TV remote problems and fixes
Remote lost, flat, unpaired or just refusing to work? These pages give the steps for each TV brand first: the buttons on the TV, infrared and universal remotes, the maker's own app and HDMI-CEC. They then say where your phone, with Tuned, can help, and where it cannot.
Start here
- The TV is on and online: your phone can be the remote right now. Pick your brand below, or read lost your TV remote.
- The TV is off: switch it on with the button on the TV. Then see whether your phone can wake it next time. The "turn on without the remote" pages below say how, brand by brand.
- The TV is not on Wi‑Fi: a phone app cannot reach it yet. Use a network cable, your phone's hotspot or another way to press buttons, as the "connect to Wi‑Fi without a remote" pages explain.
- You want to type: read typing on a TV from your phone.
Samsung
- Samsung TV remote not working: batteries, the solar remote, pairing, the TV's button and a phone backup.
- Turn on a Samsung TV without the remote: the control button, Anynet+, SmartThings and Power On with Mobile.
- Connect a Samsung TV to Wi‑Fi without a remote: ethernet, the control button, a USB keyboard and the hotspot trick.
- Samsung Smart Remote won't pair: hold Return and Play/Pause, plus power and restart checks.
- Type on a Samsung TV from your phone: search boxes, passwords, and the other ways to type on a Samsung.
The full guide: Samsung TV remote app.
LG
- LG TV remote not working: batteries, the Magic Remote pointer, the TV's joystick and a phone backup.
- Turn on an LG TV without the remote: the joystick, SIMPLINK and the TV On With Mobile setting.
- Connect an LG TV to Wi‑Fi without a remote: ethernet, the joystick menu and the hotspot trick for an LG.
- LG Magic Remote won't pair: register the Magic Remote with the wheel, and use your phone as a pointer.
The full guide: LG TV remote app.
Roku TV
- TCL Roku TV remote not working: tell the two Roku remote types apart, then fix or replace it. Covers TCL and Hisense.
- Turn on a Roku TV without the remote: the power button, CEC and Fast TV start.
- Connect a Roku TV to Wi‑Fi without a remote: ethernet, the hotspot trick and a replacement remote for a Roku TV.
- Roku remote won't pair: pairing button, power cycle and what to do while you wait.
The full guide: Roku remote app.
Fire TV
- Fire TV Stick remote won't pair: hold Home, restart the stick, add a remote in Settings, and a phone backup.
- Turn on a Fire TV without the remote: no power button on a stick. Input, CEC and waking it from your phone.
- Connect a Fire TV Stick to Wi‑Fi without a remote: the TV remote through CEC, Ethernet and the hotspot trick.
- Type on a Fire TV from your phone: ways to type on a Fire TV, and the one thing Tuned cannot do.
The full guide: Fire TV remote app.
Google TV and Android TV
- Google TV remote not working: re-pair a Bluetooth remote on Sony, TCL, Hisense or Philips sets, and a phone backup.
- Use your phone as a remote for a Sony TV: sony Bravia: check the system, connect with a code and turn on Remote start.
- Turn on a Google TV or Android TV without the remote: the button, CEC, Quick Start and Always Ready.
- Connect a Google TV to Wi‑Fi without a remote: phone set-up, a USB keyboard, Ethernet and the hotspot trick.
The full guide: Google TV and Android TV remote app.
Hisense VIDAA
- Hisense TV remote not working: batteries, the sensor, a voice remote and a phone backup for VIDAA.
- Turn on a Hisense TV without the remote: the TV's button and how Tuned wakes a VIDAA set from standby.
- Connect a Hisense TV to Wi‑Fi without a remote: ethernet, the hotspot trick and an infrared remote for a Hisense.
- Type on a Hisense TV from your phone: vIDAA typing: the TV's own keyboard, Netflix and YouTube.
The full guide: Hisense TV remote app.
Not sure which TV you have?
TCL and Hisense make TVs with different systems. TCL runs Roku or Google TV, and Hisense runs VIDAA, Google TV or Roku. The TCL guide, the Hisense guide and the list of supported TVs help you tell.
Questions about these guides
Does Tuned work without a TV remote?
Yes, once the TV is on and on the same Wi‑Fi or wired network as your phone. Pairing is a code on the TV for Google TV, Fire TV and Hisense VIDAA, a code or a prompt for LG, and an Allow prompt for Samsung. A Roku TV needs a setting switched on first.
Can my phone switch the TV on?
Sometimes. If the TV is in network standby, has an option enabled for it and Tuned has seen it on your network before, the power button can wake it. A TV that is unplugged, or not on your network, cannot be woken. Each brand's page lists the setting.
Does an iPhone work as a remote?
Yes, over Wi‑Fi. An iPhone has no infrared, so it cannot send the signal a normal remote does. Some Android phones have an infrared blaster, and Tuned has an infrared mode for them.
Is Tuned free?
Yes. The remote is free for everyone and the free plan shows ads. Tuned Plus and Tuned Pro are optional subscriptions.
Get Tuned
Free to download for iPhone and Android.