Samsung TVs from 2018 onward can take voice commands from Alexa, which means no more hunting for the remote to pause, change volume, or switch inputs. In this guide, I’ll show you how to connect your Samsung Smart TV to Alexa using the SmartThings skill, including the TV setup, the skill linking, and the voice commands worth knowing. You need the SmartThings app, the Alexa app, a Samsung account, and both devices on the same Wi-Fi network.
How to Connect Your Samsung TV to Alexa
Step 1: Get your TV into SmartThings. On the TV, go to Settings > General > System Manager > Samsung Account and sign in. Then open the SmartThings app on your phone, tap Devices, tap +, choose Add device > TV > Samsung, and follow the prompts. If the TV shows a PIN, enter it in the app when asked.
Step 2: Give the TV a name Alexa can understand. In the SmartThings app, touch and hold the TV on the main screen and select Edit. Rename it to something you can say out loud, like Living room TV, and avoid special characters. Samsung specifically warns that names like “[AV] Samsung Soundbar” confuse Alexa, so keep it plain.
Step 3: Enable the SmartThings skill in the Alexa app. Open the Alexa app, go to More > Skills & Games, and search for SmartThings. Tap Enable to Use, sign in with the same Samsung account you used on the TV, choose your SmartThings location if asked, and tap Authorize. Then tap Discover Devices, or just say “Alexa, discover devices.” Your TV should appear within about a minute.
Step 4: Test it with real commands. Try “Alexa, turn on the living room TV,” then “Alexa, set the volume to 20 on the living room TV.” Channel commands work too: “Alexa, change to channel 200 on living room TV,” plus “channel up” and “channel down.” For inputs, say “Alexa, switch to HDMI 1 on living room TV.” If a command fails, check the exact device name in the Alexa app first; nine times out of ten, Alexa heard a different name than the one you set.
Note: the TV must be connected via Wi-Fi, not Ethernet, for Alexa to turn it on remotely. If discovery finds nothing, confirm both devices are on the same Wi-Fi network, update the SmartThings app, and try disabling and re-enabling the skill.
And that’s it! Your Samsung TV now obeys your voice.
Alternatives Worth Knowing
If your Samsung TV is a recent model, check whether it has Alexa built in before doing any of this: many newer sets let you sign into Alexa directly in the TV’s voice assistant settings, which skips SmartThings entirely. Samsung’s own Bixby is the fallback that needs no phone apps at all, and the same SmartThings setup above also unlocks Google Home control if your household runs on Google instead. Samsung’s official guide to controlling your TV with Alexa covers soundbars too, if you want voice control over your audio as well.
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