To use your phone as a TV remote, install the official app for your TV’s platform and connect the phone and TV to the same Wi-Fi network. Without Wi-Fi, you need a phone with an infrared (IR) blaster, which works like a normal remote on almost any TV, smart or not.
Official remote apps by TV platform
Check which system your TV runs (see smart TV operating systems compared), then use its app:
| TV platform | Phone app |
|---|---|
| Google TV / Android TV (many TCL, Hisense, Sony, Vitron, Skyworth models) | Google TV app (Remote button), or the remote built into Android’s quick settings |
| Samsung (Tizen) | SmartThings |
| LG (webOS) | LG ThinQ |
| Hisense VIDAA | VIDAA app |
Steps are similar on all of them:
- Connect the phone to the same Wi-Fi as the TV (not mobile data or a guest network).
- Open the app and add or scan for the TV.
- Enter the pairing code shown on the TV screen.
- Use the on-screen buttons, and the phone keyboard for typing searches and passwords.
If the app can’t find the TV, restart both, check the Wi-Fi names match, and try again.
Phones with IR blasters
An IR blaster is a small infrared window, usually on the top edge of the phone. Many Xiaomi and Redmi models have one, with the Mi Remote app (or “Remote” app) pre-installed; some other brands do too. Check your phone’s spec sheet for “IR blaster” or “infrared”.
- No Wi-Fi or internet needed: it sends the same signal as the original remote.
- Works on non-smart TVs, decoders and many air conditioners.
- Point it at the TV from a few metres, like a normal remote.
Most other phones, including iPhones and recent Samsung Galaxy models, have no IR blaster, so “universal remote” apps on them only work over Wi-Fi.
No remote and no Wi-Fi: getting started
A smart TV that has never been connected can’t be reached by a Wi-Fi app. Options:
- Use the buttons on the TV (usually under the bottom edge or at the back) to open settings and join your Wi-Fi. On Google TV and Android TV sets, a plain wired USB mouse or keyboard plugged into the TV usually works too; support on other systems varies.
- Use your phone’s hotspot as the network for both phone and TV if there’s no home Wi-Fi.
- Full steps are in how to connect a smart TV to Wi-Fi without a remote. Once connected, you can also cast from your phone to the TV.
Buying a replacement remote
Note the TV model number from the back label and ask for an original or “compatible” remote for that model. Generic universal remotes sold in town and in local markets are cheap but may lack smart buttons such as Netflix or the voice mic. Test it before paying.
Quick answers
Only if your phone has an IR blaster, as many Xiaomi and Redmi models do. Otherwise, use your phone’s hotspot so both devices share a network.
Use the official app for your TV’s platform over Wi-Fi, the buttons on the TV itself, or a USB mouse.
