Samsung’s TVOS (Tizen) is extremely popular for delivering excellent features that make the experience enjoyable. It’s easy for developers to publish their content and perfect for OTT streaming. Samsung makes some of the screens on the market and continues to break records in large-screen materials. You need a remote to control your TV, which Samsung includes with the box.
Samsung also consistently updates the firmware of the remote to make it better. You may, however, occasionally run into glitches with it. Some of the latest remotes even come with a solar charge. If your remote isn’t working, it can get tough to control your TV correctly. This article shows 10 simple fixes if your TV remote isn’t working.
1: Check the IR sensor of the TV
Some of Samsung’s remotes rely on IR sensors to transmit and receive signals from and to the TV and remote. However, these IR sensors are rather sensitive and are prone to damage. We recommend checking if the IR sensors are in a functional condition. If they’re not, you can easily replace them with a technician’s help. You may contact Samsung Support for an official replacement, but new IR sensors for remotes are easily available offline and with third parties. Make sure it’s a reliable seller/ technician.
2: Update your Television to the latest version
Samsung pushes OTA updates to improve the overall experience. Sometimes, the remote might not support the older versions properly. If the software becomes incompatible, you might not be able to use your remote properly to control your TV. You can try controlling the TV again after the software update.
- Open the Smart Things app. Here, open Samsung TV Remote.
- Open the Settings menu from here.
- You’ll find the All Settings option; choose that.
- Above Terms & Privacy and Below General, you’ll see a section that says Support. Select Support
- Select the Software Update option. We recommend clearing unnecessary cache files from your TV to keep it running smoothly. If there are any applications that you don’t use, you can uninstall those, too.
- Download the latest Tizen OS onto your TV and wait for it to restart. Now, try controlling it normally with your remote.
3: Check your Network connection
Smart TVs sometimes malfunction and glitch out if they aren’t connected to the internet. That is despite the remote functioning perfectly fine. You might want to confirm whether your TV has an active internet connection that’s working.
- Open the Samsung TV Remote using the Samsung Smart Things app.
- Find the Samsung TV Settings option and open it.
- You’ll find the Network option between Device Care and Sleep Timer. Select Network Status.
Check your Network status from here. If it isn’t connected or has no access, that’s a potential reason your TV is malfunctioning with a remote.
4: Use the Smart Things app
This solution does not exactly solve the problem with your physical remote. However, it’s a very viable workaround that’s also highly convenient. You can control your TV through a simple application that works on iOS and Android. You can download Smart Things from the App Store for iOS and the Google Play Store for Android.
- Open the Smart Things application and allow all the permissions. This is necessary for the app to work.
- Choose the Add Device option under the Device tab at the bottom.
- Here, you can scan for nearby devices. Choose your Samsung TV from the list of available devices, and ensure that both are on the same Wi-Fi network.
- It’ll ask you for confirmation on whether you want to register the device with a new Smart Things account. Click OK and then enter the verification code on your phone.
- Open the Samsung TV Remote from the menu that comes up next. You can use a TV remote’s functions directly from the app.
5: Try removing other electrical appliances around the TV
Some Samsung remotes use IR Blasters, and others use Bluetooth to connect to the TV. If yours uses Bluetooth, try taking it away from microwaves and refrigerators. These might interfere with the signals from Bluetooth and cause problems with the connection.
6: Check for hardware issues with the remote
Harsh handling isn’t good for electronics. If you’ve dropped it on the hard floor multiple times, handled the buttons aggressively, or dropped it in water, the remote won’t work anymore. Assess the extent of physical damage with a technician, and check whether you can fix it with some simple part replacements. You may also choose to contact Samsung support for this.
7: Reset the Samsung Remote
If you have an older Samsung TV remote that runs on batteries, resetting it is straightforward. Just remove the batteries and wait for a couple of seconds. Then, put the batteries back in and see if the remote works. For newer models:
- There’s a large circular button in the middle. Press that and the Enter buttons simultaneously for ten seconds. This will reset the remote’s settings to factory.
- Keep it close to the television and simultaneously press the back and play buttons. Continue doing this for about 5 seconds or until you see a notification on the TV screen. The notification should say that the pairing was successful.
8: Replace the batteries of your Samsung Remote
This one might seem obvious. You have to regularly replace the batteries of your remote for it to work properly. You’ll have to open the back compartment, replace it with newer batteries, and clean off dust. Make sure you don’t use any corrupt or damaged batteries.
9: Restart the Television
Turn the TV off using the button or the Smart Things app. You can also pull the plug. Then, power it on again and check if the remote controls it normally.
10: You have to get a new remote
If none of the above fixes do anything, contact Samsung support. They’ll assist you further on which new remote to buy and from where. Unfortunately, a new remote is the only solution if none of the workarounds do anything.
These were the 10 ways to try and fix a Samsung remote that isn’t working. We hope the guide was helpful. You can also read our Black Screen Issue on Samsung TV guide.
