Sony TV Remote Not Working? Fix It or Use Your Phone

A Sony remote usually gives up for a boring reason: tired batteries, a lost Bluetooth pairing or a TV that needs a restart. The checks below are in the order that saves the most time, and your iPhone can run the Bravia while you sort the remote out.

Why is my Sony TV remote not working?

Start by finding out which kind you have. Sony says most of its remotes are infrared (IR). Only some are wireless: mainly the ones that came with Google TV models, 2020 Android TV models and a few 2019 flagships (XBR A9G, X850G, X950G, Z9G), plus the 2015 touchpad remote. A USB-C port on the bottom means the remote is rechargeable.

Then work through these checks:

1. Phone camera test. Point the remote at your phone camera and press Power. A dot of light means the remote is sending. Some phones filter infrared, so try the front camera as well. No dot means dead batteries or a damaged remote.
2. Batteries. Use two new batteries of the same kind, minus end first, and no rechargeables. If the contacts look dull, wipe them with a little rubbing alcohol.
3. The TV. Press the buttons on the set itself. If they work, the TV is fine and the remote is the problem. If nothing works, unplug the TV for 30 seconds (a minute does no harm) and plug it back in.
4. The sensor. The IR sensor sits on the bottom front edge. A soundbar, a shelf lip or the blue protective tape on a new set will block it.
5. Too many keys. Sony notes that an IR remote sends nothing if you press more than two buttons at once.

Two clues save time. On Sony’s wireless remotes, Power and the channel keys still go out as infrared (Sony’s troubleshooting treats a dead one of those as an IR fault). So if Power works but the arrows, OK and Home are dead, the Bluetooth pairing was most likely lost. And if the remote seems to control your cable box or console instead of the TV, that is Bravia Sync (HDMI-CEC): press SYNC MENU on the remote to choose the TV again.

How do I reset or re-pair a Sony remote?

Reset it first (skip this for a rechargeable remote):

1. Take the batteries out.
2. Press and hold Power on the remote for 3 seconds.
3. Put the batteries back in, the right way round.
4. Still nothing? Take them out again, wait about a minute and reinsert them.

If a Google TV or Android TV Bravia from 2016 or later still ignores its Bluetooth voice remote, pair it again:

1. Press Home and open Settings.
2. Open Remotes & Accessories > Bluetooth settings, select SONY TV RC MIC 001 or SONY TV VRC 001, then Unpair and OK.
3. Back in Settings, open Remotes & Accessories > Remote control > Connect via Bluetooth. On some models the entry is the Activate button under Voice Remote Control.
4. Follow the on-screen instructions with fresh batteries in the remote, because Sony says pairing can fail on weak ones.

Menu names change with the model year. The 2015 Android TV touchpad remote has its own Pair Touchpad Remote Control entry.

How can I control my Sony TV from my phone while the remote is dead?

Put the phone and the TV on the same Wi-Fi (or the TV on Ethernet into the same router). Then, with A Decent Remote on an iPhone:

1. Open the app and tap your Bravia when it appears.
2. Look at the TV. On a Google TV or Android TV Bravia a 6-character code is on screen, and the app can wake the TV from standby so you can see it. Older Bravias that use Sony’s own pairing show a 4-digit PIN.
3. Type the code in the app. The pairing itself does not need the old remote.

You now have arrows, OK, Home, volume, app launching and a real keyboard on the phone. Use it to open Settings and re-pair the physical remote.

Switching the TV on from standby needs Remote start to be on, under Settings > Network & Internet > Remote start on Google TV models. If it was never enabled and the TV is fully off, press the power button on the set once (where it sits on a Bravia), then enable it from the phone. If the TV does not show up in the app, work through the network checklist. The Sony pairing guide covers the PIN and the never-expiring pre-shared key.

Sony’s own support page points to free options too: the Google TV app, Google Home and, on the newest Bravias, BRAVIA Connect. All need a Google account signed in on the TV, which A Decent Remote does not. The app is iPhone only today, and Sony is not confirmed on the Android version being built now. Leave your email and you get one message the day it is on Google Play.

One limit: the phone reaches the TV over your network, so a Sony with no Wi-Fi or Ethernet needs a physical remote.

Is a replacement Sony remote worth buying?

As a spare, yes. A compatible IR copy runs about $10-$20, and a genuine Sony voice remote about $50-$70 in the US (UK shops often ask £70 or more). Match the part number on the old remote or your TV’s model number, because an IR copy cannot replace a voice remote’s microphone.

On a Google TV Bravia the phone covers most of what a replacement does. A cheap IR remote in a drawer is still the one backup that needs no network.