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How Simple TV Remote talks to your TV
Simple TV Remote doesn't use infrared like the remote in your hand. It talks to your TV over your home Wi-Fi, the same way the TV maker's own phone app does. That's why your iPhone and TV need to be on the same network, why the TV asks you to approve your iPhone once, and why turning the TV on needs one setting switched on. Here's how each part works, in plain words.
How Simple TV Remote connects to your TV
- Same Wi-FiConnect your iPhone to the same Wi-Fi network as your TV. Avoid guest networks, which often keep devices apart.
- Allow Local NetworkWhen your iPhone asks whether Simple TV Remote can find devices on your local network, tap Allow. The app needs this to see your TV.
- Pick your TVOpen the app. It looks for TVs on your network and lists the ones it can talk to. Tap yours.
- Approve once on the TVType the code or PIN shown on the TV, or choose Allow or Accept on the TV with its remote. On a Roku TV, set Control by mobile apps to Enabled instead.
- Turn on wake (optional)To turn the TV on from your iPhone, switch on its network standby setting, such as Remote start (Sony), Power On with Mobile (Samsung), Turn on via Wi-Fi (LG) or Quick Start (Vizio). Your TV's page on this site gives the exact menu. Roku TVs can't be turned on this way.
Questions
How does Simple TV Remote talk to my TV?
Over your home Wi-Fi. When you press a button, your iPhone sends that button straight to the TV across your own network, much like the TV maker's own app does. Nothing goes through the internet or our servers, and the app has no account or tracking.
Why do my iPhone and TV need to be on the same Wi-Fi?
Because the app finds and talks to the TV only inside your home network. If the TV is on a guest network, a different router, or a network that keeps devices apart, your iPhone can't see it. A TV connected to the same router by cable is fine.
Can a TV remote app work without Wi-Fi?
No, not for Simple TV Remote. iPhones have no infrared light, so the app can't copy an old-style remote, and it needs your TV and iPhone on the same network. A TV that has never been connected to Wi-Fi needs its own remote or buttons to finish setup first.
Why does my iPhone ask to find devices on my local network?
iOS asks before any app looks for devices in your home, like your TV. Tap Allow. If you tapped Don't Allow, turn it on in iPhone Settings > Privacy & Security > Local Network > Simple TV Remote.
Why does my TV ask me to approve my iPhone?
So that only phones you choose can control it. The first time you connect, Google TV and Android TV sets show a code to type, Samsung and LG TVs ask you to choose Allow or Accept, and Vizio and Panasonic TVs show a PIN. You do it once, and the app remembers the TV after that.
Do I need to change anything on a Roku TV?
Yes, one setting. Go to Settings > System > Advanced system settings > Control by mobile apps and choose Enabled. Roku TVs don't show a code or prompt, so this setting is what lets phone apps on your network send buttons.
How can an app turn my TV on?
Only from standby, and only if the TV keeps a little of its network awake while it's off. Most TVs call this something like Remote start, Power On with Mobile, Turn on via Wi-Fi, Quick Start or Wake on LAN, and it's off until you switch it on. Your iPhone then sends a small wake-up signal that the sleeping TV listens for.
Why can't the app turn on my TV after it was unplugged?
An unplugged TV, or one switched off at the wall, has no power to listen for anything. Nothing can wake it over Wi-Fi. Turn it on with the button on the TV or its remote, and wake from your iPhone will work again next time it's in standby.
What does the app keep on my iPhone?
Just what it needs to reconnect: the TVs you paired and the pairing key or code each TV gave it. Those keys are stored in the iPhone's secure Keychain, not in plain settings or logs. Nothing is sent to us.
Check your TV free. Pay once if it works.
Simple TV Remote pairs with your TV and sends real commands before you pay anything. If it works, unlock it for $5.99, once.