Zapp support: setup, pairing and fixes

Setting up your television

• Samsung — Accept the "Allow" prompt that appears on the television screen. That happens once, so do it while you still have the TV’s own remote, or can reach the TV.
• LG — Accept the pairing prompt on the television. That happens once, so do it while you still have the TV’s own remote, or can reach the TV.
• Roku — If it does not respond: on the Roku, Settings → System → Advanced system settings → Control by mobile apps → set to Default or Permissive.
• Google TV — Type the six-character code shown on the TV screen. That happens once.
• Fire TV — Open Zapp, choose the Fire TV it has found, and accept the prompt on the TV — choose “Always allow”.
• Vizio — Type the four-digit PIN shown on the TV screen. That happens once.

Common questions

Zapp cannot find my TV. What now?

Check that the iPhone and the television are on the same Wi-Fi network — guest networks and separated 2.4/5 GHz bands are the usual cause. Then make sure the TV is switched on: some televisions turn their Wi-Fi off in standby and cannot answer until they are woken by hand. If it still does not appear, add it directly by IP address; the TV shows its address in its own network settings.

Where do I find my TV’s IP address?

Samsung: Settings → General → Network → Network Status → IP Settings. LG: Settings → Connection → Wi-Fi Connection → Advanced Wi-Fi Settings. Roku: Settings → Network → About. Google TV: Settings → Network & Internet, then tap your Wi-Fi network. Fire TV: Settings → My Fire TV → About → Network. Vizio: the Network menu, under Network Information.

iOS asked for local network permission. Why?

Finding televisions on your own Wi-Fi is the one thing iOS requires permission for, and that permission is the search itself. Zapp cannot see anything outside your network, and it has no server to send anything to. If you said no, Zapp shows a card with an Open Settings button; switch Zapp on under Settings → Privacy & Security → Local Network.

The remote keeps disconnecting.

After a drop Zapp reconnects by itself, quietly, three times within a few seconds; keys you press meanwhile wait and are sent once it is back. If it still cannot reach the TV it says why in plain words: the iPhone isn’t on Wi-Fi, the TV is off or asleep, or the TV refused the connection. A TV that moved to a new IP address is found again without pairing twice. If drops keep happening, the cause is almost always the network or the TV’s power saving, not the app.

Where are the colour keys, the number pad and the inputs?

The everyday keys fit on one screen; the rest — colour keys, digits, Menu, Info, Exit, Guide, the inputs and the LG pointer — are under More keys at the bottom of the remote. If you prefer one long remote with everything on it, switch on Settings → All keys on one screen.

How do I use the widgets, Control Center and Siri?

Add the Zapp widget from the Home Screen or Lock Screen editor and choose which TV it controls; Control Center and Action Button controls (iOS 18) work the same way. For Siri, start the request with Zapp, for example “Zapp, turn off the TV”; without the app’s name Siri may send it to the Home app instead. Turning a TV on from standby is Pro, on Samsung, LG and Roku. The Live Activity is offered once after you have used the remote, and you can switch it off in Settings.

I paid, but Pro is locked on my other device.

Open Settings inside the app and tap Restore Purchase. The purchase is tied to your Apple Account, so it follows you to every device signed into it — there is nothing to buy twice.

Can I try it without a TV?

Yes. Settings → Try the Demo TV opens a complete television that lives inside the app: it connects instantly and accepts every command, so you can see exactly how the remote behaves before you own anything.

The buttons on my remote layout are not the ones on my real remote.

Tap the layout name under the television’s name at the top of the remote screen and pick the one in your hand. The same television ships with different remotes by region and year, so Zapp guesses from the model and lets you correct it.

Privacy

Zapp has no account, no analytics and no ads, and the app never contacts us at all — it only talks to televisions on your local network. Read thefull privacy policy.