Lost your TV remote? How to control the TV from your phone

The remote has slipped into the sofa, the batteries died on a Sunday evening, or the dog got to it. Your phone is already in your hand, so the obvious question is whether it can take over.

Often it can, but not by pointing it at the TV. iPhones have no infrared transmitter, so a phone remote talks to the TV over your home network instead. That works well once the TV is on the network and paired, and it also explains the few moments when you still need a button on the TV itself. This guide goes through them in order.

Check what you already have

A Wi-Fi remote needs three things: the TV switched on, the TV connected to the same local network as the phone, and a pairing the TV has accepted. Which of these you have decides where to start.

• The TV is already online. A smart TV that has been used for streaming is usually still on your Wi-Fi or plugged in with a cable. You can go straight to pairing.
• The TV has never been connected. The phone cannot reach it yet. Plug in an Ethernet cable from the router, which many TVs pick up without any menu, or use the buttons on the TV to join Wi-Fi.
• The TV is off. The dependable way to switch it on is the power button on the TV itself, usually under the bottom edge of the frame or on the back. A phone remote reaches the TV over the network, and a TV that is off is not listening.
• The TV was paired with your phone before. Then there is little to do: Remotly remembers paired TVs, and a saved TV reconnects from its card in My devices.

Pairing without the original remote

Pairing is the step where a missing remote matters most, because the TV wants proof that the new remote belongs to someone in the room. How it asks depends on the platform.

• A code on screen. Android TV and Google TV devices running Android TV Remote Service v2 show a six-character code, and other compatible TVs may show a code too. You read it from the TV and type it on the phone, so no remote is involved. If the code has disappeared from an Android TV, tap Code not visible · Request code.
• A confirmation prompt. Some TVs ask you to allow the connection on screen, or to confirm with their existing remote. Many TVs have a control button or a small joystick on the frame that can move the selection and confirm; that is usually enough to accept the prompt.
• No usable buttons at all. If the TV insists on its own remote and has no frame controls that reach the prompt, a replacement remote for that model is the realistic fix. Pair the phone while you have it, so this does not repeat.

Setting it up step by step

1. Switch the TV on with its power button and wait for the home screen. A TV that is still starting up may not answer yet.
2. Check that the phone is on the same Wi-Fi network as the TV and that Remotly is allowed to use the local network under Settings → Privacy & Security → Local Network on iPhone.
3. In Remotly, open My devices, tap Add device, choose Television and select your TV. Without a remote you cannot open the TV's network settings, so if the TV does not appear, look up its IP address in your router's list of connected devices and enter it under I can't find my TV → Advanced connection.
4. Type the code shown on the TV, or accept the prompt on screen with the TV's frame controls.
5. When the remote shows Remote ready, use the direction pad, OK, back, home, volume and playback keys as usual. On TVs that accept digit keys, Numbers opens a number pad for channels.

Prepare before the next remote goes missing

• Pair the phone while the physical remote still works. Remotly remembers the TV, and a TV that allows it skips the code next time.
• If you have more than one TV, give each card a familiar name with Rename, so you open the right one in a hurry.
• If you added the TV by IP address, reserving that address for the TV in your router's DHCP settings keeps it from changing later.
• If a streaming stick or game console is connected over HDMI, check whether HDMI-CEC is enabled on the TV (TV menus often give it a brand-specific name). With it, that device's own remote can often switch the TV on and change the volume, which makes a useful backup.

What a phone remote cannot replace

TVs are controlled over the local network only, so the phone has to be on the same network as the TV; it does not work over cellular or from a different network. Older Android remote services, Samsung Tizen and Roku have no supported direct connection in Remotly. If your home runs Home Assistant, a TV the server exposes as a media player can still be added with the controls the server publishes.

Finding and pairing the TV is free. The remote buttons and the other controls come with Remotly Pro, and the app shows what your plan includes before purchase.