Voice Remotes For Seniors: Fire TV, Xfinity, Roku, And How to Use Them

By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man
Follow me on X or Facebook

My new TV remote has a little ‘mic’ button but I have no idea what to do with it. My stepson says it’s a voice remote but how do you use it and what benefit do you get? I am a bit behind the times here. – Dottie, Landover, Maryland.

Dottie, you are not alone. The traditional buttons-only remote is rapidly fading away. In fact, a large share of the remotes sold with TVs, Roku devices, Fire TV sticks, Apple TV boxes, and cable/satellite boxes now have a microphone. But what are the best voice remotes for seniors – and how do you use these things? Will it really make your TV viewing experience better?

Those are good questions for the average senior viewer because the instruction booklet is usually two pages of tiny type. Who has the time (and patience) to read these things?! But the good news: Voice remotes are one of the few “new TV tricks” that really do make life easier for people 55 and up. That is, if you know which kind you have and what to say. And, as always, TV For Seniors is here to help.

What Does a Voice Remote Do?

A voice remote has a small microphone (usually near the top). You press a button, speak a short command, such as ‘Turn on the TV,’ or ‘Open Netflix,’ and the TV or streaming box does the work for you.

Instead of clicking through five menus to find that big college football game, or turning captions on, you say it. That can be a life changer if your eyes are tired or your fingers don’t love tiny buttons, or you simply cannot remember which app hides which show.

More good news: Most voice remotes still work the old way, too. You can keep using the arrow pad and volume keys. Voice is an extra tool, not a replacement.

The Big Question: Do You Already Have a Voice Remote?

Dottie, it sounds like you have a voice remote. But for our other readers, look at your TV remote.

• Is there a microphone icon, magnifying glass, or the word Voice, Alexa, Siri, Google AI, or Bixby near the top? If so, you probably have a voice remote.

• Note that Roku voice remotes have that mic or magnifying-glass button next to the purple arrow pad. Fire TV remotes have an Alexa button (often with a ring or microphone symbol). Apple TV’s Siri Remote has a dedicated Siri button. Samsung remotes have a mic/Voice Assistant button. LG Magic Remotes have a mic or AI button. Xfinity Voice Remotes (XR11, XR15, XR16) have a microphone button. Some Xfinity “large button” models exist specifically for easier handling.

If there is no mic button, you have a simple remote. You can often add voice later with a cheap streaming stick, a replacement voice remote, or, in some homes, a smart speaker such as Alexa. But we’ll get into that later in the article.

The 4 Types of Voice Remotes (And the one you probably want)

1. The remote that came with your streaming box (best starting point for most seniors) This is the one I recommend first if you are already streaming.

Roku Voice Remote / Voice Remote Pro

Hold the mic button and talk. On the Voice Remote Pro (the one that comes with Roku Ultra and some Roku TVs), you can slide a switch to green and say “Hey Roku…” without pressing anything. The Pro also has a lost-remote finder and a rechargeable battery which are two features that save a lot of sofa-cushion hunting.

Fire TV Alexa Remote

Hold the Alexa button and speak. Alexa is usually the best at “find me a Western” or “open Prime Video.” A Fire TV Cube can even listen from across the room, which is handy if holding a remote is hard on your hands.

Apple TV Siri Remote

Hold the Siri button. Siri is excellent at “What did she just say?” It jumps back about 10 seconds and turns captions on temporarily. That one command alone is worth the remote if you watch a lot of dramas.

Google TV/Chromecast Remote

Hold the Google Assistant’s mic button. It’s pretty good at fuzzy searches (Don’t we all have fuzzy searches these days?) like “that boxing movie with Stallone.”

Who this is for: Anyone who already uses Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, or Google TV. You do not need to buy anything new. Learn the mic button.

2. The remote that came with your smart TV

Samsung (Bixby), LG (Magic Remote/AI button), and some Hisense, TCL, and Vizio sets let you talk to the TV itself.

• Samsung: Press and hold the mic button. On many 2019-and-newer sets you can also say “Hi, Bixby” if Voice Wake-Up is turned on. You generally need the TV on Wi-Fi and a Samsung account.

• LG: Press and hold the mic or AI button, speak toward the top of the remote, then release. Hold it about four inches from your mouth. Some LG sets can use “Hi LG” if Always Ready/hands-free voice is enabled.

Who this is for: People who watch mostly with the Smart TV’s built-in apps and do not want another box. Limitation: the TV’s own assistant is often a little clumsier than Roku or Fire TV for finding shows across every app.

3. The cable/satellite voice remote

If you still pay Xfinity, Spectrum, DIRECTV, or a similar cable or satellite service, you may already have a voice remote supplied by your provider.

The Xfinity Voice Remote is the one I hear about most from readers (probably in part from the company’s heavy promotion of the voice remotes). Press and hold the microphone, speak one to eight inches from the top of the remote, then release. You can say “Watch NBC,” “Find Columbo,” “Turn on closed captioning,” or even “Program remote” to set it up for your TV’s power and volume.

Xfinity also makes a large-button voice remote that keeps the microphone but is easier to see and press. If a family member has low vision or arthritis and you are on Xfinity, ask the store or support for that model. It is one of the few voice remotes designed with older hands in mind.

On the XRA Large Button Voice Remote you press and release the mic, then speak.

Who this is for: Households that still use a cable or satellite box as the main tuner. Voice shines here because channel numbers and 200-item guides are exactly what people hate hunting through.

4. Talk to the room, not the remote (Alexa, Google, or Siri speaker)

You do not always need a special remote. If you have an Amazon Echo, Google speaker, or Apple HomePod on the same Wi-Fi as your Fire TV, Google TV, or Apple TV, you can often say:

• “Alexa, pause the TV.”

• “Hey Google, turn on the living room TV.”

• “Hey Siri, play The Crown on Apple TV.”

Who this is for: Someone who struggles to pick up or aim a remote at all. Setup might need a younger helper the first time. After that, it can be the simplest system in the house.

One caution: voice speakers are not a great fit if hearing loss is severe, if speech is hard to understand, or if privacy in a shared room is a worry. In those cases, a big-button remote is kinder than a microphone.

Basic Tips For Using a Voice Remote (You’ll find it’s the same for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, Samsung, LG, Xfinity and most others.)

1. Make sure the TV (and streaming box, if you have one) is on and connected to Wi-Fi.

2. Hold the remote a few inches from your mouth. You do not need to shout.

3. Press and hold the microphone button.

4. Speak one short, normal sentence.

5. Release the button and wait a second.

Talk the way you talk to a patient grandchild. Not a robot, not a stage actor.

Good: “Play Jeopardy!”

Good: “Turn on captions.”

Good: “Open Netflix.”

Good: “Volume 15.”

Bad, Real Bad: a long story about what you watched in 1978. Save that for your spouse after the show starts.

Most Important Thing a Voice Remote Can Do: Turn the TV On and Off!

This is the step most people skip, and it is why they still keep two remotes on the tray. But voice remotes can be a slick way to turn your set on.

Roku: Home → Settings → Remotes & devices → Remotes → choose your voice remote → Set up remote for TV control. Follow the on-screen prompts. Point at the TV when asked. For hands-free “Hey Roku, turn on the TV,” you also need CEC turned on in the TV’s settings (Samsung calls it Anynet+, LG calls it Simplink, many others just say HDMI-CEC or CEC).

Fire TV: During first setup, or later in Settings, let Alexa control TV power and volume.

Xfinity: Press the mic button and say “Program remote.” Follow the pictures on the screen.

Apple TV/Google TV/Samsung/LG: Use the TV or box settings for HDMI-CEC so one power button (or one voice command) wakes both the TV and the box.

CEC is fussy on some older TVs. If “turn the TV off” does nothing, the old power button still works. You have not broken anything.

What If the Voice Remote Doesn’t Hear You?

There’s nothing more frustrating than to throw a few voice commands at the remote and get nothing in return. But don’t panic; don’t start shouting at it. And before you assume the remote is junk that needs to be thrown across the room, run this short checklist. I have fixed more “broken” voice remotes with these than with any replacement purchase.

1. Fresh batteries. Voice uses more power than channel-up. Weak batteries are the No. 1 culprit.

2. Wi-Fi is up. Almost every voice search needs the Internet. If the weather app on the TV will not load, voice search will not either.

3. Hold the button the whole time you talk. Letting go early cuts off the sentence.

4. Speak toward the top of the remote, not the TV screen. The mic is in the remote.

5. Quiet the room a little. A blaring ballgame plus a dishwasher plus “find Matlock” is a tall order. (My Alexa speaker gets very fussy when I ask her to do something while I’m cooking a sizzling steak.)

6. Use the TV’s language. If the TV menus are in English, speak English. Mismatched language settings confuse LG and Samsung especially.

7. Re-pair the remote if the mic light never comes on. Roku: pairing button in the battery door. Fire TV: hold the Home button for several seconds OR use Settings, then Controllers and then Bluetooth devices. Xfinity: say “Program remote” or use the on-screen remote settings.

Dottie, I think we covered it all here with tips on how to get the most from any voice remote.

Happy viewing and stay safe!

Have a question? Send it to The TV Answer Man at swann@tvanswerman.com

The TV Answer Man is veteran journalist Phillip Swann who has covered the TV technology scene for more than three decades. He will answer your questions regarding new devices and services that are changing the way you watch television. See the bio for Phillip Swann here.