How to Use Your Vizio Smart TV Without the Remote

You can get a Vizio TV remote app for your phone

By
Patrick Shawn Hearn
Patrick Hearn
Patrick Shawn Hearn
Writer
  • Columbus State University
Patrick Hearn has been a freelance technology writer for 6+ years. He has written for CBSi, GameSpot, Xfinity, and many others.
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Updated on October 18, 2022
Reviewed by
Jessica Kormos
Jessica Kormos
Reviewed by Jessica Kormos
  • Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College
Jessica Kormos is a writer and editor with 15 years' experience writing articles, copy, and UX content for Tecca.com, Rosenfeld Media, and many others.
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What to Know

  • Download the Vizio SmartCast app from Google Play or the iOS App Store. Open the app on your mobile device.
  • Tap the Control icon. Select Devices and choose your TV from the list that appears.
  • The control menu that appears operates like a normal remote. Turn the TV on and off, change the input and video mode, and more.

This article explains how to use your Vizio Smart TV without the remote by setting up the Vizio SmartCast app on your mobile device.

How to Use Your Vizio Smart TV Without the Remote

Vizio Smart TVs are affordable, entry-level options into the smart TV market. Many of the TVs have 4K resolution with UHD and HDR capabilities. Best of all, you don't even need a remote to operate the television. You can do it all from your phone. Here's how using the Vizio smart TV remote app.

Don't throw away the normal remote just yet. If your Vizio Smart TV needs to be reset, one of the only ways to do this is with the physical remote through a series of key strokes. While there are ways to perform a hard reset using the buttons on the back of the television, it's less than ideal.

  1. The first step is to download the Vizio Smartcast App from either the Google Play Store or the iOS App Store, depending on your mobile device. 

    Download For:

  2. Open the SmartCast app on your mobile device.

    The SmartCast app lets you add and control apps on your Vizio TV directly from the phone, including Netflix, Hulu, iHeartRadio, and many other options. However, you'll need the relevant app downloaded and set up on your smartphone beforehand.

  3. At the bottom, tap Control. It looks like a television with a subwoofer in front of it.

  4. Tap Devices in the top right corner, then select your television from the list that appears.

    Control button and Living Room Display TV button in Vizio app for iOS

    If you do not see your television on the list, make sure your phone is connected to the Wi-Fi network. If that still doesn't resolve the problem, make sure your Vizio TV is connected to Wi-Fi.

  5. Once you've selected the television, the control menu will appear. From this screen, it operates much like a normal remote. You can change the input, turn the television on and off, change the video mode, and more.

  6. Swipe to the left to access the movement screen, which allows you to control the television like you would with the directional pad.

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