Samsung TV remote connection denied: check TV approval

Start another connection attempt with the TV on. Look for an access request and select Allow with a working control. The prompt can take up to half a minute to appear. If it is dismissed or denied, the phone cannot override that choice.

If you do not have the physical remote, read lost TV remote before assuming a phone can complete first-time approval.

Samsung’s permission menus vary by model and firmware. Look for a device-connection or external-device access setting (often under Connection or General) using your TV’s manual. If the list holds a denied entry for TV Remotely, remove or allow it, then try connecting again.

Do not turn off all access protection, and do not follow a menu path written for a different Samsung model. Note what your TV actually shows if the setting is missing.

On iPhone, turn on the app’s Local Network permission. Keep the phone and TV on the same trusted network. If the TV disappears from the list entirely, go back to the discovery checklist.

TV Remotely supports Samsung Tizen TVs from 2016 onward, within model and firmware limits. A working SmartThings connection is a useful clue, but it does not prove that another app uses the same service or supports the same commands.

Check the Samsung setup page and compatibility table. Forgetting the TV in the app and adding it again can give you a fresh approval prompt; do not factory-reset the TV as a first response to one rejected connection.

Send the TV model, firmware, phone OS, app version, exact error and whether an approval prompt appeared to support. A missing TV, a denied connection and a connected remote with one failing button are different problems.

A successful connection does not mean power-on or typing works on every Samsung TV. Test those separately once navigation works.