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1. Where Samsung puts the button
Samsung does not label it and does not mention it in the quick start guide, so most owners are convinced there is no button at all. There is — on nearly every set — but it moved around between model years, and on some ranges it is not on the panel at all.
| Model / series | Where the control is |
|---|---|
| Most 2016 and later (Crystal UHD, QLED, Q series) | A single joystick, called the TV Controller, under the centre of the bottom edge — directly below the Samsung logo. Feel for a small stub about the size of a pencil end. |
| Some 2018–2022 models | Under the bottom-right corner instead of the centre. Same joystick, different spot; run your finger along the whole bottom edge before giving up. |
| The Frame, Serif and many QLEDs with a One Connect box | The panel may have no control at all. Look at the One Connect box — the separate slim box that carries the HDMI ports — the button is usually there. |
| Pre-2016 sets | A row of physical buttons, usually on the rear right-hand edge or under the bottom-right corner, sometimes behind a small flap. |
If you genuinely cannot find it, look up your exact model number — it is on a label on the back of the panel and starts with letters like UE, QE, UN or QN. Searching that number plus “controller” finds the diagram for your specific set faster than feeling around in the dark.
2. What the joystick actually does
It is not just a power button. Once you find it, it is a complete, if slow, remote:
- One press while the set is off — turns the television on.
- One press while it is on — opens a small on-screen menu with power, volume, channel and source.
- Push up or down — moves through that menu, or changes volume directly on some models.
- Push left or right — changes channel, or moves along the menu row.
- Press and hold — turns the television off.
That is enough to reach Settings, which is all you need to set up a permanent way in. Do that now rather than later: navigating Samsung's menus with a single stub is tedious, and you only want to do it once.
3. SmartThings — Samsung's own way in
Samsung's SmartThings app includes a full remote for any Tizen television, and it is free. It is the most direct route if you own a Samsung phone or already have the app, and it uses the same network mechanism every phone remote uses.
What it needs, and what trips people up:
- The phone and the television must be on the same Wi-Fi network. Not the same name — the same network. A guest network or a second access point will fail silently.
- The television has to be on the first time, so it can be found and paired. The TV shows a permission box on screen and you approve it there; there is no code to type.
- To switch the set on from the phone later, enable Power On with Mobile under Settings, General, Network, Expert Settings. Without it the phone can only control a television that is already running.
- A Samsung account is required for SmartThings. If that is not something you want, a third-party remote app over the same network does the same job without one.
Samsung's network remote covers Tizen models, which is roughly 2016 onward. On an older Samsung, SmartThings may find the set for other purposes but not offer a working remote — the remote protocol simply is not there.
4. Anynet+ — let a console turn the TV on
Anynet+ is Samsung's name for HDMI-CEC. With it on, anything plugged into an HDMI port can switch the television on and select itself. A PlayStation controller becomes a power button. Turn it on while you have menu access:
- Open Settings with the joystick or any working remote.
- Go to General, then External Device Manager.
- Select Anynet+ (HDMI-CEC) and switch it on.
- Test it: press the PS button on a PlayStation controller, or any button on an Xbox with HDMI-CEC enabled in the console's own settings. The television should wake and switch to that input.
Most Blu-ray players, soundbars, Fire TV sticks and Chromecasts do the same thing. Once Anynet+ is on, you have a permanent backup that needs no batteries and no app.
5. Which Samsungs a phone can actually control
This is where expectations and reality part company, and it is worth being precise:
- Tizen models, roughly 2016 and later — fully supported. These accept a network remote, and pairing is approved with an on-screen box rather than a typed code.
- 2014–2015 Samsungs — patchy. Some respond on an older, token-free interface; many do not. Worth trying, not worth relying on.
- Pre-2014 and non-smart Samsungs — no. There is no network remote to talk to, and no phone can imitate an infrared remote because no iPhone has an infrared emitter.
- Any Samsung with no network connection — no, regardless of year. The set has to be on your Wi-Fi.
One thing Samsung does not offer, on any model: input names. The remote protocol exposes a source key but not the labels you gave your HDMI ports, so a phone remote can switch source but cannot show you “PlayStation” instead of “HDMI 2”. LG and Roku do expose those names; Samsung does not.
6. Getting a replacement remote that works
If you want a physical remote back, Samsung's numbering makes this easier than most:
- Find the remote's own model number. Samsung remotes carry a code starting BN59- on the back or in the battery compartment. Searching that exact code gets you the identical remote.
- If the remote is long gone, use the TV's model number from the label on the back of the panel. Sellers list which remote fits which set.
- Know which remote you had. The slim Smart Remote with a microphone connects over Bluetooth and carries the voice and app buttons. The longer remote with a full number pad is infrared. A universal infrared remote can replace the second but not really the first.
If your Smart Remote exists but has stopped working, it may simply have lost its Bluetooth pairing: point it at the set and hold Return and Play/Pause together for more than five seconds. Our guide to a remote that will not work covers the rest.