Set up the Roku app as a backup before you lose the remote
The Roku mobile app can be a useful backup remote when your Roku device is already online and your phone can reach it. It is not a guaranteed way to configure an unconnected player after losing the physical handset. Test the backup while everything is working, especially before changing your home network.
By DigiDevice Editorial
Check the conditions before searching for the device
Roku's lost-remote guidance says the Roku device must be powered on and connected to the home Wi-Fi network, with the phone or tablet on that same network. If the Roku device is not connected—such as during first-time setup or after a reset—the app cannot detect it for remote control.
That explains a frustrating situation: the app is installed correctly, but the player is waiting for a network connection that you cannot select without a working control. Reinstalling the app does not remove that prerequisite. Avoid a factory reset as an experiment when the physical remote is missing; it can leave you with more setup to complete.
Try the backup while the physical remote is available
Use the official Roku app and follow Roku's current setup guidance. Confirm the phone's Wi-Fi network, open the app and select the correct Roku device. In a home with several televisions, check the screen before sending commands so you do not accidentally control another room.
Run a small test: open Home, move through the menu and select an item. Then stop. The aim is to establish that the backup works, not to change accounts or reset settings. Write down which phone and Roku device you tested and the network name; keep passwords out of a shared instruction card.
If the app does not connect
Roku's app troubleshooting page directs users to check the same-network requirement and the device's “Control by mobile apps” setting under advanced system settings. It also covers app updates and phone compatibility. Use those targeted checks instead of changing several unrelated settings at once.
If reaching the Roku settings requires the missing remote, recognize that limitation. You may need a compatible physical control to restore normal access. Do not disable network protections simply to make discovery work.
Keep the backup plan independent of one phone
Consider an ordinary evening when the usual phone is away, out of charge or being used for a call. Decide who else needs access and whether a physical handset should stay near the TV. If you replace the router or change its Wi-Fi details, retest app control after reconnecting the Roku device.
The Anderic RRU401.7 is one physical infrared option for compatible equipment. Its manufacturer excludes Roku Streaming Stick and Roku TVs without an infrared receiver, so it is not a universal answer to a lost Roku remote. Our Roku remote comparison explains those device distinctions.
A useful backup is a tested path back to control. Keep the app ready, know its network dependency and retain a suitable physical option for situations the app cannot resolve.