Generally, a Samsung TV remote doesn’t work when the batteries are low or dead or the remote hardware is damaged. The remote can also stop working when there’s a pairing issue or the infrared sensor of the remote or TV is damaged.
Even though Samsung is one of the most trustworthy brands in the market, several users face issues with its remote. You can quickly fix most of these Samsung remote problems with just a few troubleshooting methods.
I faced this problem with my Alexa built-in Samsung 32-inch Class QLED 4K Q60C Series Quantum TV remote a few days earlier and was really annoyed.
But these troubleshooting methods suggested by their support team fixed the issue in minutes, and now my Samsung remote is working as new.
This article will guide you through all the troubleshooting steps that you should follow to bring your remote back to working condition.
How To Fix Samsung Smart TV Remote Not Working?
We have already mentioned above that there could be several reasons why your Samsung smart TV remote is not working. Therefore, you need to go through these troubleshooting tips to bring your remote back to working condition.
Here are the ten troubleshooting tips that will definitely fix your Samsung remote problem:
Check Your Samsung Remote Batteries
The remote batteries are the most common reason for the non-working condition of your Samsung remote.
When the batteries are low on your remote, the remote will work sometimes, and sometimes it won’t, and when the batteries on the Samsung remote are fully depleted, it won’t work at all.
The only thing that can fix this problem is replacing your old remote batteries with new ones as per their polarity (+/-).
Reset and Re-pair Your Samsung Remote
Resetting and repairing the Samsung remote usually fixes the remote not working problem. The Samsung customer support suggested this method when I called them, and my remote started working in just a few minutes.
This is what you need to do to reset your old Samsung TV remote.
- Remove the batteries from the remote and then press and hold the power button on your remote for around 10 seconds.
If you have a new Samsung Smart TV remote, follow the below steps.
- Press and hold the Play (large circular button) and Back buttons simultaneously for around 10 seconds to reset the remote to factory settings.
- Now, move close to the TV and re-pair your remote to the Samsung TV by pressing the Back and Play buttons simultaneously for 5 seconds. You will get the successful pairing notification on the TV screen once the pairing is completed.
If your Samsung TV remote is blinking red, check our article “Why is Samsung TV Remote Blinking Red And How To Fix This?”
Check The Remote’s Infrared Signal Using Your Phone’s Camera
A remote control sends an infrared signal when a button is pressed and the TV receiver collects and identifies that signal. To check whether your remote is sending that IR signal, you can use your smartphone’s camera.
Here’s how you can do this:
- Open the camera on your smartphone and direct the remote’s head towards the camera lens.
- Press the power button on your remote while looking at your smartphone camera screen. You will see a light or flash coming out from the remote’s front tip.
In case you don’t see any light or flash, despite having recently changed the batteries in the remote, this indicates an issue with the remote itself.
Check The Internet Connection
Unlike standard Samsung TVs, smart TVs have a lot of dependency on a working network connection for all of its features to work smoothly.
So, even if your remote is good to go, your remote might not work properly when your Samsung smart TV is experiencing network issues. Therefore, check your internet connection first.
- If your TV is connected to the internet via an ethernet cable, unplug the cable, wait for a few minutes, and then check if your remote is working. If the remote works without the ethernet cable, check your network.
- If your Samsung TV is connected to the internet via WIFI, disconnect your TV from the WIFI and wait for a few minutes. Now, use your remote to check if it’s working.
In case your Samsung remote control is still not working, move to the next troubleshooting method.
Check For Interferences Between the Remote And Your TV
The Samsung Smart TV remotes use Bluetooth to connect to your TV to provide better signal range. But things can go quite differently when you have multiple Bluetooth devices around your Samsung TV.
If you have multiple bluetooth devices in a room, all of them can interfere with each other signal.
So, get rid of all the Bluetooth devices around your TV, try using your Samsung smart remote, and check if it solves the interference issue.
Check The Remote For Any Physical Damage
If you accidentally dropped your remote and after that it has stopped working, look for the physical damage on the remote.
You can either get the remote repaired from a nearby repair shop or buy a new replacement remote from Samsung’s official website.
Use SmartThings App As A Remote
The Samsung SmartThings App is really an excellent app that lets you use your smartphone as a remote control to use your TV.
When my remote was not working, I used this App as the Samsung TV remote. And the only thing you can’t do with this App is reset your TV.
Download the SmartThings App for iPhone.
Download the SmartThings App for Android.
Here are the steps to set up a Samsung TV remote on the App.
- Open the SmartThings App on your smartphone/tab.
- Allow the App to use all the necessary features.
- Select Devices (2nd option from the bottom left) and then click on “Add Device.”
- Scan for Samsung devices and Add Samsung smart TV. (Make sure that both your smartphone and the TV are connected to the same wifi network.)
- Click ‘OK’ on the popup you will get on your Samsung TV, and enter the verification code on your phone.
- Now, you can use your smartphone as a Samsung smart TV remote.
Check the screenshots as a reference for step by step process.
Update Your Samsung TV Firmware
An outdated firmware on your Samsung TV can cause multiple bugs and even lead to incompatibility with the remote. So, you should always keep your Samsung TV software updated to the latest to get rid of glitches and bugs.
Here’s how you can do this using SmartThings App:
- Open the Samsung SmartThings App on your smartphone.
- Go to Settings and Click on All Settings.
- Choose ‘Support’ and select ‘Software Update.’
- Now, download and install the latest Tizen OS on your Samsung smart TV.
In case your TV is not running smoothly, you should also clear the cache and delete irrelevant Apps to free up memory space.
Use A Universal TV Remote
The use of Universal remote controls is increasing, and this is because of the convenience that it provides to its users.
With a universal remote, you can control multiple devices with one remote control, and it really makes our lives easy.
But you have to set up and connect your universal remote with your devices to use it. Here’s our guide on universal remote codes and how to set them up with your TV and other devices.
Reset Your Samsung TV
Resetting your Samsung TV is always the last resort if none of the above troubleshooting tips solves your problem.
When you reset your Samsung TV, all the data and settings get deleted, and your TV comes to the stage when you first bought it. You will have to perform all your customized settings again.
But there’s a catch: since your remote is still not working, you can’t use your remote to reset your TV, and therefore, you will have to use this approach to reset your TV.
Most TVs have a dedicated reset button on the back of your TV. You can press and hold that reset button for 5 seconds to reset the TV.
For more detailed instructions on resetting your Samsung TV, check our article on how to reset your Samsung TV.
Buy A Smart WiFi-IR Remote Control Universal-Hub
A WIFI-IR Remote Control Universal Hub is one of the best home automation devices that I found on Amazon to get rid of any future remote control problems that use IR.
You can use this device to control all your remote-controlled devices such as TV, fan, AC, speaker etc.
The device is even compatible with Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Siri, and IFTTT. You can voice control all your devices, like turning on/off your TV or turning up/down the volume via voice command. You can also set more home automatons IFTTT and Siri shortcuts.
What To Do When Only Power Button Working On Samsung Smart TV Remote?
If the only button working on your Samsung Smart TV remote is the power button, there are a few methods you can use to troubleshoot and potentially fix the issue.
I have not faced this issue with my Samsung TV remote till now, and therefore, I contacted Samsung support for the answer and visited some Reddit communities to get this answer.
- Power Cycle the TV and Remote: Unplug the TV from the power source and remove the batteries from the remote. Wait for about a minute before plugging the TV back in and putting the batteries back into the remote. This can help reset both the TV and the remote.
- Press and Hold the Power Button: Another method that I got on Appuals involves holding the power button on the remote for around 30 seconds while the TV is unplugged. This will reset the remote, and all the buttons will start working again.
- Hard Reset the TV: You can also try a hard reset by turning off the TV from the wall plug, waiting for about 5 minutes, and then turning it back on.
- Press and Hold the Volume Button: As a last resort, try pressing and holding the volume up button on the remote for at least 2 minutes. This resets the remote control, and all the buttons on your Samsung remote start working.
What To Do If Samsung Smart TV is Not Responding To Remote?
There could be several reasons why your Samsung Smart TV is not responding to the remote. Here are some common issues and how you can troubleshoot them:
- Physical damage: If the damage on your remote is visible or your TV is not responding to the remote, it may be time to consider getting a replacement.
- Slow responsiveness: If your remote is slow to respond, here are some easy troubleshooting tips for you:
- Clear any obstacles that might be blocking the TV’s IR receiver.
- Take your remote closer to your TV and try using it.
- Take out the batteries from the remote, wait for about a minute, then reinsert them as per polarity (-/+).
- Check if the batteries need replacing.
- Unplug the TV power cord for about 60 seconds and plug it back in – this is known as a power reset. (For Android TVs, unplug the power cord for 2 minutes.)
- Check if your TV needs a software update.
- Consider performing a factory reset, but be aware this will erase all data and settings.
- Voice function not operational: If the voice search or command function on your remote isn’t working, try these solutions:
- Press the MIC button and see if an amber LED lights up.
- Try the battery removal and reinsertion method mentioned above.
- Check if the batteries need replacing.
- Try pairing the remote again via Bluetooth.
- Perform a power reset.
- Check for a TV software update.
- Buttons not working or not responding: If the buttons on your remote aren’t working or responding,
- Turn on your smartphone’s camera.
- Press any button on the remote while pointing it at the smartphone’s camera. If you see a beam in the picture, the remote is working.
- Remove any object that might be blocking the TV’s IR receiver.
- Reduce the distance between the remote and the TV set.
- Try the battery removal and reinsertion method mentioned above.
- Check if the batteries need replacing.
- Perform a power reset.
- Check for a TV software update.
- Perform a factory reset if nothing works.
- Other issues: If none of the above solutions work, visit Samsung’s support site and look up your TV’s specific product page for more troubleshooting tips.
Why is My Samsung Remote Not Working Even With New Batteries?
If you’ve already replaced the batteries in your remote and it’s still not working, then it could be due to a problem with the infrared signal from the remote, physical damage to the remote, interference from other devices, or issues with the device you’re trying to control.
Also, the new batteries could be incorrectly inserted, or they might be defective.
Key Takeaways
- The article provides a comprehensive list of 10 solutions for a non-working Samsung TV remote, including restarting the TV, replacing remote batteries, resetting the remote, and checking for physical damage.
- Other home appliances can interfere with the remote’s functionality, so it’s recommended to remove potential sources of interference.
- If the remote is not responsive, the SmartThings app can be used as an alternative control for the Samsung TV.
- Updating the TV software to the latest version can potentially resolve remote-related issues.