Platform
Roku TV remote app for iPhone
Yes. Simple TV Remote controls Roku TV sets from your iPhone over Wi-Fi. Check yours free, then pay $5.99 once.
- Brands
- 9
- Model lines
- 9
- Model codes
- 406
- Versions listed
- 3
Roku remote lost in the couch again, or stopped responding? If your TV has Roku built in, like many TCL, Hisense, Sharp and onn TVs, your iPhone can be the remote over your home Wi-Fi. Simple TV Remote gives you clear buttons, volume, a keyboard for searches and your apps, with no account. Check your TV free in the app, then unlock it once for $5.99.
What works
Roku TV is Roku's operating system built into TVs from other brands. Hisense and TCL both sell Roku TV models in the US, alongside their Google TV and Fire TV models.
- Navigation and OK
- Volume and mute
- Keyboard
- Open apps
- Turn off
Set up
Pairing takes about a minute, once per TV. Each model line’s page has the exact TV menus.
Can’t find your TV? Add it by IP address
If your TV doesn’t show up in the app, tap “Can’t find it?” and type the TV’s IP address. Here’s where the TV shows it.
Find the TV's IP address
The IP address is listed on the About screen; it looks like 192.168.1.23.
Roku TV versions by model year
The version a TV shipped with. Many TVs get later updates.
How to use your iPhone as a Roku TV remote
- Join the same Wi-FiConnect your iPhone to the same Wi-Fi network as your Roku TV. Guest networks often keep devices apart.
- Allow phone apps on the TVWith your Roku remote, go to Settings > System > Advanced system settings > Control by mobile apps and choose Enabled.
- Pick your TV in the appOpen Simple TV Remote and tap your Roku TV. Try the arrows, volume and keyboard in the free check.
Questions
Is there a Roku TV remote app for iPhone?
Yes. Simple TV Remote is a Roku TV remote app for iPhone that works with Roku TV sets running Roku TV. It pairs over your home Wi-Fi and sends real commands in a free check, so you know it works on your exact TV before you pay $5.99, once.
What can I do with Simple TV Remote on a Roku TV?
You get the arrows and OK, volume and mute, a keyboard for typing searches, opening apps like Netflix or YouTube, and turning the TV off. It can't turn a Roku TV on, so use the button on the TV or your Roku remote for that.
Why can't my phone app connect to my Roku TV?
Check that the TV allows phone apps: Settings > System > Advanced system settings > Control by mobile apps, set to Enabled. Then make sure your iPhone and TV are on the same Wi-Fi network. If you turned this setting off, you need the Roku remote to turn it back on.
How do I pair a Roku remote to my TV?
Press and hold the pairing button on the back or under the battery cover for 5 seconds until the status light flashes. If there's no pairing button, hold Back and Home for 5 seconds instead. Simple remotes with no voice button don't pair, because they use infrared.
How do I pair a Roku remote with no working remote at all?
Unplug the TV, wait at least 5 seconds and plug it back in. When the Home screen appears, put the voice remote in pairing mode with the pairing button or Back and Home for 5 seconds.
Can I connect my Roku TV to Wi-Fi without a remote?
Not with a phone app. Roku says its app can't find a Roku TV that isn't connected to the internet, for example after a reset or during first-time setup, and the same goes for Simple TV Remote. Use the buttons on the TV or a replacement Roku remote to finish setup.
How do I restart a Roku TV?
Press Home, then go to Settings > System > Power > System restart. Roku says a system restart won't change your settings. If the remote doesn't work, unplug the TV for at least 10 seconds and plug it back in.
How do I turn up the volume on a Roku TV without the remote?
Use a phone remote. Both the Roku app and Simple TV Remote have volume buttons, as long as the TV is on your Wi-Fi and allows phone apps under Control by mobile apps.
Is the Roku remote app free?
Yes, Roku's app is free. Simple TV Remote lets you check your TV for free, then costs $5.99 once, with no subscription and no ads. One purchase covers every TV you pair, so a Roku TV and a Samsung in another room both work.
My Hisense or TCL TV says Roku TV on the box. Is there another way?
Not with Simple TV Remote. A Roku TV runs Roku's software, not Google TV, so the Google TV control we use isn't on the TV. Use the Roku mobile app or the remote that came with the TV.
How do I tell if my TV runs Roku TV?
The Roku logo shows when the TV starts, and the home screen is Roku's. Hisense US Roku models end in R (for example 40A4NR) or start with R6, R7 or R8. TCL US Roku models are usually the 3-, 4-, 5-, 6- and 8-Series with codes such as 55S535 or 65R635. The 2021 6-Series R646 is an exception: it runs Google TV.
How much does it cost?
Checking your TV is free. If it works, unlock Simple TV Remote for $5.99, once. No subscription, ads or account.
About Roku TV
Roku TVs can be controlled over a home network with Roku's External Control Protocol (ECP). It runs on port 8060 and Roku TVs announce themselves with SSDP discovery.
Roku's ECP documentation says ECP commands may not be sent from third-party platforms, and it names mobile applications as an example.
From Roku OS 14.1, the TV also has to allow it: Settings > System > Advanced system settings > Control by mobile apps must be set to Enabled before the TV accepts key presses over ECP.
Sources
Every compatibility fact on this page comes from these sources. Dates show when we last checked each one. How we build the TV list.
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.