Setup & pairing
How to turn off a TV without a remote
Nefarius Apps14 min read
To turn off a TV without a remote, use the button on the TV. On Samsung, LG, Sony and Roku TVs, a press or a press and hold of that button turns the TV off. If the TV is a smart TV on your Wi-Fi, a phone app with a power button can also turn it off. A streaming device that is connected to the TV can turn it off through HDMI-CEC. If none of these is possible, unplug the TV.
Which method fits your situation?
Start with what you have in the room. The table gives a method for each situation.
| What you have | What to use | What it needs |
|---|---|---|
| Any TV with a button you can reach | The button on the TV | Nothing else |
| A smart TV that is on and connected to your Wi-Fi | A phone app with a power button | Usually, the phone on the same Wi-Fi network |
| A Roku player, a Google TV Streamer or an Apple TV connected to the TV | The remote or the app of that device | HDMI-CEC on, and a short set-up |
| A TV that you want off after a set time | A sleep timer or an off timer on the TV | One visit to the TV's settings |
| None of these | The plug | Access to the socket or the power strip |
A phone cannot turn off a TV that is not on your network. An iPhone has no infrared emitter, the part that a remote uses to send its signal. The article on why an iPhone can't send infrared explains the alternatives.
Turn the TV off with the button on the TV
Samsung, LG, Sony and Roku all describe a button on their TVs that can turn the TV off. The button is small, and on Samsung TVs it is often under the bottom edge or on the back. Feel along the bottom edge, the sides and the back. On some models, one button does several jobs: a short press opens a menu or moves through it, and a long press turns the TV off.
The table sums up the button methods of this section. The brand sections below give the details.
| TV and button type | How to turn the TV off |
|---|---|
| Samsung, controller at the bottom centre or bottom right | Press the button |
| Samsung, control stick | Press and hold the stick |
| LG, type A or type B jog button | Press and hold for more than one second |
| Sony | Press and hold the power button |
| Roku TV, single button | Press for more than two seconds |
| Other brands | Look for a power item in the button menu, or try a long press |
Samsung TVs
Samsung's support page for the Philippines says that all Samsung TVs have a TV control button. Samsung gives three positions for it:
- on the back of the TV, in the bottom right corner, which Samsung calls the most likely position
- in the middle of the front panel, on models with about five buttons
- under the bottom edge, on the right-hand side as you face the TV
How you turn the TV off depends on the button type. Samsung's Australian page, updated in October 2026, describes a controller at the bottom centre or the bottom right of the screen. It says that a press of this button turns the TV on or off. The same page says that the function is not available on some models.
Other Samsung TVs have a control stick, which Samsung also calls a jog controller. Samsung describes it as a little joystick on the back or the bottom right side of the TV. To turn the TV off, press and hold the stick. A single press shows a small menu with Smart Hub, Return, Source, Power Off and Menu.
LG TVs
LG calls its control the jog button. LG's help library shows two types. Type A only presses. Type B presses and also moves up, down, left and right.
On both types, a press turns the TV on, and a press and hold turns the TV off. LG defines a press and hold as more than one second. LG also gives a warning: when the TV turns off this way, all running apps close and recordings stop.
On a type A button, a single press shows a menu with four items. They turn the TV off, close the menu, change the external input and open the settings. To select an item, press and hold the button.
Sony TVs
Sony's help guide says that you can press and hold the power button on the TV to turn it off. Sony says that the position of the button changes with the model, the country and the region. Some Sony TVs have only one button. On those models, a press shows a menu for the volume and the channels.
Roku TVs
A Roku TV is a TV that uses Roku's software. TCL and Hisense are two of the makers. The Roku TV User Guide describes the buttons on the TV, which it calls panel buttons. The guide says that the panel buttons are not a substitute for the remote. It is from 2018, so a newer model can be different.
| Button layout | How to turn the TV off |
|---|---|
| Single button | Long press, more than two seconds |
| Three buttons | Long press of the middle button, more than two seconds |
| Joystick | Press in; this changes between on and standby |
| Four or five buttons | Press the Power button |
On the single button, a short press of less than two seconds does other jobs. It turns the TV on, or it shows the Input List.
Other brands
On a TV from another maker, look for a button with a power symbol along the bottom edge, the sides and the back. If the button opens a menu, look for a power item in it. If you are not sure, try a long press of two or three seconds. Then read the manual for your model to see what the button does.
Turn the TV off from your phone
A phone app can turn off a smart TV that is on and connected to your home network. LG says that ThinQ needs the phone and the TV on the same network, and Tivi needs the same Wi-Fi network too. These apps can turn the TV off.
| App | Works with | How to turn the TV off | What it needs |
|---|---|---|---|
| SmartThings | Samsung TVs | Tap the power tile of the TV | A Samsung account, and the TV added to the app |
| LG ThinQ | LG TVs | Turn the TV off in the app | An LG account, and the same 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi network |
| Google TV | Google TV and Android TV | Turn the TV off in the app's remote | A code from the TV screen, typed into the app |
| The Roku app | Roku TVs and Roku players | Tap the power button | The Roku connected to the internet |
| Tivi | Samsung, LG, Android TV and Google TV | Tap the power button | Tivi Pro; no account |
On a Samsung TV, Samsung says that you tap the power button tile of the TV in SmartThings to switch the TV on or off. On models from 2017 to 2021, open Devices first. On an LG TV, LG says that ThinQ can turn TVs with webOS 3.5 and later on and off. With older webOS versions, the app can only turn the TV off.
Google lists "Turn the TV on or off" among the remote functions of its Google TV app. Roku says that the power button of its app turns the Roku device on or off. With a Roku streaming player, the app controls the player, not the TV. The streaming-device section below explains how the player can turn the TV off.
Before you turn the TV off from the phone
Make sure that you can turn the TV on again. On Samsung and LG TVs, a phone can turn the TV on from standby only if a setting on the TV allows it. Samsung calls the setting Power On with Mobile. LG calls it TV On With Mobile, with the option Turn on via Wi-Fi. If the setting is off, you need the button on the TV or a remote to turn the TV on again. Samsung says that without Power On with Mobile, you cannot turn the TV on from SmartThings.
Connect for the first time without a remote
The first connection between a remote app and a TV needs a confirmation. On LG TVs and on Android TV and Google TV sets, the TV shows a code, and you type the code into the app. The LG pairing PIN and controlling an Android TV or Google TV from an iPhone explain the steps.
A Samsung TV is different. It shows a prompt that asks if it can allow the new device, and you answer the prompt on the TV. Samsung's allow-device prompt explains what the prompt does. If you have no remote, use the button on the TV to turn the TV off this time.
One app for several brands
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. The power button is at the top of its remote. Turning the TV off from the phone is part of Tivi Pro; the free version runs the other buttons of the remote on one TV.
Tivi can also turn a Samsung or LG TV on again with Turn On TV, if it connected to the TV before and the TV's power-on setting is on. It cannot turn on an Android TV or a Google TV. It does not control Roku devices or Apple TV.
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.
Turn the TV off with a streaming device
A streaming device that is connected to the TV with HDMI can turn the TV off. It uses HDMI-CEC. Google describes CEC as a function that lets one remote control the HDMI devices. TV makers use their own names for it: Samsung calls it Anynet+, LG calls it SimpLink, and Sony calls it BRAVIA Sync or BRAVIA Link. Turn it on in the TV's settings first.
- Roku player. Roku says that you can turn off the TV from the Roku Home screen. Scroll to the bottom to find the TV Off tile. If the tile is not there, go to Settings, Home Screen, Shortcuts. The Roku player also needs Settings, System, Control other devices (CEC), with 1-Touch Play and TV Power on. Then the power button in the Roku app turns the TV off through the player.
- Chromecast with Google TV or Google TV Streamer. On the device, go to All settings, Remotes & Accessories, Set up remote buttons, then Power, and select your TV. Then press the power button on the remote to turn the TV off. Google says that the remote cannot control the power on some models. Point the remote at the device.
- Apple TV. Apple says that the Siri Remote can turn your TV on or off. On the Apple TV, go to Settings, Remotes and Devices, and turn on Control TVs and Receivers.
Casting is not the same thing. A cast from a phone starts a video on the TV, but it cannot turn the TV off. The article on what casting can and can't do explains why.
Make the TV turn itself off
A TV can turn itself off with a timer. You set the timer in the TV's settings. Without a remote, open the settings with a phone app, or with the button menu if it reaches the settings on your model. Samsung says that the button cannot open some settings.
On a Samsung TV, Samsung's page on the sleep timer gives the path Settings, All Settings, General & Privacy, System Manager, Time, Sleep Timer for 2022 and newer models. The maximum is 180 minutes. On 2025 Samsung TVs, the Power and Energy Saving menu has three settings:
- Sleep Timer turns the TV off after a set time, up to 180 minutes.
- Off Timer turns the TV off at a set clock time. Set the clock first.
- Auto Power Off turns the TV off when nobody uses its buttons or its remote for a set time.
On an LG TV, LG's page on timers gives the path All Settings, General, System, Time & Timer, Timers for webOS 22 and webOS 6.0. There, set the Power off Timer to On and choose the time. The same page describes an automatic power-off: the TV turns off after 4 hours without a remote command, and some models after 2 hours.
If you can't reach a button: unplug the TV
If the TV has no button you can reach, and no app or streaming device can control it, unplug the TV. You can also switch off the power strip. To use the TV again, plug it in and turn it on with the button on the TV.
A phone app cannot turn on a TV that has no power. Only a TV in standby can answer a phone. If you use a phone to turn the TV on, plug the TV in again before you try.
On an LG OLED TV, do not cut the power right after the TV goes off. LG says that Pixel Cleaning, the panel care process, runs while the screen is off. It takes about 10 to 90 minutes. LG says to keep the TV plugged in while it is in standby. If you unplug the TV before the process is complete, the process stops, and the TV can show a notification about it later.
If you need the remote again, the guide on what to do when the TV remote is lost shows how to find the model code and where to get a replacement.
The short version
First, find the button on the TV. On an LG TV, press and hold the jog button for more than one second. On a Samsung TV, press the controller, or press and hold the control stick. On a Sony TV, press and hold the power button. On a Roku TV with one button, press it for more than two seconds.
If the TV is a smart TV on your Wi-Fi, use a phone app with a power button: SmartThings, LG ThinQ, the Google TV app, the Roku app or Tivi. Before you turn a Samsung or LG TV off from the phone, make sure that its power-on setting is on, so the phone can turn it on again.
A Roku player, a Google TV Streamer or an Apple TV can turn the TV off through HDMI-CEC. A timer can turn the TV off after a set time or at a set clock time. If nothing else works, unplug the TV, but wait for Pixel Cleaning to finish on an LG OLED.
Common questions
Where is the power button on my TV?
It depends on the brand and the model. Samsung says that its control button is most often on the back, in the bottom right corner. Other Samsung models have it in the middle of the front panel, or under the bottom edge on the right. LG asks you to check where the buttons are on your model, and Sony says that the position changes with the model. Feel along the bottom edge, the sides and the back of the TV.
Do all TVs have a power button?
Samsung says that all its TVs have a control button, and LG, Sony and Roku describe the buttons on their TVs too. Some buttons are hard to find. Owners on Reddit report touch buttons that are hard to see in low light, and buttons behind the trim at the bottom of the TV. If you cannot find a button, read the manual for your model, or use a phone app or a streaming device.
Is it bad to turn off a TV by unplugging it?
On an LG OLED TV, LG says to keep the TV plugged in while it is in standby, so that Pixel Cleaning can finish. The process takes about 10 to 90 minutes after the screen goes off. For other TVs, use the button or an app when you can, because a phone app can only turn on a TV that has power.
How do I turn a TV off completely, not to standby?
Unplug the TV, or switch off the power strip. The button on the TV, a phone app and a timer all put the TV into standby. In standby, a Samsung or LG TV can still answer a phone if its power-on setting is on. Without power, it cannot, so turn it on again with the button on the TV.
Sources
- Samsung (2023). How to control a Samsung TV without a Remote.
- Samsung (2026). How to Control a Samsung TV without a Remote.
- Samsung (2020). What is Jog Controller in Samsung TV's?
- Samsung (2026). Power on your TV with the SmartThings App.
- Samsung (2026). How to activate the sleep timer on your Samsung TV.
- Samsung (2025). How to use Power and Energy Saving functions on your 2025 Samsung Smart TV.
- 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.
- LG (2026). LG TV - How to Set the Power On/Off Timer on an LG TV.
- LG (2026). How to Stop Repeated Pixel Cleaning Notifications on Your LG OLED TV.
- Sony. Help Guide: The TV cannot be turned off using the remote control.
- Roku (2018). Roku TV User Guide, version 8.2.
- Roku (2026). How to use the 'TV Off' shortcut and control your TV with a Roku streaming player.
- Roku (2026). How to use the Roku remote app to control your Roku streaming device without a remote.
- Google. Cast, connect & control your TV with the Google TV app.
- Google. What is CEC?
- Google. Set up volume, power and input control on your Chromecast or Google TV Streamer Voice Remote.
- Apple. Control your TV and volume with the Siri Remote.
- Reddit, r/Chromecast (2016). I lost my TV remote and there are no physical buttons on the TV.