CouchiusCouchius is a small iPhone app made by an independent developer and working musician in Southern California. It does one job well: it turns your iPhone into a TV remote you actually enjoy holding, for the Roku, LG, Sony and Samsung TVs in your house, over your own Wi‑Fi.
The guides on this site exist because the same questions come up again and again. Where's the power button on this TV? Why won't the remote pair? Why can't my phone see the TV? Each guide answers one of those, starting with what your TV and its maker's free app can already do, and mentions Couchius only where it actually helps.
How we check these facts
TV menus move between model years and software updates, and many articles online describe menus that no longer exist. So we keep every setting path we cite in one place, with its source and the date we last checked it:
- Paths come from the TV maker's own support pages where they document them, and from tested reports where they don't.
- Each one is re-checked at least every 90 days, and the date on each guide changes when we update it.
- Where menus differ by model year, we say so rather than guess.
| Fact | What it is | Source | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roku: let phone apps control it | Settings › System › Advanced system settings › Control by mobile apps › Network access → Permissive | community.roku.com | Nov 3, 2026 |
| Official Roku app | Free; works as a remote when the phone is on the same Wi‑Fi as the Roku | apps.apple.com | Nov 3, 2026 |
| Re-pair a Roku voice remote | Restart the Roku, then hold the pairing button (or Back + Home) for 5 seconds | support.roku.com | Nov 3, 2026 |
| LG TV power button | Under the LG logo on the front, or on the back of the TV | lg.com | Nov 3, 2026 |
| LG: turn on from a phone | TV On with Mobile → Turn on via Wi‑Fi (General › Devices › External Devices on webOS 6) | community.home-assistant.io | Nov 3, 2026 |
| LG's own app | LG ThinQ can work as a remote for recent LG TVs | lg.com | Nov 3, 2026 |
| Sony: turn on from a phone | Settings › Network & Internet › Remote Start → On (Google TV models) | sony.ca | Nov 3, 2026 |
| Sony's free phone remotes | Google TV app (pair with a code on the TV) or BRAVIA Connect (2024+ BRAVIA models) | sony.ca | Nov 3, 2026 |
| Roku TV: stay reachable when off | Settings › System › Power › Fast TV Start → enable | support.tcl.com | Nov 3, 2026 |
| Samsung: turn on from a phone | Power On with Mobile → On (Settings › All Settings › Connections › Network › Expert Settings on 2022+ models; Settings › General › Network › Expert Settings on 2017–2021) | samsung.com | Nov 4, 2026 |
| Samsung: allow a phone app | Choose Allow on the TV's prompt; manage apps in Settings › General (or General & Privacy) › External Device Manager › Device Connection Manager | tavicu.github.io | Nov 4, 2026 |
| Roku TV: choose the start-up input | Settings › System › Power › Power On → choose an input (default is the Home screen) | support.tcl.com | Nov 4, 2026 |
Spotted a mistake?
If a menu has moved or a step doesn't match what you see on your TV, email info@couchius.com with your TV model. We fix confirmed errors and update the date on the page.
Privacy
The app has no accounts and no analytics, and button presses go straight from your iPhone to your TV. The details are in our privacy policy.