I misplaced my LG TV remote right before kickoff and now I can’t use my TV to watch football. I’ve already checked the couch, living room, and battery area with no luck. I need quick ways to use my LG TV without the remote or other options to control it so I don’t miss the game.
Losing the LG remote right before a game is the kind of dumb timing I seem to run into every season. TV is on the stand, kickoff is close, and the one thing you need has vanished into the couch or some parallel universe.
The fix is easier than I expected. If your LG TV runs webOS, your phone can take over through Wi-Fi. No remote in hand, no problem. You still get control over channels, apps, inputs, volume, and search.
iPhone
TVRem is the one I’d use here:
You can also check the app page here:
TVRem – Universal Remote
What it does in plain terms, your iPhone stops acting like a fake plastic remote and starts working more like a touch control for LG webOS. I found this part better than the old click-click-click routine. You connect over the same Wi-Fi network, pair it once, and then you’re moving around the TV from your phone.
Things you can do fast with it on an LG TV:
- open YouTube, Netflix, or a sports app right away
- switch HDMI if the game is coming from a cable box, console, or streaming stick
- change volume without tearing apart the sofa
- type team names, logins, or searches with your phone keyboard
- move through the webOS menus with touch gestures
Android
On Android, the usual fallback is Universal TV Remote Control by Codematics.
This one works with LG webOS TVs too. Same general setup, your phone and TV need to be on the same Wi-Fi, the app finds the TV, then you pair and use it.
What you get after setup:
- menu navigation without the original remote
- quick access to installed streaming apps
- volume and playback control
- keyboard input for search fields and sign-ins
My take, it looks more plain and less refined than newer remote apps. Still, when you need the TV working now, plain is fine. It gets the job done.
What I’d do
If your LG remote is missing, don’t waste ten minutes checking couch cushions first. Grab your phone, install TVRem on iPhone or Codematics on Android, connect to the same Wi-Fi, and pair the TV.
Once that’s done, the TV is usable again. Channels, apps, inputs, volume, all of it. So if this happened right before football, you’re not stuck. You’ll likely be back on the game in a minute or two, give or take your Wi-Fi behaving.
5 Likes
Skip the app route first if kickoff is close. @mikeappsreviewer covered phone remotes well, but Wi-Fi pairing fails on some LG sets if the TV was never linked before.
Fast options:
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Use the TV button.
Most LG TVs have a physical power button under the logo, bottom center, or on the back edge. Press once for power. On many models, repeated presses cycle inputs and channels. Clunky, but it works in a pinch. -
Plug in your source and let auto-switch do the work.
If the game is on a cable box, Roku, Fire Stick, PS5, or Xbox, power that device on. Many LG TVs switch to the active HDMI input by themself. HDMI-CEC helps here. -
Use the streaming device remote.
Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, and many cable remotes control TV power, volume, and input. If one is nearby, use it. -
Try a USB keyboard or mouse.
LG webOS often supports basic USB input. A mouse pointer pops up on some models. Weird fix, but I’ve done it. Worked first try on my old set. -
Buy a cheap universal remote.
Big box stores sell them for like $10 to $20. Setup for LG is usally fast. Faster than tearing apart the room for an hour.
Check under the front lip of the TV first. A lot of people miss the hidden button there.
If the TV is already on, I’d actually try the laziest move first: ask your voice assistant to cast the game. If you’ve got YouTube TV, Hulu Live, NFL app stuff, etc, open it on your phone and hit AirPlay or Chromecast if your LG supports it. That can bypass a lot of menu nonsense and gets you straight to the stream.
Also, if you have the LG ThinQ app installed from before, use that before downloading random remote apps. People forget LG already has its own control option. I slightly disagree with @mikeappsreviewer on going straight to third-party apps first. Native stuff is sometimes less flaky.
Another oddball trick: if your router has a guest network and your TV got bumped off Wi-Fi, reconnecting the phone to the exact same network matters more than people think. Half the “app won’t find TV” posts are just that.
And one more thing @ombrasilente didn’t mention: if your cable provider has a mobile app, you may not need the TV interface at all. Watch the game on your phone/tablet and cast it, or even plug in a laptop with HDMI if you’re really in panic mode. Ugly setup, but kickoff waits for no one lol.