How to Get a Free TCL Roku TV Remote

I run a TCL 5-Series (55S546) in the living room and a smaller 4-Series (50S451) in the bedroom, both on Roku. When the 5-Series remote slid down the couch and vanished for a month, I never bought a replacement — I controlled the whole TV free from my iPhone, and the Roku app's private listening turned out to be my favorite part. My honest take: a free app covers everything a clicker does and then some, but it needs the TV awake on Wi-Fi, so I keep the HDMI-CEC trick below as a backup.

Below are four ways to control a TCL Roku TV without spending anything, ordered fastest to most limited. Each has exact steps and the real catch. If your remote is just acting up rather than gone, start with the TCL Roku remote not working checklist first. Want the same free routes for a Google TV or Android TCL set instead? See the free remote for any TCL TV guide.

The 30-second test

Before anything else, find out which free route actually works for you right now. It hinges on one thing: Wi-Fi. This quick check tells you which methods below are on the table.

1. 1Is your TCL Roku TV on your home Wi-Fi? If yes, the free phone app (Method 1) is your fastest fix — no purchase, no waiting.
2. 2Want to watch without waking the house? The Roku app's free private listening (Method 2) sends the sound to your headphones.
3. 3Is the TV offline or on a network you can't join? HDMI-CEC (Method 3) or the TV's own button (Method 4) is your free path.
4. 4Have a soundbar, console, or cable box plugged in? HDMI-CEC (Method 3) covers power and volume at zero cost right away.

Method 1: Put a free remote on your phone

This is the fastest free fix, and it costs nothing. A TCL Roku TV is on your Wi-Fi, so any Roku-aware phone app controls it over the network — no infrared, no pairing hardware. A universal app like Smart TV Remote connects without an account, or the official Roku app works too. Either gives you a D-pad, OK, Home, volume, and a real keyboard for searches.

1. 1Install a free remote app. Download Smart TV Remote free from the App Store on your iPhone or iPad, or install the official Roku app. Both control a TCL Roku TV over Wi-Fi at no cost, so you get a working remote in about a minute with nothing to buy.
2. 2Join the same Wi-Fi as the TV. Put your phone on the exact network your TCL Roku TV uses. The app reaches the TV over Wi-Fi, not infrared, so the two must share one network. If the TV isn't online yet, connect it to Wi-Fi first.
3. 3Open the app and pick your TCL Roku TV. Launch the app and let it scan. Tap your TV in the detected list. A universal app connects with no code; the official Roku app may show a pairing code on the TV the first time — type it in to link.
4. 4Control the TV for free. Use the on-screen D-pad, OK, Home, Back, volume, and keyboard exactly like the boxed clicker. Everything the physical remote does for menus and search, the app does at no cost.

Catch: a phone app needs the TV already on Wi-Fi and not fully powered off at the wall, since Wi-Fi sleeps with the set. If your TCL is dead at the outlet, use the TV button (Method 4) to wake it first. Not sure which free app to pick? Our best TCL Roku remote app for iPhone guide compares them.

Method 2: Get private listening and voice free

Here's the free perk a plastic clicker can't match. The official Roku mobile app is a free download, and it adds two extras built for a TCL Roku TV: private listening, which streams the TV's sound to your phone's headphones, and voice search that beats typing. Both cost nothing.

1. 1Install the free Roku app and connect it to your TCL Roku TV over the same Wi-Fi (the same first three steps as Method 1).
2. 2Tap the headphones icon in the app to start private listening. Plug earbuds into your phone or pair Bluetooth ones, and the TV audio moves to your phone.
3. 3Tap the microphone and say what you want — "open Netflix" or "find comedies" — to search across Roku channels by voice instead of the keyboard.

Catch: private listening is a Roku-app feature, so it needs the free Roku app specifically, not every universal remote. There can be a slight audio-to-picture lag on some networks. For the other free ways to get sound to headphones, see connecting headphones to a Roku TV.

Method 3: Control it free with HDMI-CEC

Got a soundbar, cable box, or game console plugged in? HDMI-CEC lets that device's remote send power and volume commands to the TV over the HDMI cable — no app, no Wi-Fi, nothing to buy. Roku calls the parts of this "1-touch play" and "system audio control."

1. 1Turn CEC on: on a TCL Roku TV it lives under Settings › System › Control other devices (CEC). Switch on both 1-touch play and system audio control.
2. 2Enable the matching CEC setting on the connected device — many soundbars and consoles have it under their HDMI or system options.
3. 3Use that device's remote: power and volume now pass through to the TV for free.

Catch: CEC covers power, volume, and basic playback — not Roku's Home screen, apps, or search. You also need a working remote or the phone app once to switch CEC on, so turn it on before you're stranded. Roku documents the settings on its support site.

Method 4: The free power button and voice fallback

When nothing else is handy, two free options keep you moving. Every TCL Roku TV has a physical power button — often a small joystick nub on the back or bottom bezel — enough to power on and switch inputs. And if the TV is linked to Google Home or Alexa, a smart speaker you already own can turn it on and change volume by voice, at no cost.

1. 1Feel along the bottom-center or lower-right back panel for the TV's power/joystick button; a short press powers on, and a press-and-hold usually opens an input menu.
2. 2For voice, open the Google Home or Alexa app and add your TCL Roku TV under the same account it's linked to.
3. 3Say a command like "turn on the TV" or "set the TV volume to 20" to a linked speaker to control it hands-free.

Catch: the physical button can't navigate Roku's menus, and voice needs the TV already linked to a speaker you own. Both are true fallbacks, not a full remote. Stuck with no remote at all? The remote for a TCL Roku TV guide covers every route, free and paid.

Which free option fits you

All four cost nothing. They differ in how much control you get, whether you need Wi-Fi, and whether you need hardware you already own. Match what you need to the right column.

My pick for most people: install a free app today so you're never stranded, and use the official Roku app when you want private listening on top. Keep HDMI-CEC in your back pocket for the times Wi-Fi is down. If you decide a physical clicker is worth paying for after all, the remote for a TCL Roku TV guide compares the paid replacements side by side.

Frequently Asked Questions