The television is one of the most widely used devices in the household, but it has been operated by pressing a button on the remote control for decades. Convenient voice control via Alexa would be particularly useful for a television. Existing TVs can also be easily made Alexa-compatible with little effort. We explain everything you need to connect the television to Alexa and control it by voice. We consider compatible televisions from Sony, Panasonic, Loewe, Philips, Grundig, Xiaomi and Hisense. We also reveal how you can make non-compatible TVs "Alexa-compatible" retrospectively using Amazon Fire TV, Logitech Harmony or Broadlink universal remote control.
If you control your TV with Alexa, you have both hands free and never have to look for the remote control again.
With the increasing use of video streaming services, the importance of Smart TV is increasing. This includes the connection to the Internet, the use of TV apps and, thanks to the triumph of Amazon Alexa, also voice control.
In total, users have 3 options for controlling the TV with Alexa:
1. Alexa-compatible TVs
These include TVs that either have Alexa already integrated or are Alexa-compatible. The connection is established between the Alexa app, a manufacturer skill, Echo and the TV. Afterwards, users can give Alexa TV control commands via a microphone. Depending on the variant, a smartphone, an echo or a TV remote control with an integrated microphone can serve as the microphone.
2. Retrofit solutions for non-Alexa-compatible TVs
If you don't have a Smart TV, you can make your TV Alexa-compatible with a Fire TV Stick or the Fire TV Cube. With a Fire TV Stick, Alexa and the microphone are integrated in the Alexa remote control. Fire TV Cube is an "Echo Light" loudspeaker with integrated far-field microphones that eliminates the need for a remote control. The connection to the TV is made from the stick or cube via an HDMI cable.
3. Retrofit solution via smart remote controls
As a third solution, smart universal remote controls such as Logitech Harmony can be used. Here, the TV is not linked to Alexa, but the remote controls from third-party manufacturers. The TV is controlled indirectly.
Alexa-compatible television - voice control with Samsung, Philips and Co.
If you have a television that is already native Alexa compatible, you can easily connect the TV to Amazon's voice assistant Alexa. Depending on the TV provider, a corresponding skill must be loaded and the TV must then be connected to the voice assistant in the Alexa app .
- Connect Amazon Alexa and TV via the Alexa app:
- Start the Alexa app on the smartphone
- Open the hamburger menu in the top left
- Scroll down and tap the menu item "Settings"
- Select "TV and Video" in the "Settings" menu
- Select TV and follow the instructions
Connect and control Samsung TVs with Alexa - this is how it works
After Samsung made its TVs incompatible with Alexa for a long time, the Samsung SmartThings Alexa Skill now offers basic control functions for the TV. However, this can only be used with Samsung televisions manufactured after 2018. There is an alternative option for older models, which we will introduce below.
The following steps are necessary to set up the TV Skills for Samsung televisions:
- Open the Amazon Alexa app ( Android | iOS ) and press three dashed lines in the upper left corner to open the main menu
- Navigate down to the point "Skills and Game" and tap
- Tap on the magnifying glass (search) at the top right and enter "SmartThings"
- In the find list, tap on the skill and then select the button "Activate for use" and follow the instructions
- The skill connects to the Samsung account or an existing SmartThings account.
Unfortunately, very few control functions are currently available via the skill. Including switching the TV on and off. If you are looking for more options, you should still use the Smart TV Remote App.
Samsung TV - Alexa voice control with Smart TV Remote app
The popular Android app "Smart TV Remote" for controlling Samsung televisions makes it possible to control the Smart TV very easily with Alexa thanks to a new Alexa Skill - a convenient and affordable option for television control, as no additional hardware has to be purchased . All you need is:
- Smart TV (with an infrared-capable mobile phone or an external infrared transmitter such as Anymote or zmote, televisions from different manufacturers can be controlled via the "Smart TV Remote" app, but if you select the network mode, it must be a Samsung device)
- Amazon Echo , Echo Dot , Echo Show , Echo Plus or any other Echo device
- “Smart TV Remote” app for Android
- Alexa Skill " Smart TV Remote "
Farewell remote control! Control the TV with Alexa and EchoFarewell remote control! Control the TV with Alexa and Echo (Amazon)
Incidentally, you do not need to be put off by the negative reviews of the Smart TV Remote Skill. The criticism mainly applies to the lack of iOS version or the lack of support for its own Samsung model, the practicality is rarely criticized.
Which Samsung TVs are compatible with the “Smart TV Remote” Alexa Skill?
It is good to know in advance that not all Samsung models are compatible with the Alexa Skill "Smart TV Remote ". According to the developer, all Samsung TVs in the B, C, D, E and F series (TV 2011-2013) can be controlled via the Remote App with Alexa. The newer K and M, N and Q series are also supported (2016-2018). Only the 2014 and 2015 Samsung TVs of the H and J series are not compatible with Alexa via Smart TV Remote. The reason for this is a changed communication protocol in these models. With the current TV models 2019, Samsung has started to make its TVs compatible with Amazon Alexa.
How to connect Alexa to Samsung TV
- Download the "Smart TV Remote" app to your smartphone via the Google Play Store (Caution: only for Android )
- Register Alexa Skill from Smart TV Remote
- How do I register the Alexa Skill "Smart TV Remote"? - First of all it is important to activate the Alexa -Skill "Smart TV Remote" in the Alexa Skill Store. This is very easy via the following link: Alexa Smart TV Remote Skill
- In order for the “Smart TV Remote” app and the Alexa skill of the same name to work together smoothly, the skill must now be registered in the Android app.
- Open the Android app "Smart TV Remote" on the mobile phone
- Tap the gear at the top to switch to the settings
- Navigate down to Amazon Echo Custom Skill
- The point "Skill Registration" opens
- Tap on the left button "Register" below
- A code for the connection is generated and displayed
- Voice command to Alexa: "Alexa, tell Smart Remote: - - Register my app with code XXXX". The code can either be spelled or spoken as an integer
The “Smart TV Remote ” app is available free of charge from the Google Play Store. It requires Android 4.1 or higher.Smart TV Remote Pro Skill for shorter basic commands with Amazon Alexa. With the “ Smart TV Remote Pro” Alexa Skill , users can also pass on the most frequently used basic commands in a shortened form to the Amazon voice assistant Alexa.
Connect and control Sony TV with Alexa
Sony can also be connected to Alexa and operated by voice. The prerequisite for using Alexa on Sony TVs is that it is a model from 2016 (or newer) that has Android 8 Oreo. In addition, an Amazon and a Google account are required for the connection between the television and Amazon's voice assistant.
Connect and control LG TV with Alexa
Owners of an LG television built in 2018 (or newer) with WebOS 4.5 and AI ThinQ can also look forward to it, because their device is compatible with Alexa . You can set up a remote control with Amazon's voice assistant.
Connect and control Loewe TVs with Alexa
As far as we know, it can only be used with Alexa if a Loewe television has software version 4.4.64.
Connect and control Grundig TV with Alexa
Owners of a Grundig TV do not have to do without voice control. However, an account registration with conntect.arsmarttv.com is required.
No Alexa-compatible television
Another way to watch popular TV series and films on the TV and easily call them up using voice commands is to expand the TV with a Fire TV Stick from Amazon, which can be used as a Fire TV Stick for HD TVs or a Fire TV Stick 4K UHD. TV sets and as Fire TV Cube there.
However, the Fire TV Stick then takes on the function of the receiver, which means that the content is played on the television via the video streaming stick. Anyone who already uses the video streaming services Amazon Prime Video or Netflix can then call up their favourite series with an Alexa voice command.
No more arguments about the remote control thanks to voice control via Alexa
With a FireTV streaming stick, the Alexa voice commands can be made using the remote control, which has an integrated microphone. Alternatively, users can connect a Fire TV Stick to an Echo speaker , which eliminates the need to press the microphone button. Fire TV Cube is itself an Amazon Echo with built-in far-field microphones, the user does not have to press a button on the remote control
Can I control my Samsung TV with Alexa
Yes. Samsung has made many of its 2019 TV models natively Alexa-compatible. If you have an older model, you can control it via the smartphone app and the Alexa skill "Smart TV Remote" or "Smart TV Remote Pro" using an Alexa voice command.