A Samsung TV remote app for your iPhone

Samsung's own remote app is SmartThings. Install it on your iPhone, sign in with a Samsung account, add the TV, then tap the TV and the remote icon. If you'd rather skip the account, a remote-only app such as Fjernbetjening talks to the TV directly over your Wi-Fi.

SmartThings, step by step

1. Turn the TV on and put your iPhone on the same Wi-Fi.
2. Install SmartThings from the App Store. Samsung says it needs iOS 15 or newer.
3. Sign in with a Samsung account, or create one.
4. Add the TV: on the Devices tab, tap +, then Add under Samsung devices, and choose TV. Type the PIN the TV shows.
5. Tap the TV's card, then the remote icon at the bottom right. On an iPhone you may have to tap Allow on a notification first. Samsung’s guide

What SmartThings can do

The remote has a touchpad or arrow keys, volume and channel, Home, Back, a number pad and shortcuts to sources and apps. Samsung says the buttons vary with the TV model and the app version.

SmartThings is a whole smart-home app: it also runs Samsung appliances and other devices. And it can turn the TV on from standby when Power On with Mobile is on in the TV's settings; see how to turn on a Samsung TV without the remote.

What it asks of you: a Samsung account and an internet connection.

A remote app without an account

If all you want is a remote, an app can talk to the TV directly on your Wi-Fi, with no account and no cloud in between. That's what Fjernbetjening does:

• Big buttons, a touchpad, and the iPhone keyboard for search boxes and passwords.
• It opens the apps on your TV from a list.
• It turns the TV on from standby once you've connected to it.
• A Home Screen widget, and on iOS 18 buttons in Control Center for volume, mute and play/pause.
• Samsung TVs from 2016 and newer, plus LG, Roku and Google TV in the same app. $1.99 once, no ads.

The first time, the TV asks on screen whether to allow the phone. Choose Allow with the TV's own remote.

Apple's remote in Control Center

If your Samsung TV supports AirPlay, add it to the Home app. Then the Apple TV Remote in Control Center can control it too, with no extra app. Apple’s guide

Which one to pick

• You already use Samsung devices, or want one smart-home app for everything: SmartThings.
• You want a remote and nothing else, without an account: a remote-only app such as Fjernbetjening.
• Several TV brands at home: an app that handles them all. See how to use your iPhone as a TV remote.
• Your iPhone can't find the TV: Samsung TV not found.

More about Fjernbetjening →