How to Change the Input on LG Smart TV

LG is one of the most highly sought-after brands when choosing home electronics. Over time, they have developed cutting-edge technology, adding an exotic feel to home electronics.

Their Smart TV, in particular, is no exception, seeing how feature-packed it is. This, in turn, makes it a bit complex to use. Thus, not everyone might be able to navigate it easily.

We have highlighted practical ways to change the input on the LG Smart TV, which seems to be a Herculean task for many users of the TV.

Kindly understand that there are multiple ways to maneuver the changing of input on the TV, but this article highlights two essential methods of doing it.

These two ways include; using the remote control to change the input and the non-remote control option. The non-remote control option is essential if your remote gets lost or spoilt and you need to access your TV files.

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As a bonus, extra guidelines have been added to help you get the best out of your Smart TV and tackle any issues that might pop up in the near future.

Using a remote control

Using a remote control, this is how to change the input on your LG Smart TV;

First, you have to turn on your TV and go to Home Screen.

Then, open the input menu at the top right corner using your remote control.

When you do this, a list of connected devices will pop up, and all you have to do is choose from one of them, confirm your selection, and voila, you have successfully changed the input.

Using a remote control to steer through this is actually very easy and doesn’t consume so much time; however, if you do not have a remote control handy, you also need to know how to operate your TV.

There are certain steps to take if you want to be able to change input without a remote control. Now, it gets a bit technical, but it’ll be a cakewalk if you follow these tips.

With a Visual Remote control

Without remote control, one of the easiest ways to continue operating your LG Smart TV is the use of the LG ThinQ app. This app is free, both on Apple App Store and Google Play store. It was designed to control all LG electronics in one place and give users the autonomy of customizing their electronics to suit their needs.

It was also created for issues like this when the original remote control isn’t available.

While many people may not be too keen on using the app, as regards privacy issues and all, it’s actually a good temporary fix for a lasting problem until a longer-lasting solution can be sought out.

To change input using the ThinQ app, you should do this;

Go to play store or app store your phone supports and download the LG ThinQ app.

After downloading, turn on your TV and make sure that both TV and phone are connected to the same Wi-Fi.

Open the ThinQ app and press the “+” button at the top right corner of the screen.

Follow the instructions on the screen and tap “OK” when done.

Go to the “home appliance” section, choose the “Smart TV” option, and choose your main TV.

Your TV will display a verification code which you have to input into the app. Once it’s done, click on the “Move to Home” option.

Immediately the TV is successfully paired to the app, and the app acts as a remote control for the TV. To change the input from the TV’s settings, click on the house icon in the app, and make your changes from there.

Note that the app method WILL NOT work if your LG TV isn’t a smart TV.

Manually Without a Remote control

Another nifty method of changing your TV input if you don’t want to go through the hassle of downloading the app, don’t have a remote, or your TV isn’t the smart TV version is by using the manual method.

This is how the manual method is done:

Switch on your TV first, then locate the power button at the bottom of the TV.

Pull the button in your direction.

Scroll through the options in a sideways fashion at the bottom of the screen.

Ease your hand away from the button once you’ve found the preferred selection.

Note that you shouldn’t press the button without pulling it in your direction first. If you do so, it will turn off the TV.

With the instructions above, you can control the input settings and more because it gives you access to a wide range of TV settings. Remember to pull the button and not push while making a selection.

Troubleshooting Errors

TROUBLESHOOTING: You may have tried the above options in some cases, and they just won’t work. For this, we have curated a list of possible problems and their solutions.

If your preferred device isn’t on the list of devices, worry not. It could be that there was a glitch in the connection. Here’s what you should do in order to rectify it;
Make sure that the device is fully charged and connected to the TV. You can also restart your device and make sure it’s turned on (sounds silly, but a lot of people tend to forget to do that).

After doing this, open the inputs menu and scan for your device. You can also try switching on the AutoDetect feature. If you still can’t find it on the list of devices, then you should contact LG customer support.

If your TV isn’t connecting to the ThinQ app, it could be that your TV and phone aren’t connected to the same Wi-Fi. Now, it might be a bit tricky to connect to Wi-Fi without remote control, but you can do it with a USB mouse using these simple steps;
Locate the USB port (usually at the back of the TV) and plug in the USB drive of the mouse.
Use the power button (check instructions for manual input to know how to navigate) to access the TV’s input settings.
Connect your mouse to the TV.
Select “Live TV,” then wait for a few seconds and click on “Recommended” on the right-hand side.
Click “Yes” on the pop-up notification, then enter your Wi-Fi credentials.
Your Wi-Fi will be connected to the TV, and you can now access the app with your smartphone.

If the LG ThinQ app still wouldn’t work with your phone, you can:
Make sure the app is in the latest version. If not, you need to update it to the latest version.
Force stop the app, restart your phone, then restart the app again. To force stop the app on an Android phone, go to “Settings,” click on “Apps,” choose the LG ThinQ app, then select “Force stop” in the options provided.
To force stop the app on an iPhone, from the bottom, swipe up, pause at the middle of the screen, find the app by swiping right, then swipe up to force stop the app.
After doing this, relaunch the app and then use the above paragraph’s instructions to set up the input.

What You should also know

Other settings that might come in handy are renaming the input and removing an input that is no longer in use.

To rename an input, simply:

Press the input button on your remote control after turning on the TV.
Select “All inputs,” then select the input in particular that you want to rename.
The “rename” option is on the right side of the screen. Click on it, make your changes and return to Home when you’re done.

If you don’t want to rename it, you can simply change the icon. The setting for it is right beside the rename option, so if it’s more convenient for you, then you should definitely go for it.

Also, if you can’t access your remote control, follow the instructions for the app/manual option, then follow the above instructions.

In order to remove an input that is no longer in use, all you have to do is;

Open the “All inputs” menu with your remote control, then select the one you want to remove.
Click on “Remove,” then click on “Confirm.”

As usual, if your remote control isn’t available, use the instructions for the app/manual, then apply the above instructions.

You can read our guides for:

Conclusion

It might be great to note that if you opt for the manual option, and it doesn’t work, it could mean that your power button is faulty, and you should contact the company for repairs.

Other than that, there are basically three ways of changing the input on the LG Smart TV. The best part is that you can also rename and delete inputs with each of these methods. The remote control works best, but the ThinQ app also comes in handy. If you have any other problems as regards the input, and you’ve exhausted all options written above, then you should contact LG Customer support for further guidance. Hopefully, you continue to enjoy your LG Smart TV with no issues whatsoever.

About Author

Amir

My name is Amir, and I am an electrical engineer by profession and a die-hard nerd by passion. On Display Bolt, I am responsible for all the guides, and tutorials in which I show you the simple steps for fixing the TVs and Monitors. When I am not watching TV, I am either on the race track or playing with my cat “Smokey”.

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