Roku TV · phone remote

Roku phone remote not working? Check this one setting

The phone app finds your TV, but the buttons do nothing, or only volume and Home work. On many Roku TVs the cause is one setting, Control by mobile apps, which now often comes set to Limited. Limited blocks most of what a phone remote sends.

The fix (once, on the TV)

Home › Settings › System › Advanced system settings › Control by mobile apps › Enabled

Use the TV's own remote, or any basic Roku TV remote, to get there. A phone app can't change this setting for you while it is set to Limited.

The names can differ a little between Roku OS versions; look for Control by mobile apps under Advanced system settings.

Still not working?

  1. Put your iPhone on the same Wi‑Fi as the TV. A guest network or a second band with another name won't work.
  2. Allow Local Network access for the remote app in the iPhone's Settings › Apps.
  3. Turn off any VPN on the phone while you use the remote.
  4. If the TV is asleep, turn on Fast TV Start under Settings › System › Power so the phone can wake it.

A remote that tells you

Snappy is an iPhone remote for Roku TVs from TCL, Hisense, onn and more. It spots when Control by mobile apps is set to Limited and shows you exactly where to change it, so you aren't left pressing buttons that do nothing. No ads, no account.

Download on the App Store