Help

Everything on the main remote, at a glance.

1. D-pad or touchpad: tap the small hand button beside the D-pad to swipe instead (tap = OK). Hold any arrow or volume button to keep it going.
2. Keyboard: the keyboard button types into the TV's search boxes. On Roku, LG and Google TV letters appear as you type; on other TVs tap Send.
3. Apps: the grid button opens your TV's apps. Tap one to open it on the TV.
4. Edit (at the end of the apps): hide apps, drag them into your order, or add one your TV didn't list (Samsung).
5. Number pad: the # button shows 0–9 for channels.
6. Switch TVs: tap the TV's name at the top (or the stack button at the top left) and pick another TV.

💡 Your iPhone's side volume buttons can change the TV's volume too (Pro): ••• › Settings › Volume Buttons Control TV.

Remote Papi remembers every TV you add and picks the one on the network you're on.

1. Add another TV: ••• › Add TV (or the stack button › +). You can save as many TVs as you like.
2. Rename it, change its color, or fix its IP address: ••• › This TV › Edit Remote.
3. Samsung or LG stopped accepting the phone? Edit Remote › Pair Again, then choose Allow on the TV.
4. Remove a TV: Edit Remote › Delete Remote, or swipe left on it in the TV list.

💡 Pairing keys stay in your iPhone's Keychain. Deleting a TV removes them too.

Remote Papi looks for TVs on the Wi-Fi your phone is using.

1. Turn the TV on with its own remote and wait for the home screen.
2. Put your phone on the same Wi-Fi as the TV.
3. Make sure Remote Papi is allowed to find devices: iPhone Settings › Privacy & Security › Local Network › Remote Papi.
4. Tap Scan Again. It takes about 10 seconds.
5. Still missing? Add it by IP address. You'll find the IP in the TV's network settings (often Settings › Network › Network Status).

💡 No Wi-Fi where the TV is (hotel, cabin)? See “No Wi-Fi? Use your iPhone's hotspot” below.

💡 Roku: turn on Settings › System › Advanced system settings › Control by mobile apps › Network access › Enabled (older Rokus: Default or Permissive).

💡 Sony: turn on Settings › Network › Home network › IP control, set Authentication to “Normal and Pre-Shared Key” and pick a key.

Samsung, LG, Google TV and Fire TV ask before letting a phone control them. Each phone is approved once.

1. In Remote Papi, tap the red Offline pill at the top to retry.
2. Watch the TV. When “Allow Remote Papi?” appears, choose Allow with the TV's own remote within about 30 seconds.
3. If it never asks, the phone may be blocked. Samsung: Settings › General › External Device Manager › Device Connection Manager › Device List. Remove or Allow “Universal Remote”. LG: turn the TV fully off and on, then retry.

💡 Fire TV: when you add it, the TV shows a 4-digit PIN. Type it into Remote Papi.

💡 Google TV / Android TV: when you add the TV, it shows a 6-character code. Type it into Remote Papi. If it says the TV needs pairing, remove the TV and add it again.

💡 A TV can ask again when your phone joins a different Wi-Fi network. Just allow it once more.

The phone lost touch with the TV. Usually one of these:

1. The TV is off or asleep. Press Power in Remote Papi, or see Turn your TV on with your phone.
2. Your phone switched Wi-Fi (or to cellular). Rejoin the TV's network.
3. The TV got a new address from the router. Remote Papi searches for it automatically; tap the Offline pill to retry.
4. It says “Disconnected”? You disconnected on purpose (••• › This TV › Disconnect, or ✕ on the Lock Screen remote). Remote Papi stays off until you tap the pill to connect.

💡 Roku: if only the volume works, the TV limits phone apps. Settings › System › Advanced system settings › Control by mobile apps › Network access › Enabled (older Rokus: Default or Permissive).

💡 Tip for a solid setup: in your router's app, give the TV a fixed IP (a “DHCP reservation”).

Roku, LG, Sony and Fire TV tell Remote Papi every app they have. Samsung and Google TV don't: on Samsung, Remote Papi checks for about 100 popular apps; on Google TV it shows a set list of popular apps.

1. Samsung: tap Edit at the end of the apps, then pick the app under Add an App.
2. Google TV: Remote Papi shows a set list of popular apps. Tap Edit to hide the ones you don't have.
3. Any TV: in Edit, drag apps into your order, or tap ⊖ to hide ones you never use. Each TV keeps its own list.

💡 Not in the list? Email remotepapi@proton.me with the app's name and we'll add it.

Many homes have two Wi-Fi names (for example 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, or a separate network for smart devices).

1. If both come from the same router and it allows traffic between them, Remote Papi works from either one.
2. If the TV can't be reached from your usual network, join the TV's network, or ask your router to allow traffic from your network to the TV.
3. Remote Papi remembers every TV and picks the one that answers on the network you're on.

Remote Papi can also switch your iPhone to the TV's Wi-Fi when the TV doesn't answer on yours:

1. Allow location for Remote Papi when it asks. iOS only tells apps the Wi-Fi's name with it; your location never leaves your iPhone.
2. Join the TV's Wi-Fi once and let Remote Papi connect. It remembers which Wi-Fi the TV is on. (TVs added before version 1.2 need this once too.)
3. Next time you're on the other Wi-Fi, Remote Papi asks for the TV's Wi-Fi password, just once. It's kept in your iPhone's Keychain.
4. From then on, tap Join when iOS asks and Remote Papi switches for you. If the TV still doesn't answer (it may be off), your iPhone goes back to the Wi-Fi it was on.

💡 iOS asks “Join Wi-Fi network?” every time; apps can't skip that. Don't want it? Turn off ••• › Settings › Switch to the TV's Wi-Fi.

Somewhere with no Wi-Fi, like a cabin or a rental? Your iPhone can be the Wi-Fi.

1. On your iPhone, turn on Settings › Personal Hotspot › Allow Others to Join.
2. On the TV, open its network settings (with the TV's own remote) and join your iPhone's hotspot like any Wi-Fi network.
3. Open Remote Papi and add the TV, or tap Scan Again. It works like at home from then on.

💡 It works only while the hotspot is on and the TV is connected to it. Turn the hotspot off and the TV drops off until it's back on Wi-Fi.

💡 Watch your data: anything the TV streams (Netflix, YouTube…) uses your phone's cellular data while it's on your hotspot. Remote Papi's own button presses use almost none.

Ways to control the TV without hunting for buttons:

1. Volume buttons: while Remote Papi is open and connected, your phone's side buttons change the TV's volume. Turn it off in ••• › Settings › Volume Buttons Control TV.
2. Lock Screen (Pro): after you connect, power, volume, mute and play/pause appear on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island. After 15 minutes without use it becomes “Tap to reconnect”, and it closes if the TV can't be reached. Tap ✕ on it to disconnect and close it everywhere, including a Mac's menu bar. Turn it off in ••• › Settings › Lock Screen Remote.
3. Close When I Leave Home (Pro): turn it on at home in ••• › Settings and the Lock Screen remote closes by itself as you leave. It uses your location on your iPhone only.
4. Siri & Shortcuts: say “Remote Papi volume up”, “Run a scene with Remote Papi” or “Find my remote with Remote Papi”, or add Remote Papi actions in the Shortcuts app.

Simple Mode swaps the remote for a few big, clearly labeled buttons: power, louder, quieter, channels, mute, and up to four favorite apps.

1. Open ••• › Simple Mode…
2. Pick up to four favorite apps and whether to show arrow buttons.
3. Keep “Lock with Face ID” on so only you can leave Simple Mode.
4. Tap Start Simple Mode. To leave, tap the lock at the top.

A scene runs several steps with one tap, across one or more TVs.

1. Open ••• › Scenes and start from Movie Night, Everything Off, or a custom scene.
2. Add steps: turn on or off, press a button (with repeats), open an app, or wait.
3. After a “Turn TV on” step, Remote Papi waits for the TV to start up (up to 20 seconds) before the next step.
4. Run it from Scenes, or say “Run a scene with Remote Papi”.

💡 “Turn TV on” only wakes a TV that's off, and “Turn TV off” only acts on a TV that's on, so scenes never toggle a TV the wrong way.

Add a TV to someone else's phone in seconds.

1. On your phone: ••• › This TV › Share This TV…
2. On theirs: open the Camera, point it at the code, and tap the Remote Papi banner. Or send the link with Messages or AirDrop.
3. The first time, they accept one prompt on the TV (Samsung, LG) or type the code it shows (Google TV, Fire TV).

💡 Only the TV's name and address are shared, never pairing keys or passwords.

Put an AirTag (or any Find My tracker) on your TV's remote, and Remote Papi takes you straight to it.

1. Attach an AirTag to the back of the remote (a slim adhesive holder works well).
2. In the Find My app, add it and give it a clear name, like “Living Room Remote”.
3. In Remote Papi: ••• › Find Remote, type that name and tap Save.
4. When the remote goes missing: ••• › Find Remote › Open Find My, tap the remote's name, then Find (arrow and distance) or Play Sound.

💡 Siri: “Find my remote with Remote Papi” beeps a Roku remote or opens Find Remote. For an AirTag, you can also just say “Hey Siri, find my Living Room Remote”.

💡 Roku: many Roku remotes have a speaker (like the Voice Remote Pro). ••• › Find Remote › Make the Remote Beep, no AirTag needed.

💡 In Simple Mode, “Lost the remote?” is right on the main screen. Remote Papi never sees your trackers or their locations; Find My does the finding.

Many TVs pass remote buttons along to whatever is plugged in over HDMI, like an Apple TV, a game console or a Blu-ray player. Turn it on once and Remote Papi controls that device through your TV.

1. On the TV, turn on HDMI-CEC. Samsung: Settings › All Settings › Connection › External Device Manager › Anynet+ (HDMI-CEC). LG: Settings › All Settings › General › Devices › HDMI Settings › SIMPLINK (HDMI-CEC). Sony: Settings › Channels & Inputs › External inputs › BRAVIA Sync settings › BRAVIA Sync control. Roku TV: Settings › System › Control other devices (CEC).
2. On the device, allow it too. Apple TV: Settings › Remotes and Devices › Control TVs and Receivers. PlayStation 5: Settings › System › HDMI › Enable HDMI Device Link.
3. Switch the TV to that input. Remote Papi's arrows, OK and Back (sometimes Home and play/pause too) now reach the device, while volume still goes to the TV.

💡 Menu names vary by model and year. Can't find it? Search the TV's settings for “CEC”.

💡 The Apps grid still opens apps on the TV, not on the device. For an Apple TV, the remote in your iPhone's Control Center works too.

Apple TV is a trademark of Apple Inc. PlayStation is a trademark of Sony Interactive Entertainment.

Skins change how your remote looks. Pick one in ••• › Skin.

1. Standard is free and uses each TV's own color (Edit Remote › Color).
2. Retro skins are game controllers. Papi 8-Bit (gray or beige): cross pad, A = OK, B = Back, Menu and Home on the pad. Papi 16-Bit (purple or coral): four face buttons (A = OK, B = Back, X = Home, Y = Menu) and shoulder buttons for channels. Papi Pocket: a pocket handheld with a little screen, in purple or green. Papi Arcade: drag the joystick (push further to go faster, tap for OK) and four big buttons, in purple or red. On iPhone, turn the phone sideways to hold it like a controller.
3. Retro sounds: chiptune blips, bell tones, tiny handheld beeps or arcade clicks. They follow your silent switch. Turn them off in ••• › Skin › Retro Sounds.
4. Styles (Wood Grain, Neon, Chrome, Gold, 24K Gold) keep the usual layout in rich finishes: real wood grain, polished metal, glowing neon and solid gold.
5. Papi 8-Bit (both colors) comes with Remote Papi Pro. The others come in one-time packs: Retro Pack, Style Pack, or All Skins (including future ones). No subscription.

💡 A skin brings its own colors, so the TV's Color shows only with Standard. Simple Mode always uses Standard, to stay easy to read.

The full remote is free: buttons, apps, keyboard, every TV, Find Remote, sharing and help. Remote Papi Pro is a one-time purchase, with no subscription and no ads.

1. Pro adds Scenes, Simple Mode, the Lock Screen remote (with Close When I Leave Home), volume-button control and the Papi 8-Bit skin.
2. Try every Pro feature free on the Demo TV first: ••• › Help › Try the Demo TV.
3. To buy: ••• › Remote Papi Pro.
4. New iPhone or reinstalled? ••• › About & Privacy › Restore Purchases, signed in with the same Apple Account.

💡 More skins come in one-time packs (no Pro needed): ••• › Skin › Get More Skins….

💡 Purchases are handled by Apple. For a refund, use reportaproblem.apple.com.

The tour runs by itself the first time you connect to a TV. To see it again, open ••• › Help › Show the Tour.

The Demo TV is a pretend TV that shows every button press. Tap “Try it without a TV” on the first screen, or ••• › Help › Try the Demo TV.

Samsung, LG and Sony smart TVs; any Roku stick, box or Roku TV; and, in beta, Google TV and Android TV sets and streamers (including TCL, Hisense, Philips and Chromecast with Google TV) and Amazon Fire TV sticks, cubes and Fire TV smart TVs. Not yet: Vizio. For Apple TV, use the Apple TV Remote built into your iPhone's Control Center. Your phone and TV need to be on the same home network.

No. It talks only to TVs on your own network, with no account, ads or analytics. See the privacy policy.