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Help and troubleshooting

Almost every connection problem comes down to the Wi-Fi or one setting on the TV. Find your case below, or write to us.

Email ussashowsusa@gmail.com

Check these first

Same Wi-Fi network

Your phone and your TV must be on the same Wi-Fi. Guest networks, and routers with “AP isolation” or “client isolation” turned on, keep them apart: use your main network.

TV on and online

Turn the TV on with its own remote, then open an app like YouTube on the TV to check that it’s online.

No VPN on the phone

VPN apps can hide your TV from the phone. Turn them off while you connect.

Still nothing?

Restart your router, and unplug the TV from the power for 30 seconds.

If the TV never shows up, add it by its IP address: tap “Don’t see your TV?” in the app. You’ll find the address on the TV under Settings › Network › Network status.

iPhone: allow Local Network

The first time you look for TVs, iPhone asks whether Zapizap may find and connect to devices on your local network. Without this permission, the app can’t see any TV on your Wi-Fi. If you tapped “Don’t Allow”, turn it on here:

  1. Settings
  2. Privacy & Security
  3. Local Network
  4. Zapizap

Zapizap uses it only to talk to your TVs. It doesn’t collect anything about your network.

Samsung Tizen · 2016+

Choose “Allow” on the TV

The first time you connect, the TV asks whether to allow this phone. Pick Allow with the TV’s remote.

No message, or you chose Deny?

Set Access Notification to First Time Only. If this phone is in the device list as denied, remove it. Then connect again.

  1. Settings
  2. General
  3. External Device Manager
  4. Device Connection Manager
  5. Access Notification
  6. First Time Only

On some newer models, External Device Manager is under Settings › Connection instead of General.

Turn the TV on from your phone

Turn on Power On with Mobile:

  1. Settings
  2. General
  3. Network
  4. Expert Settings
  5. Power On with Mobile

On newer models: Settings › Connection › Network › Expert Settings.

Typing on Samsung

Samsung TVs accept text from a phone only in apps that use Samsung’s own on-screen keyboard. Some apps draw their own keyboard; in those, use the arrows or the app’s own voice search.

LG webOS

Accept the request on the TV

The first time, the TV asks you to accept this phone. Choose Accept with the TV’s remote. The TV then shows a short “connected” message.

Turn on “LG Connect Apps”

It lets phone apps control the TV. Look under Settings › Network on older models, or Settings › General › Devices on newer ones.

Turn the TV on from your phone

Turn on “Mobile TV On” › “Turn on via Wi-Fi”. Newer models call it “TV On With Mobile”. On 2025 and newer models, look for Wake on LAN under Settings › Support › IP control settings.

Pointer and live typing

On LG TVs the Touch tab moves a real pointer on the screen (tap to click), and letters appear on the TV while you type.

Google TV and Android TV Sony · TCL · Hisense · Philips

Type the code shown on the TV

When you pair, the TV shows a 6-character code. Type it exactly as shown: it mixes letters and numbers.

Same network, TV on Home

Keep the TV on its Home screen while pairing, and on the same Wi-Fi as this phone.

To turn the TV on from your phone, some Android-based TVs need a setting that keeps the network awake in standby. It’s usually called Remote start, Network standby or Wake on LAN, in the TV’s network or power settings.

Roku Roku TV · players

Roku only accepts button presses from phone apps when “Control by mobile apps” is set to Enabled. “Limited” blocks the buttons.

  1. Settings
  2. System
  3. Advanced system settings
  4. Control by mobile apps
  5. Enabled

Roku TVs can be turned on from your phone when Fast TV start is on (Settings › System › Power). Roku streaming players don’t switch off, so there’s nothing to turn on.

Fire TV Stick · Cube · Fire TV Edition

A Fire TV only accepts a phone once ADB debugging is on. You turn it on with the Fire TV's own remote, once.

  1. Settings
  2. My Fire TV
  3. Developer options
  4. ADB debugging
  5. On

No “Developer options”?

Open Settings › My Fire TV › About, highlight the device name and press the middle button 7 times. Go back one screen and Developer options is there. Older sticks call the “My Fire TV” menu “Device”.

“Allow USB debugging?”

The first time you connect, the TV shows this message. Tick “Always allow from this computer”, then choose OK. After that the TV remembers this phone and stops asking.

What Fire TV can’t do

There is no HDMI input switching, and no volume slider: the volume keys work, but the TV doesn't report a level. Typing goes to the TV as one line when you tap Send.

Vizio SmartCast · 2016+

Nothing has to be turned on. When you connect, the TV shows a 4-digit code; type it into the app and that's it.

“The TV is busy”

Another phone is pairing with the TV. Wait for the code to leave the screen, then try again.

Wrong code

You can read the code off the TV and type it again; the TV cancels the attempt after a few wrong tries, and then you start over.

What Vizio can’t do

You can't type on a Vizio from the phone. Apps, HDMI inputs, the volume level and power all work.

Typing on the TV

Open a search box on the TV, then use the Type tab and your phone’s keyboard. When the TV asks for text, the Type tab can open by itself.

  • LG: letters appear on the TV while you type.
  • Samsung: works in apps that use Samsung’s keyboard (see Samsung).
  • Google TV and Roku: works in the TV’s search and text boxes.
  • Fire TV: the text is sent in one go when you tap Send.
  • Vizio: not supported; use the arrows on the TV’s own keyboard.

The assistant

Tap the orange mic button, then hold it and talk, or type your command. It understands English and Spanish, for example “Put on Netflix and lower the volume a little” or “Pon YouTube en la tele del cuarto”.

  • On your phone: everyday commands (open an app, volume up, down or to a number, mute, power, inputs, channels) are understood right on the phone.
  • In the cloud, only when needed: free-form requests go to the optional cloud assistant as text, never audio. It has a daily limit so it can stay free. Turn it off in Settings › Smarter assistant (cloud).
  • Voice permissions: the first time you hold the button, the phone asks for Microphone and Speech Recognition. If you said no, turn them on in Settings › Zapizap (iPhone) or Settings › Apps › Zapizap › Permissions (Android). You can always type instead.
  • “Voice isn’t available in this language”: some phones need the language downloaded for speech recognition. Switch the language, or type.

Turning the TV on

Turning a TV on over Wi-Fi depends on the TV. It needs the setting for your brand (see above), it must have been on your Wi-Fi before it went to standby, and some TVs stop listening after a while in standby or in energy-saving modes. If it doesn’t wake up, turn it on once with its own remote; everything else works from the phone.

Reset and start over

In the app, open Settings and tap Reset app. It forgets all your TVs and their pairing, and deletes your scenes, pinned apps, habits and settings from this phone. Deleting the app does the same.

Samsung TVs keep their own list of allowed phones, so after a reset the TV may ask you to Allow again.

Questions

Is it free?

Yes. No ads, no account, nothing to sign up for.

Does it work when I’m away from home?

No. It controls TVs on the same Wi-Fi as your phone.

Can it control my cable or satellite box?

No. It controls the smart TVs listed on this page. You can switch the TV’s HDMI input to your box, where the TV supports it.

Does it work with Apple TV?

Not yet. Fire TV and Vizio are supported: see Fire TV and Vizio.

Which languages does it speak?

English and Spanish. The app follows your phone’s language; change it in Settings › Language. The assistant understands both, whatever the app’s language.

Can I make the buttons bigger?

Yes: Settings › Big buttons gives you a simpler remote with larger keys and labels.

Can I try it without a TV?

Yes. On the first screen, tap “Try the demo”: a pretend TV lets you try every part of the app.

What does the app know about me?

Very little, and it stays on your phone. The privacy policy lists everything.

Still stuck? Write to us.

Email sashowsusa@gmail.com, or use Send feedback in the app’s Settings. Tell us your TV’s brand and model (usually on the TV under Settings › Support › About), your phone model, and what you see on the screen.

Email us