I've gone through all the universal control settings on my LG TV and selected optical and Sonos as the manufacturer. I've turned off SIMPLINK (LOL btw) and auto device detection. I've successfully gone through the remote control setup (TV had to be off to get that to work) on the Sonos app. The LG "magic remote" just refuses to work when the TV is on. Why would LG make it specific to the point you can select Sonos as the manufacturer if it just reverts back to RF/WIFI or whatever when the TV is on? I found some trick that if you hold the back and home button for 5 seconds it disconnects the remote smart features, at which point it does actually change the Sonos volume, but then the remote just reconnects when you hit okay. Am i doing something wrong or is this just a lost cause?
Playbar IR reader only registering when LG TV is off
Best answer by Airgetlam
What did LG’s customer service say? It sound odd, certainly, I’d be tempted to check the TV for updates, and reboot it by unplugging it from the wall for two minutes, but LG is ‘in charge’ of the remote, not Sonos.
What did LG’s customer service say? It sound odd, certainly, I’d be tempted to check the TV for updates, and reboot it by unplugging it from the wall for two minutes, but LG is ‘in charge’ of the remote, not Sonos.
+18Maybe since the TV was off when you set this up, the TV does not know it should not connect to the remote via bluetooth. That might be why the TV and the remote are reverting to bluetooth.
There's no way to tell the TV to use ir? I know some TV's will emit the ir signal themselves after switching this on (my 2019 Samsung does).
Note that I have no experience with LG TV’s.
I suggest that you change the setup. Claim to the LG that you want to use its remote to control an arbitrary home theater system, not SONOS, via IR, then configure PLAYBAR to respond to those IR commands. Make sure that SIMPLENET remains disabled.
Hi, did you get an answer to this. I have exactly the same problem. My old remote can still work but the replacement only works the volume on the Sonos Playbar when the TV is off. Crazy. Just spent three hours on chat and a phone call with Sonos and no solution
+18Since this thread mentions your problem might lie with your TV, did you contact LG?
+18What do you mean by “controls"?
+18So did you only buy a new remote or did you buy a new TV?
Just a new remote. The old one still adjusts the volume on the Sonos. The new one adjusts the volume when the TV is off, but when the TV is on it doesn’t. Someone who has exactly the same problem solve it via making some adjustments in the Sonos app ( as did i with my initial remote controls) but i can’t seem to get it right.
+10The magic remote only uses IR when it is unpaired or the paired device (TV) is off. Otherwise it will use RF/Bluetooth. From LG website:
The LG Magic Remote is primarily a Bluetooth/RF device and cannot be permanently locked into an IR-only mode for the TV. While it emits IR for specific power commands or when unlinked, true IR-only control requires using a standard traditional LG infrared remote.
This explains why the remote will work with the PlayBar when the TV is off as it is reverting to IR to the point where the TV is on and actively paired...
Except for the fact that the original LG remote works the volume when the TV is off and also when it’s on
+10Except for the fact that the original LG remote works the volume when the TV is off and also when it’s on
How old, how original, how magical?
🤷🏼♂️
Is the old remote no longer linked to the TV? Can only one remote (the new one) be linked to the TV in “Bluetooth/RF” mode? It seems like the old remote is now operating in IR mode. (If it’s also an LG Magic Remote.)
“While it emits IR for specific power commands or when unlinked,”
Unable to adjust the volume using the LG Magic Remote | Sonos
+10What model/type is the 'old' remote & TV?
+18Please define “doesn’t function properly”? With your Playbar? With your TV?
I am jumping on the train with this problem.
My old remote was the one that originally came with the LG tv. It could work just fine. Turned tv on and off, netflix/disney buttons worked, most importantly volume buttons worked with my sonos soundbar. One remote to rule it all
The trackball got shoved down into the remote forcing me to buy a new magic remote (RIP)
Having the exact same problem. Registered the new remote to the TV. Registered the new remote to soundbar via sonos app
TV off - sonos soundbar works just fine with up/down/mute prompts (playing music)
TV on - none of the sound buttons work while watching anything.
Have spent 2 days troubleshooting with AI and message boards. Incredibly frustrating. It’s the exact same remote as before. Exact same settings as before. I’m at a loss
Lol, sorry to laugh but as well as this being exactly the same problem as I have, I had to replace my old remote for exactly the same reason. I hope you have better luck than me. If I cant find my FirestickTV controls to turn the sound bar down I’m forced to deregister the LG remote (push home & return at the same time), use it to change the volume and then re-register my remote (by pressing the OK button).
Yes sir.
I de-register the remote and I can watch my current show and change the volume on sonos bar just fine
The minute you hit the trackball button to choose something else on the screen - it registers the remote and the volume buttons “disconnect”.
THE REMOTE WORKS AS INTENDED WHEN IT IS UNREGISTERED TO THE TV!!!! GO FIGURE.
It is an LG problem, not Sonos
I’m tinkering a bit more with settings and whatnot. Some blogs have said a hard reset on the TV could help, but not ready to do that and re-login to all of my apps for a likely zero positive outcome
Will use the Sonos app for volume in the meantime but that is entirely too annoying as well
It makes zero sense the ‘original’ remote worked just fine as intended but the new one can’t sync properly
No I’m afraid not. Added to that my Home Theatre settings disappear every 10 minutes which makes it even more challenging
Is it possible to tell your TV it’s using optical out? Then the remote would have to switch volume control to IR. Tell the LG it’s using anything other than Sonos. In the Sonos app, you could remove the remote and then set it up again, learning the IR codes from the magic remote.
Edit: or just keep SIMPLINK disabled and tell the TV it’s using anything other than Sonos. Some other AVR or soundbar that’s IR. Then have Sonos learn the IR codes when going through the Sonos remote setup procedure.
Yep, disabled Simplink and told it it’s using IR. Tried (as recommended) saying I’m using Phillips and Bose. Sonos will learn the controls when the TV is off but not when it’s on. The remote volume buttons will work when the TV is off but not when it’s on
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