--- title: "Troubleshooting | Simple TV Remote" description: "Fix the common problems: TV not found, pairing fails, the remote stops working, volume or typing doesn’t work. Plus platform-specific fixes." canonical: "https://simpletvremote.com/help/troubleshooting/" language: "en" --- Help # Troubleshooting Most problems are the network or one TV setting. Work down the list. ## Common problems The app can’t find my TV 1. Make sure the TV is on, not in standby, for the first pairing. 2. Check your iPhone and TV are on the same Wi-Fi network, not a guest network. 3. Check Settings › Privacy & Security › Local Network › Simple TV Remote is on. 4. Pause any VPN on your iPhone. 5. Restart the TV and your router, then try again. 6. Tap “Can’t find it?” and enter the TV’s IP address from its network settings. Pairing fails or the code doesn’t appear 1. Keep the TV on the home screen while you pair. 2. Type the code within the time the TV shows it. 3. If the TV asked you to allow a device and you declined, remove Simple TV Remote from the TV’s list of connected devices and pair again. 4. Restart the TV fully: hold the power button or unplug it for a minute. It worked, then stopped 1. Your TV may have a new IP address. Open the app and tap Reconnect. 2. A TV software update can reset mobile-control settings. Check your TV’s setup steps again. 3. If your router changed, pair the TV again. Volume doesn’t change 1. If you use a soundbar or AV receiver, the TV may hand volume to it over HDMI-CEC. Check the TV’s audio output and CEC settings. 2. Some TVs ignore volume commands when audio goes to an optical output. Typing does nothing 1. Open a text field on the TV first. 2. Some apps, like YouTube, use their own on-screen keyboard and ignore text sent from a phone. Use the D-pad instead. ## Google TV [About Google TV →](https://simpletvremote.com/platforms/google-tv/) The TV doesn't appear in the app 1. Make sure your iPhone and TV are on the same Wi-Fi network, not a guest network. 2. Allow Local Network access for Simple TV Remote in iPhone Settings > Privacy & Security > Local Network. 3. Restart the TV: unplug it, wait 10 seconds, and plug it back in. 4. Check that the TV is a Google TV or Android TV. TVs with only Chromecast built-in can't be controlled this way. No pairing code shows on the TV 1. Turn the TV on and leave it on the home screen; the code only shows while the screen is on. 2. On the TV, update Android TV Remote Service: open Google Play on the TV, search for "Android TV Remote Service" and choose Update. 3. If it still fails, go to Settings > Apps > Show system apps > Android TV Remote Service and choose Force stop, then Clear storage. Then pair again. The app asks to pair again every time 1. Clear the storage of Android TV Remote Service on the TV (Settings > Apps > Show system apps > Android TV Remote Service > Clear storage), restart the TV and pair once more. 2. Give the TV a fixed address in your router so it doesn't change after a power cut. The TV won't turn on from the app 1. Wake works only from standby. A TV that was unplugged or switched off at the wall can't be woken over Wi-Fi. 2. Turn on your TV maker's network standby setting. See your TV's page for the exact menu path. 3. On Android TV 14 sets, a low-power energy mode may turn the network off in standby. Choose a mode that keeps the network on. 4. If the TV uses Ethernet, try Wi-Fi, or the other way round. Some TVs only wake on one of them. Volume doesn't change on a Chromecast, Google TV Streamer or SHIELD 1. Turn on HDMI-CEC on your TV and on any soundbar or receiver in between. 2. On the streamer, set Settings > Remotes & Accessories > Set up remote buttons > Volume control to "Auto (CEC)". ## LG webOS [About LG webOS →](https://simpletvremote.com/platforms/lg-webos/) The app can't find my LG TV 1. Put your iPhone and the TV on the same Wi-Fi network. Guest networks often block devices from seeing each other. 2. On 2014–2018 sets, turn on Settings > All Settings > Network > LG Connect Apps. 3. Turn the TV off and on with the TV remote, then try again. I missed or declined the pairing prompt 1. Connect again from the app. The TV shows the prompt again. 2. On 2014–2018 sets, Revoke Pairing under LG Connect Apps removes all paired apps so you can start over. The app can't turn the TV on 1. Turn on Turn on via Wi-Fi. The menu depends on your TV's webOS version: see the setup steps above. 2. Keep the TV plugged in. A TV that's switched off at the wall can't be woken over Wi-Fi. 3. If the TV has been off for a long time, wake it once with the TV remote and try again. My TV turns itself on 1. Turn on via Wi-Fi lets apps on your network switch the TV on. Switch it off if you don't need to wake the TV from your phone. 2. Check for HDMI devices that turn the TV on through SIMPLINK (HDMI-CEC). ## Samsung Tizen [About Samsung Tizen →](https://simpletvremote.com/platforms/samsung-tizen/) The TV never shows the Allow prompt 1. Check that your iPhone and the TV are on the same Wi-Fi network, not a guest network. 2. Open Device Connect Manager on the TV and check that Access Notification is not turned off. The path depends on the year: Settings > General > External Device Manager (2021), Settings > All Settings > Connection > External Device Manager (2022–2024), or Settings > All Settings > Connections (2025 and later). 3. Look in the Device List. If your iPhone is listed as Denied, change it to Allow or delete it, then connect again. The app can't turn the TV on 1. Turn on Power On with Mobile in the network Expert Settings. 2017–2021: Settings > General > Network > Expert Settings. 2022 and later: Settings > All Settings > Connection (or Connections) > Network > Expert Settings. 2. Turn the TV off with the remote, not at the wall. A TV that has been unplugged or switched off at the wall can't be woken over the network. 3. Keep the TV on the same network as your iPhone. Some routers stop passing wake-up traffic to devices in standby after a while. The TV turns itself on 1. Samsung's support pages say network devices can turn the TV on when Power On with Mobile is on. If you don't need to wake the TV from your phone, turn Power On with Mobile off. ## Vizio SmartCast [About Vizio SmartCast →](https://simpletvremote.com/platforms/vizio-smartcast/) The app can't find the TV 1. Make sure the TV and iPhone are on the same Wi-Fi network, not a guest network. 2. Turn the TV on. In Eco Mode or Energy Save the TV is not on the network while it is off. 3. Restart the TV: unplug it for 60 seconds, then plug it back in. The PIN doesn't appear or is rejected 1. Keep the TV on during pairing. Community reports say the TV can forget the PIN if it was off when pairing started. 2. Remove old phones under Menu > System > Mobile Devices, then try again. The TV won't turn on from the app 1. Set Menu > System > Power Mode (or Menu > All Settings > System > Power Mode) to Quick Start. 2. Wake only works from standby. It never works after a power cut or when the TV is unplugged. ## Panasonic My Home Screen [About Panasonic My Home Screen →](https://simpletvremote.com/platforms/panasonic-my-home-screen/) Simple TV Remote can't find the TV 1. Check that your iPhone and the TV are on the same Wi-Fi network, not a guest network. 2. On the TV, open Menu > Network > TV Remote App Settings and check that TV Remote is On. 3. Check Menu > Network > Network Status on the TV and run the connection test if it shows an error. The TV doesn't show a PIN, or the PIN is refused 1. Make sure the TV is on and showing a picture, not in standby, when you start pairing. 2. Type the PIN within a few seconds; the TV only shows it briefly. 3. If it keeps failing, open TV Remote App Settings, choose Delete All Pairings, and pair again. The app can't turn the TV on 1. Turn on the wake option in Menu > Network > TV Remote App Settings (Wake on LAN / Wireless LAN, or Powered On by Apps). 2. Turn the TV off with the remote, not at the mains switch or the wall. A TV that has been switched off at the mains can't be woken over the network. 3. If the TV is on Wi-Fi and won't wake, try connecting it by Ethernet. ## Questions Why can’t the app find my TV? Usually your iPhone and TV are on different networks. Put both on your main Wi-Fi (not a guest network), pause any VPN and check Settings > Privacy & Security > Local Network > Simple TV Remote is on. Why does pairing fail? The code or prompt timed out, or the TV was asleep. Wake the TV, stay on its home screen and try again. If you declined a prompt on the TV, remove Simple TV Remote from the TV’s list of connected devices and pair again. Why did the remote stop working after it worked before? Your TV may have a new network address after a restart or router change. Open the app and tap Reconnect. A TV software update can also reset its phone-control setting. Why doesn’t the volume change? If you use a soundbar or AV receiver, the TV may pass volume to it over HDMI-CEC. Check the TV’s sound output and CEC settings, or control the soundbar’s own volume. Why does typing do nothing? Open a search box on the TV first. Some apps, like YouTube, use their own on-screen keyboard and ignore text sent from a phone; use the arrows instead. Why won’t the TV turn on from my iPhone? The TV’s network standby setting has to be on, like Remote start, Power On with Mobile or Turn on via Wi-Fi. It works from standby only, never when the TV is unplugged.