-Fi network by itself, and it does not ask for an account.

Tivi also sells a subscription, so here is what is free. The Tivi listing says: "Free to start: the full remote for one TV. Tivi Pro adds unlimited TVs and turning your TV off." The free remote has the arrow pad and OK, volume and mute, channel up and down, play and pause, previous and next, home, back and menu.

Tivi Pro is an optional subscription with a free trial, and you cancel it in Settings like any other App Store subscription. On 15 October 2026, the listing showed three plans: Weekly $4.99, Monthly $9.99 and Yearly $49.99. The yearly plan costs about the same as 10 weeks of the weekly plan.

Tivi does not control Roku, Fire TV, VIZIO or Apple TV. Cast-only Chromecasts and Roku players show up in its list, but Tivi cannot control them yet.

The short version

• For a free remote with no in-app purchases, use the TV maker's app: SmartThings, LG ThinQ, Google TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV or VIZIO \| WatchFree+.
• For an Apple TV, or a smart TV that works with AirPlay and is in the Home app, use the remote in Control Centre.
• Before you install a universal app, open In-App Purchases in the Information section of its listing.
• To stop a trial, cancel it in Settings at least 24 hours before it ends. Deleting the app does not cancel it.
• If the TV is not on your Wi-Fi network, no app can reach it. Read what to do when the TV remote is lost for the other options.

Common questions

Sources

• Apple (2026). Set up the Apple TV Remote on your iPhone or iPad.
• Apple (2026). Cancel a subscription from Apple.
• Apple (2026). Request a refund for apps or content that you bought from Apple.
• Apple (2026). Delete or uninstall apps on Mac.
• Apple Developer (2026). App Review Guidelines.
• Apple Developer (2026). Creating your product page.
• Samsung. Control your Samsung TV or projector with your phone using SmartThings.
• Samsung. Power on your TV with the SmartThings App.
• LG (2026). LG ThinQ - How to Register Your TV With LG ThinQ.
• Google. Cast, connect and control your TV with the Google TV app.
• Roku (2026). How to use the Roku remote app to control your Roku streaming device.
• Amazon. Use Your Mobile Device like a Fire TV Remote.
• VIZIO (2026). VIZIO Mobile App.
• Apple App Store (2026). SmartThings.
• Apple App Store (2026). LG ThinQ.
• Apple App Store (2026). Google TV: Watch Movies & TV.
• Apple App Store (2026). Roku Remote (Official).
• Apple App Store (2026). Amazon Fire TV.
• Apple App Store (2026). VIZIO \| WatchFree+.
• Apple App Store (2026). Tivi – TV Remote Control.
• Apple App Store (2026). Universal TV Remote, KRAFTWERK 9.
• Apple App Store (2026). TV Remote - Universal, Zap Software Studio.
• Apple App Store (2026). TV Remote - Universal Control, EVOLLY.APP.
• Apple App Store (2026). Universal TV Remote Control, TOGGLE APPS.
• Apple App Store (2026). Universal Remote TV Control, BEGAMOB GLOBAL.
• Apple App Store (2026). Universal Remote TV Control, Desidari holding.
• Apple App Store (2026). Universal TV Remote Control, Apps Venture.
• Apple App Store (2026). Smart TV Remote for Samsung, Companjen Apps.
• Apple App Store (2026). Universal Remote - Smart TV, Node Excellence.
• Reddit r/iphone (2025). What is the best tv remote app for ios free?
• Reddit r/iphone (2025). Finding remote control App for TV but what I find is…