I recently noticed that my Samsung TV isn’t responding to Alexa, and I was wondering what was causing the issue. I did some research and here’s what I found.
So, why won’t my Samsung TV connect to my Alexa? To be able to use your Alexa to control your Samsung TV you first need to set it up in the SmartThings app. Samsung Smart TVs older than 2018 aren’t compatible with Alexa so you’ll have limited functionality. A work around for older TVs is to get an Amazon Fire TV stick.
It’s a very involved process to connect SmartThings to your Alexa, but you can see full step by step instructions on the official Samsung website. And I’ve included a video below showing how it’s done.
But, be sure to read on after the video as I’ll provide more tips and information about using Alexa with your Samsung TV.
Can Alexa Turn on My Samsung TV?
One of the most futuristic and Star Trek like features of Alexa is its ability to turn things on and off. And what could be cooler than turning on your Samsung TV with it. But, can you do that…
You can turn on your Samsung TV with Alexa as long as your Samsung TV was made in 2018 or later. Older Samsung TVs will not work with Alexa. But you can add Alexa functionality to a Samsung TV that was made before 2018 by getting an Amazon Fire TV stick.
An Amazon Fire TV Stick is a small device about the size of a USB flash drive and you plug it into the HDMI port on the back of your TV. It’s voice activated and you can control all the functionality of it using Alexa.
It’s main function is to install apps on your TV like Netflix and stream TV shows and movies on your TV. It connects via Wi-Fi and it streams TV shows. It does however only control the specific HDMI channel that it’s plugged into.
It works separately to the operating system that you normally use on your Samsung Smart TV. But, it has all the same features because you can install virtually any app.
The one issue it doesn’t have much storage space, and so you can’t record TV shows and movies to it. But, you can get a separate Amazon Fire TV Recast which has a 1 Terabyte storage.
However, you can use it to turn the volume up and down, switch between apps, search for TV shows and movies.
Can Alexa Control a Samsung TV?
Being able to change channels, search for TV shows and movies, and turn the volume up and down with Alexa is great. But, can you do that with a Samsung TV? Here’s the lowdown:
Alexa can control a Samsung TV if the Samsung TV was made after 2018. Earlier Samsung TV’s aren’t compatible with Alexa. But, you can add the ability to do that by using an Amazon Fire TV Stick. An Amazon Fire TV stick costs around US$ 50.
This is because of an limitation with the SmartThings software. That requires a lot of time to fix on Samsung’s end. Until recently, Alexa would only have full functionality on Samsung TVs that were made in 2019 and beyond.
But, Samsung made some changes to Samsung SmartThings so it now has full functionality with models made from 2018 onwards.
To be able to do that you need to pair it using Samsung SmartThings. It’s quite a complicated process with a lot of steps. And the best way to do that is by following the step by step instructions available in the video at the top of this article. Or, using the step by step instructions provided on the Samsung website. Find the instructions here.
Samsung TV Alexa Keeps Talking
You might have run into an issue where Alexa keeps talking, and says everything you do. It gets old really fast! But, the good news is it’s easy to turn off. Here’s how to do that.
According to the Samsung website this is a feature called Voice Guide. You can turn this off by going to the following settings on your Samsung TV: Press Home, then press Settings, then General, then Accessibility, then Voice Guide, then Voice Guide Settings, then Voice Guide.
This is a feature designed for people who have poor eyesight. It can be accidentally turned on if you press and hold the volume button on your remote.
Alexa Does Not Turn on Samsung TV
You may be able to use some features of your Samsung TV using Alexa. But, find you can’t turn your Samsung TV on and off. This is a bit confusing at first. So, I’ll explain why that is and how to fix it.
Copyright protected content owner: ReadyToDIY.com and was initially posted on 2021-03-28.
Samsung TVs that were made before 2018 don’t have full functionality with Alexa. And you won’t be able to turn it on using Alexa. To get around this you can use an Amazon Fire TV stick, which is a small device that plugs into an HDMI slot on your TV.
If you have a Samsung TV newer than 2018 but you can’t turn on your Samsung TV with Alexa, then you either 1) haven’t paired it with Samsung SmartThings, or 2) there’s an issue with your Samsung SmartThings app.
If it’s the first issue, and you know you haven’t paired it with Samsung SmartThings, then scroll up to the top of this article and there’s a video showing the full instructions, as well as, a link to the instructions listed on the Samsung website.
If it’s not that and your TV was made after 2018, then you should try restarting your Smartphone. Sometimes the app can freeze, and when you restart it it fixes the problem. If that still doesn’t work you should pair and unpair your Samsung TV in Samsung Smartthings.
Samsung TV Alexa Not Changing Channels
If you can do some things on your Samsung TV using Alexa, but can’t change the channels it’s a bit of a problem. It’s definitely possible to do on some Samsung TV models, and I’ll explain why that is below, as well as, how to get it to work.
Aslong as your Samsung TV is paired with Samsung SmartThings, any TV made after 2018 you will be able to change the channel with Alexa. If you have a Samsung TV that was made before 2018, not all of the features can be controlled using Alexa, and you won’t be able to change the channel with your voice.
An easy way to get full functionality with Alexa for a Samsung TV that was made before 2018 is to get an Amazon Fire TV stick. They cost about US$ 50, and plug into the HDMI port on your TV or receiver. A receiver is the box that your home theater system plugs into.
How Do I Get Alexa to Turn on/off Samsung TV?
Turning your Samsung TV on and off with your Alexa is very handy, and you can do it while you’re sitting at the dinner table, or walk through your lounge and notice someone left the TV on. Here’s how to do that:
You need to pair it with Samsung SmartThings on your Smartphone. To do that is very complicated, but full instructions are provided by Samsung here. Not all Samsung TVs can be turned on and off with Alexa, and you can only do it on Samsung TVs that were made after 2018.
Samsung TVs that were made before 2018 can have limited functionality. But, if you want the ability to turn your TV on and off with Alexa you’ll need to buy an Amazon Fire TV stick.
Copyright article owner is ReadyToDiy.com for this article. This post was first published on 2021-03-28.
It has Alexa built into it, and you can control all the settings on your TV. But, bear in mind that it uses a dedicated HDMI channel. The way it works is you install apps such as Netflix onto your Fire TV stick. And it has almost any app you can think of. But, you can’t change the input channel with your Fire TV stick using Alexa.
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ReadyToDIY is the owner of this article. This post was published on 2021-03-28.
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