Table of contents(14)+
- 01Apps at a glance
- 021. HiRemote — best overall for any Hisense
- 032. RemoteNOW — official but limited
- 043. Roku Official — best for Roku-only households
- 054. Google TV App — best for Google TV-only
- 065. Amazon Fire TV App — for Fire TV Edition
- 076. CodeMatics "Universal Smart TV Remote" and similar — proceed with caution
- 08How to know which Hisense platform you have
- 09FAQ
- 10Which Hisense remote app is really free?
- 11Which app works on the most Hisense models?
- 12Do I need one app per TV?
- 13Are these apps safe with my data?
- 14Related guides
Six iPhone apps that can pair with a Hisense TV in 2026, ranked by rating, platform coverage, and honesty about tradeoffs. Top pick overall is HiRemote (4.5★, works on all 4 Hisense platforms, no account). Top pick if your TV is Roku-only is Roku Official app (4.7★, 5.4M ratings, but Roku-only and needs a Roku account). Full head-to-head below with the app-by-app breakdown.
Apps at a glance
| App | Rating (US) | Platforms | Account | Ads | Pick if... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HiRemote | 4.5 ★ (1,420) | VIDAA + Roku + Google TV + Fire TV | No | No | Any Hisense, especially mixed platforms |
| RemoteNOW (Hisense official) | 1.9 ★ (28K+) | VIDAA only | Yes (Hisense Connect) | Yes | Only if you already have Hisense Connect |
| Roku Official App | 4.7 ★ (5.4M) | Roku TV only | Yes (Roku) | No | Roku-only household, need Private Listening |
| Google TV App | 4.2 ★ (100K+) | Google TV only | Yes (Google) | No | Google TV-only, use Chromecast heavily |
| Amazon Fire TV App | 4.5 ★ (500K+) | Fire TV Edition only | Yes (Amazon) | No | Fire TV-only, in Amazon ecosystem |
| CodeMatics "Universal Smart TV Remote" | 3.2 ★ (mixed) | Claims all, works on some | No | Yes (heavy) | Not recommended — heavy ads, unreliable |
1. HiRemote — best overall for any Hisense
Rating: 4.5★ US, 4.6★ MX, 1,420 US ratings. Third-party.
Platforms: VIDAA U6/U7/U8/U9, Hisense Roku TV, Hisense Google TV, Hisense Fire TV Edition.
Why it wins the top spot: One app that covers all four Hisense platforms. No account. No ads. Pairs in 30 seconds. Apple Watch companion + Lock Screen widget on the Pro tier ($9.99/year). Ad-free free tier includes every remote function.
Trade-offs: Younger app (2024 launch) so fewer total ratings than long-established competitors. No Private Listening (Roku-app-only). No first-party Google Assistant voice integration.
Best for: Anyone with a Hisense TV, especially households with mixed platforms.
2. RemoteNOW — official but limited
Rating: 1.9★ (28,000+ ratings). Made by Hisense.
Platforms: VIDAA only. Does not work on Hisense Roku TV, Google TV, or Fire TV Edition.
Why the 1.9★ rating: Forced Hisense Connect account, ads in the remote UI, breaks after firmware updates, missing basic features (no QWERTY keyboard, no touchpad, no Apple Watch). Full breakdown in the HiRemote vs RemoteNOW head-to-head.
Best for: You already have a Hisense Connect account from another Hisense product (refrigerator, washer) and refuse to install non-Hisense apps.
3. Roku Official — best for Roku-only households
Rating: 4.7★ (5.4M ratings). Made by Roku.
Platforms: Roku TV only (including Hisense Roku TV, TCL Roku TV, Onn Roku TV, etc.).
Why it's genuinely great: Private Listening (stream TV audio to phone with headphones), deep voice search, Cast phone photos/videos, huge update cadence.
Trade-offs: Requires Roku account. Only works on Roku TVs — useless on any other Hisense platform.
Best for: Household with only Roku TVs where you use Private Listening. Full comparison in HiRemote vs Roku app.
4. Google TV App — best for Google TV-only
Rating: 4.2★ (100K+ ratings). Made by Google.
Platforms: Google TV / Android TV only.
Best features: Chromecast integration is deepest of all apps. Voice search via Google Assistant is first-class.
Trade-offs: Requires Google account + Home permission. Ad-free but ecosystem-locked. Doesn't work on VIDAA / Roku TV / Fire TV Edition.
Best for: Hisense Google TV owner (U7K with Google TV, U8K with Google TV, A-series) who uses Cast heavily.
5. Amazon Fire TV App — for Fire TV Edition
Rating: 4.5★ (500K+ ratings). Made by Amazon.
Platforms: Fire TV / Fire TV Edition.
Best features: Alexa integration built in. QWERTY keyboard. Voice remote via phone mic.
Trade-offs: Requires Amazon account. Only useful on Fire TV Edition Hisense models (relatively rare).
6. CodeMatics "Universal Smart TV Remote" and similar — proceed with caution
Rating: 3.2★ (mixed).
Reality check: Third-party apps that claim "universal" TV support usually fall short. Common issues: heavy in-app ads (video ads between every button press in some cases), inflated features that don't work on Hisense specifically, aggressive upsells to Pro tier.
Verdict: Not recommended. If HiRemote isn't your fit for some reason, use the platform-native option from the list above instead.
How to know which Hisense platform you have
Model number tells you:
- Model starts with U (U6, U7, U8, U9) → VIDAA
- Model starts with R (R6, R7, R8) → Roku TV
- Model starts with A (A6, A7) and has "Google TV" in the box → Google TV
- "Fire TV Edition" branded → Fire TV Edition (rare, mostly US/UK Amazon-exclusive lines)
Find your model number: Settings → About → Model, or on the sticker on the back of the TV.
FAQ
Which Hisense remote app is really free?
HiRemote free tier includes every remote function with no ads. Roku, Google TV, Fire TV, and Amazon Fire TV apps are also free with no ads. RemoteNOW is free with ads. CodeMatics is free with heavy ads.
Which app works on the most Hisense models?
HiRemote is the only third-party app that covers all four Hisense platforms (VIDAA + Roku TV + Google TV + Fire TV Edition). Everything else is single-platform.
Do I need one app per TV?
If all your TVs are the same platform (all VIDAA, all Roku), no — one platform app handles all. If mixed platforms, HiRemote consolidates into one app.
Are these apps safe with my data?
HiRemote sends commands peer-to-peer over local Wi-Fi with no cloud analytics. Platform-native apps route through their respective clouds (Roku Cloud, Google Home, Amazon Alexa) — safe but they log usage per their privacy policies. RemoteNOW routes through Hisense Connect and tracks per-user analytics.
