How to watch Netflix on your TV without a remote

Casting from the Netflix app on your phone is not a solution on most TVs. Netflix now casts only to a short list of devices, and only on its Standard and Premium plans.

Why the Netflix app can't cast to your TV anymore

Netflix removed casting from phones to most TVs and streaming devices in late 2025. Wired reported the change on 1 December 2025. A Netflix representative told Wired that not enough members used the feature. Wired also says that you cannot control the volume, the playback or the captions on the TV from your phone anymore.

The Netflix help page now names four types of devices that can still receive a cast from the Netflix app on a phone:

• Chromecast, 3rd generation or older, which came without a physical remote
• Google Nest Hub smart displays
• Select Vizio TVs with cast support
• Select Compal TVs with cast support

For other devices, Netflix says, "you won't be able to cast Netflix to your TV from your phone or tablet." Netflix tells you to use the remote that came with your TV instead. Casting and screen mirroring also need a Standard or Premium plan, so they do not work on the plan with ads. AirPlay is not an option on an iPhone, because Netflix doesn't support AirPlay.

The change is about the Netflix app on your phone. It does not stop a remote app. A cast sends the show from your phone to the TV. A remote app sends commands to the TV in the same way as the TV remote. Why casting is not the same as a remote explains the difference in more detail.

Which phone app can open Netflix on your TV?

The remote app that works depends on the system of your TV, not on Netflix. Each app in the table controls one or more TV systems. The Roku, Fire TV, LG ThinQ and Tivi apps need the iPhone and the TV on the same Wi-Fi network.

The steps are almost the same in each app:

1. Connect the iPhone to the same Wi-Fi network as the TV.
2. Open the remote app and select your TV.
3. Confirm the first connection. The app tells you how, for example with a code on the TV screen.
4. Press Home in the app to open the home screen of the TV.
5. Use the arrow buttons to go to the Netflix app, and press OK.

If the app asks for Local Network access, allow it. Without this permission, an iPhone app cannot find the TV, as the guide to Local Network access explains.

Each brand app has its own conditions. Samsung says that the SmartThings remote can change the volume, launch apps and switch inputs. It needs a Samsung account and an internet connection, and the TV must already be added to SmartThings. LG's ThinQ guide tells you to sign in with an LG account and to connect the phone and the TV to the same network. Its remote has arrow buttons and OK, and it changes the input, the volume and the channel.

Google says that the Google TV app can control a Google TV or Android TV. It can control playback, change the volume, turn the TV on or off and enter text. To connect, tap the TVs nearby button, select your TV, enter the code from the TV screen, and tap Pair. You do not need the TV remote for this step.

Roku's app turns the iPhone into a remote for a Roku player or a Roku TV. Roku says that the Roku must already be on and connected to your home Wi-Fi. The phone must also be on the same Wi-Fi network. Amazon's Fire TV app gives on-screen navigation and a keyboard after you connect the iPhone to the same Wi-Fi network as the Fire TV.

The iPhone also has a remote in Control Center. Apple says that it works with Apple TV and with AirPlay-compatible smart TVs. For a smart TV, you must first add the TV to the Home app and assign it to a room. To add the remote, open Control Center, tap the Add Controls button, tap Add a Control, and select Remote.

How to open Netflix with Tivi

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 you do not need an account. The free version gives you the full remote for one TV.

1. Make sure that the TV is on and that the iPhone is on the same Wi-Fi network.
2. Open Tivi and tap your TV in the list.
3. Confirm the first connection. On an LG TV, type the PIN from the TV screen into Tivi. On a Google TV or Android TV, type the code from the TV screen.
4. Tap Home in Tivi to open the home screen of the TV.
5. Use the arrow pad to go to the Netflix app, and tap OK.

The arrow pad, OK and Back move through Netflix in the same way as the buttons of the TV remote. Volume and mute control the sound of the TV. Tivi has no button that opens Netflix directly, so you go through the home screen of the TV. On an LG TV, Tivi can also type with the iPhone keyboard, which helps when you search in Netflix.

A Samsung TV confirms the first connection in a different way. It shows a box on the TV screen, and you must select Allow on the TV, not on the phone. If the control button of the TV cannot select Allow, you need a remote one time for the first connection. Samsung's allow-device prompt explains what the box does.

Tivi does not control Roku TVs, Fire TV devices, Apple TV, or Chromecasts that only receive casts. For those, use the apps in the table above. Controlling an Android TV or Google TV from an iPhone gives more detail about the code and the buttons.

Sign in to Netflix on the TV with your phone

If Netflix on the TV asks you to sign in, you do not have to type your password with the arrow buttons. Netflix lets you sign in with the camera of your phone. Netflix gives these steps:

1. On the TV, open Netflix and select Sign in.
2. Open the camera app on your phone and aim it at the QR code on the TV.
3. When a link appears, tap it.
4. Tap Sign in to TV.

You can also go to netflix.com/tv2 on your phone or computer and follow the steps in the browser. Netflix says that if the TV does not show a code, you must sign in with the remote. In that case, a phone app with a keyboard helps. The Google TV app types text on Google TV and Android TV, the Fire TV app has a keyboard, and Tivi types on LG TVs.

Can the buttons on the TV open Netflix?

The buttons on an LG TV cannot open Netflix. The buttons on a TV open a small menu for basic functions. LG lists four items in the menu of its jog button: Power, Close Menu Window, Change External Input and Settings Menu. None of them opens an app. Samsung says that the control button on its TVs has limited functionality, and that some features and settings need the remote.

The buttons are still useful. Use them to turn on the TV, or to change to the HDMI input for a cable. Then use a phone app for Netflix. What to do when the TV remote is lost covers the other tasks that the buttons on the TV can do.

Play Netflix from your iPhone with a cable

If the TV is not on your Wi-Fi network, connect the iPhone to the TV with a cable and play Netflix from the phone. Netflix supports these connections:

• An iPhone with a Lightning port: Apple's Lightning Digital AV Adapter and an HDMI cable. Netflix supports adapters with the model number A1438 or A1621. To find the number, connect the adapter and go to Settings, General, About, Apple HDMI Adapter.
• An iPhone with a USB-C port and a TV with HDMI: a video adapter. Netflix recommends the Apple USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter.
• A TV or display with a USB-C or Thunderbolt port: the cable that came with the iPhone. Another cable must support USB 3.1 or later.

Netflix also says that some iPhone models do not support wired video output, and that the next episode does not play automatically over a cable. After you connect the cable, change the TV to the correct HDMI input. Without a remote, use the button on the TV for this step.

If your TV has no Netflix app

Netflix says that on TVs that are ready for Netflix, the app is on the main menu or the home screen. If you do not see it, search for Netflix in the app store of the TV. If there is no app, update the system software of the TV. Netflix also warns that it may no longer be available on some TVs and streaming devices made before 2015.

If the TV has no Netflix app, connect a streaming device with the Netflix app and its own remote. You can also use a cable from your phone. A TV that is not a smart TV cannot be controlled from an iPhone, because an iPhone has no infrared emitter. Does a TV remote app need Wi-Fi? explains the reason and the alternatives.

The short version

Since late 2025, the Netflix app on a phone casts only to older Chromecasts, Google Nest Hubs and select Vizio and Compal TVs. Casting also needs the Standard or Premium plan. On other TVs, use a phone app as the remote, such as SmartThings, LG ThinQ, the Google TV app or Tivi. Roku and Fire TV have their own apps. Press Home, go to Netflix, and sign in with the QR code. A cable from the iPhone to the TV also works.

Common questions

Sources

• Netflix. How to Cast or Mirror Netflix from Your Mobile Device.
• Netflix. Cast device or cast icon isn't showing in the Netflix app.
• Netflix. How to sign in to Netflix.
• Netflix. How to watch Netflix on your TV.
• Netflix. Netflix Supported Devices.
• Netflix. How to use a phone or tablet as a controller to play games on Netflix.
• Wired (2025). Netflix Won't Let You Cast Shows From Your Phone to Most TVs Anymore.
• Google. Cast, connect & control your TV with the Google TV app.
• Samsung. Control your Samsung TV or projector with your phone using SmartThings.
• Samsung. How to Control a Samsung TV without a Remote.
• LG (2024). LG TV - How to Set Up the LG ThinQ App on Your LG Smart TV.
• LG. How to Use the Jog Button.
• Roku. How to use the Roku remote app to control your Roku streaming device without a remote.
• Roku. What to do when you have lost your Roku remote.
• Amazon. Use Your Mobile Device like a Fire TV Remote.
• Apple (2026). Set up the Apple TV Remote on your iPhone or iPad.