By Klaus Jakobsen, developer of A Decent Remote A lost Samsung remote is very fixable: every Samsung smart TV since around 2016 accepts remote control from a phone over Wi-Fi. There is exactly one hurdle. The first time an app connects, the TV shows an “Allow this device?” popup that has to be accepted on the TV. Normally you’d press OK with the remote you no longer have. Here’s how to get past that, then never think about it again.
How do I press Allow without a Samsung remote?
Almost every Samsung TV has a physical controller button, a small stick or button usually located behind the bottom-center of the panel, under the Samsung logo (some models put it on the back, bottom-right corner). A short press acts as select/OK, and nudging or repeated presses navigate. It exists precisely for lost-remote situations, and one press of “Allow” is all the pairing needs.
If the button is missing or unreachable, plug a USB mouse into the TV’s USB port. Tizen supports mice and keyboards natively; a cursor appears, and you can click “Allow” like it’s a desktop.
How do I pair my iPhone with a Samsung TV?
- Put your iPhone on the same Wi-Fi network as the TV.
- Open A Decent Remote. It discovers Samsung TVs on the network automatically.
- Tap the TV. The Allow prompt appears on the TV screen.
- Accept it with the controller button or USB mouse.
That approval happens once. The TV hands the app a token that gets stored, so every future connection is silent, including turning the TV back on from your phone. That works over the network even after the TV has been “off”, because Samsung TVs keep listening in standby.
What if the Samsung TV isn’t on Wi-Fi?
Use the controller button to open the menu and walk to Settings → General → Network. It’s slow going with one button, but it’s a one-time job: once the TV is on the same network as your phone, everything above applies.
What are the other options for a lost Samsung remote?
Samsung’s own route is SmartThings, a smart-home platform with a remote tucked a few taps deep, behind an account sign-in. A Decent Remote is remote-first: pair once with the trick above and you get the full control set, network power-on, and your iPhone keyboard for search, plus the Roku, LG, Fire TV or Apple TV elsewhere in the house in the same app. A replacement Samsung remote is $10-$40 for one TV; the app makes it unnecessary.