· 5 min read
Sony Bravia remote not working? Fix it, or use your iPhone
Sony ships two quite different remotes under the same name, and they fail differently. Work out which one you have first; the fix follows from that.
Which remote do you have?
If yours has a microphone button and no visible IR window, it's Bluetooth — it works when pointed at the wall. If it only works aimed at the TV, it's infrared. Bravia sets in the last few years ship the Bluetooth kind, often with a backlight.
Quick fixes
- Fresh batteries first — Bluetooth remotes get flaky long before they die completely, with dropped presses rather than nothing at all.
- Re-pair a Bluetooth remote: hold the mic button and the volume-down button together for about five seconds, close to the TV, until the status light blinks.
- Power-cycle the TV properly: unplug at the wall for 60 seconds. On Android TV and Google TV Bravias this clears a surprising number of input faults.
- For an IR remote, clear the line of sight and wipe the emitter at the front — and check the TV's IR receiver, usually behind the lower bezel, isn't blocked by a soundbar.
The setting that lets your iPhone take over
Bravias can be controlled entirely over your network, but Sony ships that ability turned off. This is the single most common reason a remote app can't find a Bravia that is plainly sitting on the same Wi-Fi.
On the TV, go to Settings → Network → Home network settings → IP control (Sony has also labelled the path Home network remote settings). Set authentication so a pre-shared key is accepted, and set the key itself — any short string will do, you just have to enter the same one in the app.
With that done, LazyBinger drives the Bravia over two channels at once: a JSON interface for system, audio and app launching, and Sony's IRCC command set for the actual key presses. No line of sight, and no remote.
Frequently asked
Why can't my remote app find my Sony TV? Nine times out of ten, IP control is disabled in the TV's network settings. Enable it and set a pre-shared key.
Do I need the Sony Video & TV SideView app? No, and Sony has wound that app down in several regions. Anything speaking the same IP-control interface works.
Will my iPhone turn the Bravia on? If the TV keeps its network alive in standby — look for a remote-start or quick-start option in the same settings area — then yes, over Wake-on-LAN.
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