Setup & pairing
How to turn off captions on a TV without a remote
Nefarius Apps11 min read
To turn off captions without a remote, first find where they come from. The TV, the app you watch and a cable box each have their own caption switch. Then use a phone app as the remote to open that switch. A phone app works when the TV is on and connected to the same Wi-Fi network as the phone. If the TV is not on your network, use the control button on the TV. On LG and on many Samsung TVs, it opens the settings menu.
Where do the captions come from?
The caption setting of the TV does not control all captions. Samsung says that apps such as Netflix and HBO Max have their own caption settings, and that consoles and set-top boxes do too. In Samsung's words, "The settings on the TV menu will not matter for these sources". So turn off the captions at the source that shows them.
| What you watch | Where to turn off the captions |
|---|---|
| An antenna, on the live TV input of the TV | The caption setting of the TV |
| A streaming app on the TV, such as Netflix | The player of the app, and sometimes also the TV setting |
| A cable or satellite box | The settings of the box |
| A DVD or a Blu-ray disc | The menu of the disc |
| Text that is part of the picture | No switch: these are open captions |
The other TV platforms say the same about apps. Google says that your caption preferences on Google TV "might not apply to certain apps". Roku says that for some service providers, its caption settings "have no effect on the content". You turn on captions for these providers in the app.
Some text cannot be turned off at all. The W3C Web Accessibility Initiative explains that most captions are closed captions, which you can show or hide. Open captions "are always displayed and cannot be turned off". The W3C also notes that "captions" and "subtitles" mean the same thing in different regions of the world. So a TV menu can use either word.
Use your phone as the remote
A phone app replaces the remote of a smart TV. With the app, you open the settings and the player controls as you do with the remote. Two conditions apply. The TV must be on and connected to your home network. The phone must be on the same Wi-Fi network. LG tells you to connect the phone and the TV to the same network. Roku says that its app cannot detect a device that is not connected.
| App | Works with | What it needs |
|---|---|---|
| SmartThings | Samsung TVs | A Samsung account, and the TV connected to the app first |
| LG ThinQ | LG TVs | An LG account, and the same 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi network |
| Google TV | Google TV and Android TV | A code from the TV screen, typed into the app |
| The Roku app | Roku TVs and Roku players | The Roku connected to the network |
| Tivi | Samsung, LG, Android TV and Google TV | No account; the same Wi-Fi network |
On a Samsung TV, Samsung says that the remote in SmartThings controls the channel, the volume, Home and Settings. The LG ThinQ app has arrow buttons and an OK button, like the Magic Remote. In the Google TV app, tap TVs nearby, select your TV, and type the code that the TV shows. The Roku app has the Options button, which is the star button of the Roku remote.
The apps from Samsung and LG each control one brand, and each asks for an account. Tivi is a universal TV remote app for iPhone from Nefarius Apps. It finds the TVs on your Wi-Fi and controls Samsung, LG, Android TV and Google TV sets without an account. Its remote has an arrow pad, an OK button, and home, back and menu buttons. With these buttons, you move to the caption setting of the TV or to the player controls of an app. Tivi does not control Roku devices, Fire TV devices, Apple TV or cable boxes.
For the full set-up, read how to use your iPhone as a TV remote. If the TV does not appear in the app, go through the checklist for a TV that doesn't show up.
Connect the app for the first time without a remote
The first connection between a remote app and a TV needs a confirmation. On LG, Android TV and Google TV, you give it on the phone:
- An LG TV shows a PIN, and you type it into the app. The LG pairing PIN article gives the details.
- An Android TV or a Google TV shows a code, and you type it into the app. See controlling an Android TV or Google TV from an iPhone.
A Samsung TV is different. It shows a prompt that asks if it can allow the device, and you answer on the TV. Without the remote, try the control button on the TV. Samsung's allow-device prompt explains what the prompt does.
Turn off captions in the TV's settings
Use these steps when the captions come from the TV itself, for example on an antenna channel. Use the phone app as the remote, or the button on the TV where it opens the menu. Menu names change with the model year, so the names on your TV can be a little different.
Samsung TVs
- Go to the Home screen.
- Select Settings, then General, then Accessibility.
- Select Caption Settings.
- Select Caption to turn it off.
On some models, the menu has the name General & Privacy. Samsung's Voice Guide page, updated in May 2026, uses the path Settings, All Settings, General & Privacy, Accessibility. Caption Settings also has Caption Mode, Digital Caption Options and Separate Closed Caption. These options change the language, the look and the position of the captions. They do not turn the captions off.
LG TVs
LG gives the path for each webOS version:
- webOS 6.0 (2021), webOS 22 and webOS 23: All Settings, then General, then Accessibility, then Closed Caption.
- webOS 3.5 (2017), webOS 4.0 and webOS 4.5: All Settings, then Accessibility, then Closed Caption.
Set Closed Caption to off. LG adds that captions depend on the broadcaster, and that it made the guide for all models. So the screens on your TV can be different.
Google TV and Android TV
On Google TV, Google gives the path Settings, then Accessibility, then Captions. The Display switch shows the captions, so turn off Display. This path is for Google TV, and a TV maker can change the menu names a little. On an Android TV, the menus depend on the TV maker. Look for a captions item in the Accessibility settings, or read the manual for your model.
Roku TVs
Roku gives the path Home, then Settings, then Accessibility, then Captions mode. If your Roku does not list Accessibility, select Captions instead. Then select Off. Tivi does not control Roku TVs, so use the Roku app for these steps.
Fire TV
Amazon gives these steps for a video that plays on a Fire TV device:
- Press the Menu button on the Fire TV remote or in the Fire TV app.
- Select Subtitles.
- Select Off.
Turn off captions in a streaming app
If the captions stay on after you turn off the TV setting, the app probably shows them. Turn them off in the player of the app. With a phone app that has arrow and OK buttons, such as LG ThinQ or Tivi, you can do these steps from the phone.
Netflix gives these steps for a smart TV:
- Start the show or the movie.
- Press the up arrow or the down arrow to show the player controls.
- Select Audio & Subtitles, at the top or the bottom of the screen.
- Change the subtitle selection to off.
Netflix notes that on TVs, the language options can appear at the bottom of the screen without the Audio & Subtitles icon. Netflix also says that you can see subtitles when the subtitle setting is off. This occurs in titles with dialogue in a language that is not the original language of the title.
Other apps put the caption switch in their player too. Look for a CC item or a Subtitles item in the player controls. On a Roku, press the star button during playback, then select Closed captioning. Roku notes that not all apps make this option available.
Use the button on the TV
If the TV is not on your network, a phone app cannot reach it. The control button on the TV needs no network, and on LG and many Samsung TVs it opens the settings menu.
On an LG TV, press the jog button one time while the TV is on. LG lists four items in the menu that appears: Power, Close Menu Window, Change External Input and Settings Menu. Press the button again to move to Settings Menu. On the type of button that only presses, press and hold the button to select the item.
On a Samsung TV, Samsung says that most models let you get to the Menu and the Settings with the TV control button. Samsung's Australian page, updated in October 2026, gives these steps:
- With the TV on, press the button at the bottom centre or the bottom right of the TV. The Control menu appears at the bottom of the screen.
- Press the button again to move through the menu.
- Press and hold the button to select an item.
The same page gives a limit: "certain features and/or settings cannot be accessed without the use of a remote control". So the button can open the settings, but it may not get to Caption Settings on your model. If the button does not get you there, you need a remote. Read what to do when the TV remote is lost to find a replacement remote.
Captions from a cable or satellite box
LG says that "The caption function is not supported with a set-top box." Samsung says that set-top boxes have their own caption settings. So if you watch TV through a cable or satellite box, the captions come from the box, and the TV setting does not control them.
Turn off the captions in the menu of the box, with the remote of the box. A TV remote app controls the TV, not the box. If the remote of the box is also lost, ask your TV provider how to turn off captions on its box.
If the captions come back
Captions that come back can have one of these causes:
- Roku's On mute mode. Roku lists four modes: Off, On always, On replay and On mute. On mute shows captions every time you mute the volume. On replay shows them after you press Replay. Select Off to stop both.
- The captions are on in two places. Turn them off in the TV setting and in the app.
- Dialogue in another language. On Netflix, these subtitles can appear when your subtitle setting is off.
- Open captions. If the text is part of the picture, no setting removes it.
On a Samsung TV, Samsung says that a press and hold on the Mute button opens Accessibility Shortcuts. Captions is one of the items in that list. When you have the remote again, you can use this shortcut to turn the captions on or off.
The short version
First, find where the captions come from: the TV, the app, a cable box or the video itself. Then turn them off at that source.
If the TV is on your Wi-Fi, use a phone app as the remote. Use SmartThings for Samsung, LG ThinQ for LG and the Google TV app for Google TV. Use the Roku app for Roku and the Fire TV app for Fire TV. Tivi controls Samsung, LG, Android TV and Google TV sets without an account. If the TV is not on your network, use the control button on the TV to open the settings menu.
Common questions
How do I get rid of subtitles on my TV without a remote?
Use a phone app as the remote, if the TV is on the same Wi-Fi network as the phone. Open the settings of the TV and go to Accessibility, then turn off captions or subtitles. If the subtitles come from an app such as Netflix, turn them off in the player of the app. If the TV is not on your network, use the control button on the TV to open the settings menu.
Why won't closed captions turn off on my TV?
The captions probably come from a source that has its own setting. Samsung says that apps, consoles and set-top boxes have their own caption settings. LG says that its caption function does not work with a set-top box. Turn off the captions in the app or the box. On a Roku TV, also check that Captions mode is not set to On mute.
Can I turn off captions from my iPhone?
Yes, if the TV is a smart TV on the same Wi-Fi network as the iPhone. Use the app of the TV brand, or Tivi for Samsung, LG, Android TV and Google TV sets. With the app, open the caption setting of the TV or the player of the streaming app. These apps do not control a cable box, and a phone app cannot reach a TV that is not on the network.
Why do captions come on when I mute the TV?
On a Roku TV, Captions mode is probably set to On mute. Roku says that in this mode, captions appear only when the volume is muted. Go to Settings, then Accessibility, then Captions mode, and select Off. Roku notes that the On mute option is not available on all Roku devices.
Sources
- Samsung. Accessibility settings on your Samsung TV.
- Samsung (2026). How to disable the Voice Guide function on your Samsung TV.
- Samsung (2026). How to Control a Samsung TV without a Remote.
- Samsung (2023). How to control a Samsung TV without a Remote.
- LG (2026). LG TV - How to Enable Closed Captioning.
- LG (2025). How to Use the Jog Button.
- LG (2024). LG TV - How to Set Up the LG ThinQ App on Your LG Smart TV.
- Google. Make Google TV more accessible.
- Google. Cast, connect & control your TV with the Google TV app.
- Roku (2026). How to enable closed captioning.
- Roku (2026). How to use the Roku remote app to control your Roku streaming device without a remote.
- Amazon. Turn On Subtitles or Closed Captions on Fire TV.
- Netflix. How to use subtitles, captions, or choose audio language.
- W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (2024). Captions/Subtitles.