If your Sony TV turns on by itself, it could be due to a number of reasons. Depending on what the cause of the issue is in your case, there are some quick and proven ways to fix it once and for all.
In this guide, I will first explain to you some of the reasons why this happens on Sony LED & OLED TVs.
Then, I am going to show you how to stop your Sony BRAVIA TV from turning on by itself, whether you have the Sony Android TV, Sony Google TV or other Sony LCD/LED TV models.
Without any further ado, let’s dive right in!
Reasons Why Sony TV Turns On By Itself
Below are some of the common reasons why Sony TV turns on by itself.
- Software glitch or corrupt cache files
- ‘On Timer’ feature is enabled on TV
- ‘Auto TV on’ or ‘TV Auto Power on’ feature is on
- ‘Remote Start’ feature is enabled
- BRAVIA Sync or HDMI-CEC is turned on
- TV remote controller is faulty or sends random signals
- Connected external device wakes up your Sony TV
- A smart home device wakes up the TV
- Sony BRAVIA TV software is outdated
- Automatic software update is turned on
Now, I will show you how to fix the issue by tackling all of the causes listed above.
How to Stop Sony TV from Turning On By Itself
If your Sony TV turns on by itself, try to power cycle it first. To do this, unplug the TV directly from the power outlet and leave it unplugged for 60 seconds. Then, plug it back in and turn it on. Once power cycled, you can turn off your Sony TV and it will stop turning on by itself.
That’s the quickest way to fix the issue.
However, if that doesn’t work for you, you can find 11 other proven ways to fix the issue below.
1. Power Cycle the TV & Check Power Cable
You can fix a Sony TV that keeps turning on by itself by simply power cycling it, and that takes less than 2 minutes to do.
Here’s how to do that:
- Unplug your Sony TV from the power outlet
- Leave it unplugged for 60 seconds
- While unplugged, press the power button on your TV for 30 seconds
- Plug the TV back into the power source and turn it on
- Once the cycle has been completed, you can turn off your TV again and it should stop turning on by itself
The reason why power cycling works is because it helps to remove excess electric charge that sometimes build up. It also helps remove corrupt cache files and may sometimes fix other software glitches.
NOTE THE FOLLOWING:
- If your TV was plugged into a power strip or surge protector, try plugging it directly into the wall outlet just in case the power strip or surge protector was causing the issue. If that fixes the issue, you can plug it again into the power strip or surge protector to see if the issue comes up again in which case you know where it’s coming from.
- If your TV has a power cord that can be removed from the back of the TV, make sure that it’s plugged firmly into the back of the TV. Also, if there is a separate AC power adaptor, make sure the connection between the adaptor and the power cord is tight.
2. Disable ‘On Timer’ feature on Sony TV
If you have power cycled your Sony TV but it still turns on by itself, then you need to disable the ‘on timer’ feature.
Just like it sounds, the feature, when enabled can be used to set a time for your Sony TV to turn on by itself from standby mode.
By disabling this feature on your Sony BRAVIA TV (available on Android TV, Google TV and other LCD/LED models), you can stop the issue.
Now, here’s how to disable the feature on Sony Android TV, Google TV and other LED/LCD models:
If you don’t know which model you have, you can check it here.
How to Disable On Timer on Sony Android TV Models:
- Press the HOME button on the remote control.
- Depending on the TV menu options you have on your model and version of TV, the location of the timer may differ. Irrespective, you should find it by following one of the paths below (check which correlates with your TV)
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- Select the Timers icon (like a clock). You can find this in the upper right corner of the Home screen, or in the Settings category at the bottom of the Home screen.
- If you can’t find it in the location above, go to Apps > Timer.
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- Now, select ‘On timer’ or ‘Timer’, and uncheck it.
How to Disable On Timer on Sony Google TV Models:
- On the remote control, press the quick settings button (gear icon).
- Select ‘On timer’.
- Finally, select ‘On timer’ again and turn off the timer settings.
NOTE: On timer may not be displayed depending on the model, you can check your TV manual for model-specific information.
How to Disable On Timer on Other Sony LCD/LED TV Models:
- Press the HOME button on the remote.
- Select Settings.
- Select Preferences.
- Select Clock/Timers.
- Select Timer.
- Set it to OFF.
If this on timer feature was turned on when you checked, then it’s most likely the reason why your Sony TV turns on by itself. Once you disable it, it should no longer be an issue.
Otherwise, check and disable the ‘auto TV’ or ‘TV auto power’ feature as shown in the next tip.
3. Turn Off ‘Auto TV On’ or ‘TV Auto Power On’ under BRAVIA Sync
The ‘auto TV on’ or ‘TV auto power’ feature (depending on the model of your Sony TV) is another feature that can cause your Sony TV to turn on by itself.
Again, you simply need to disable this feature to stop your Sony TV from turning on by itself.
Here’s how to do that:
How to Disable ‘TV Auto Power On’ Feature on Sony Android TV Models:
- On the TV remote control, press the HOME button
- Select Settings.
- The next steps will depend on your TV menu options (depending on the model and version you have):
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- Click on Watching TV > External Inputs > HDMI CEC Settings or BRAVIA Sync settings
- Click on BRAVIA settings > External Inputs > HDMI CEC Settings > CEC
- Click on External Inputs > BRAVIA Sync settings
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- Select ‘Auto TV’ on or ‘TV auto power on’
- Set it to OFF
How to Disable ‘TV Auto Power On’ Feature on Sony Google TV Models:
- Press the Quick settings button (gear icon) on the TV remote control
- Click on Settings
- The next steps will depend on your TV menu options (depending on the model and version you have):
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- Click on Channels & Inputs > External inputs > BRAVIA Sync settings > BRAVIA Sync control > TV auto power on
- Click on Channels & Inputs > External inputs > HDMI CEC Settings > Auto TV on
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- Turn it OFF.
How to Disable ‘TV Auto Power On’ Feature on Other Sony TV Models:
- Press the HOME button on the remote.
- Select Settings.
- Select External Inputs in the TV category.
- Select BRAVIA Sync settings.
- Select TV auto power on.
- Set to Off
Once the ‘auto TV on’ or ‘TV auto power on’ feature has been turned off, your Sony TV should stop turning on by itself.
Otherwise, check and disable the next feature which could also be responsible for the issue.
4. Turn Off BRAVIA Sync or HDMI-CEC
This HDMI-CEC feature (called BRAVIA Sync in Sony TVs) is a feature on many smart TVs that allows the TV to be turned by HDMI devices that are connected to the TV.
Therefore, when such an HDMI device is turned on, it can cause the TV to turn on. In fact, the ‘TV auto power on’ and ‘auto TV on’ feature discussed previously are controlled by the HDMI-CEC or BRAVIA Sync feature.
Also, the connected HDMI device might be faulty (or might be turned on automatically for some other reasons), thereby causing your Sony TV to turn on by itself as well.
Whichever the case may be, you simply need to disable the BRAVIA Sync feature on your Sony TV. Here’s how to do that:
- On Sony Android TVs, press the HOME button on the TV remote control and select ‘Settings’.
Depending on the model of TV you have, follow one of the following paths:
- Select Watching TV > External Inputs > HDMI CEC Settings or BRAVIA Sync settings
- Select BRAVIA settings > External Inputs > HDMI CEC Settings > CEC
- Select External Inputs > BRAVIA Sync settings
Now, go ahead and disable all the options available under the BRAVIA sync menu, including the BRAVIA Sync Control.
Once turned off, your Sony BRAVIA TV should stop turning on by itself.
5. Disable ‘Remote Start’ feature
The remote start feature allows a mobile device connected to the same network as the TV to power on the TV from standby mode. It is available on Sony Android TVs (LED & OLED).
You can find this feature under the Network or BRAVIA (HDMI-CEC) settings on your Sony TV.
Here’s how to disable it on Sony BRAVIA TVs:
- On the TV remote control, press the HOME button
- Select Settings
- The next steps will depend on your TV menu options (depending on the model and version you have):
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- Select Network & Internet > Remote Start
- Select Network > Remote Start
- Select BRAVIA Settings > Remote Start
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- Turn it OFF.
Once turned off, mobile devices connected to the same network the TV is connected to will no longer be able to turn on the TV.
Hence, your Sony TV should stop turning on by itself. Otherwise, the issue is caused by something else.
6. Remove Batteries from the Remote Control
The next thing you want to check is your TV remote control, as it might also be responsible for your Sony TV turning on by itself.
This can be due to the remote firing random signals to your TV when the buttons are stuck, causing it to turn on by itself. In some cases, weak batteries in the remote control can also cause a similar issue.
Also, if you use a voice remote control, it may react to everyday conversations by mistake and cause your Sony TV to turn on by itself.
That said, here’s what you need to do:
- First, remote the batteries from the remote control
NOTE: Also, remove the batteries from the remote controller of external devices like Firestick, Roku stick, gaming console e.t.c. that are connected to the TV. A lot of users have reported that this helped fix the issue as well.
If your Sony TV stops turning on by itself after removing the batteries, then you know the problem is associated with the remote control.
In that case, there are three things you should do to fix the issue:
- Replace the batteries in the remote control
- Reset the remote control and fix stuck buttons
- Clean the remote control
The first one is quite straight forward, since I mentioned that weak batteries can cause the remote to fire random signals to the TV.
As for the second one, here’s how to reset your remote control and fix stuck buttons (whether that of your Sony TV or other external devices):
To fix the stuck buttons, remove the batteries and press all the buttons on the remote controller multiples times to make any stuck button set back into place. Then, hold the power button on the remote for 30 seconds. Insert the batteries back and the remote should be fixed.
If the remote is still causing your Sony TV to turn on by itself, then you need to clean it.
- To do this, remove the batteries and open up the remote controller.
- Then, wipe it with clean microfiber cloth or blow out the dust.
- Once done, close the remote and insert the batteries back.
That should fix the issue. Otherwise, move to the next step.
7. Disconnect and Troubleshoot External Devices
If you have devices (USB devices, HDMI devices, LAN or antenna) connected to your Sony BRAVIA TV, they could cause your Sony TV to turn on by itself, especially if BRAVIA Sync is enabled.
These include streaming sticks, gaming consoles, smart speakers and smart even Wi-Fi connected smart home devices like Alexa or Google Nest.
Since you don’t know which of these devices could be responsible for the issue, you need to troubleshoot them all.
Here’s how to do that:
- Detach all external devices from your Sony TV and notice if it stops turning on by itself. If it stops, then you know it’s coming from the external device(s).
- If you have multiple external devices attached, plug them in one after the other to find the exact one causing the issue.
- Once located, try to find the HDMI-CEC feature on the device and turn it off.
8. Turn Off Wi-Fi on TV
Some Wi-Fi connected devices (e.g smart home devices like Alexa or Google Nest) can wake your Sony TV up from standby mode, hence causing it to turn on by itself.
To stop this, try to disable the Wi-Fi network on your TV. If your TV stops turning on by itself after turning Wi-Fi off, then you know the issue is likely caused by one of devices connected via Wi-Fi.
Here’s how to disable Wi-Fi on your Sony BRAVIA TV:
- Press the HOME button on the TV remote and select Settings
- Select Network
- Select Advanced settings
- Select Built-in Wi-Fi and turn it OFF
Now, turn off your Sony TV and check to see if it still turns on by itself. If it doesn’t turn on after disabling Wi-Fi, then you need to troubleshoot the connected Wi-Fi devices one after the other until you find the one that wakes up your TV.
You can do this by turning off your Wi-Fi again, forget/disconnect all Wi-Fi connected devices and connect each device one after the other until you find the one that causes the issue.
9. Update Sony TV System Software
The next thing to try if your Sony TV still turns on by itself is to update the system software to the latest firmware version.
Here’s how to do that:
For Sony Google and Android TV models:
- On the remote control, press the HELP button or the (Input) button.
- Select Help. (Note: If Help is not shown in the Input selection screen, select Edit and add Help).
- The next steps will depend on your TV menu options (depending on the model and version you have):
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- Select Status & Diagnostics > System Software Update > Software Update.
- Select System software update > Software update or Check for a system software update.
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- For KD-32W830K, KD-X75K, and KD-X75H Series: On the remote control, press the Quick Settings button (gear icon), and select Settings > System or Device Preferences > About > System Update.
- Next, click on Software update
- If a new software update is found, the TV will display a Software update is ready message. Follow the on-screen instructions to proceed with the update. Once done, your TV will reboot.
NOTE: During the installation of the update, do not press any buttons, power off the TV, or disconnect it from the AC power outlet. Loss of power during the installation of the firmware update may cause the TV set to become unresponsive or require repair.
For Other Sony TV models:
If the ‘Help’ icon is displayed in the top-right corner of the screen:
- Select the ‘Help’ icon > Customer Support > Software Update > Network.
- Note: If Network is not shown, skip this step.
- Click on Yes or OK to start installing the update.
If the ‘Help’ icon is NOT displayed in the top-right corner of the screen:
- Select Settings > Customer Support, Setup, or Product Support > Software Update > Network.
- Note: If Network is not shown, skip this step.
- Click on Yes or OK to start installing the update.
Updating Manually with a USB Drive:
You can also update your Sony BRAVIA TV manually with a USB drive formatted in the FAT16, FAT32, exFAT, or NTFS format and with sufficient space to accommodate the file.
Here’s how to update your Sony TV system software manually:
- Go to the support website.
- Type your TV model name in the search box. If you don’t know your model number, check the sticker at the lower left corner of your TV’s back panel.
- Go to the Downloads section and proceed to the update page.
- Follow the instructions on the website to download the update to a USB flash drive and perform the update on your TV.
NOTE: The update file must be saved in the root directory of the drive.
Also, if the update does fail, delete other files from the drive and try again, with only the update file saved in the root folder of the USB flash drive. If the update still fails, format the USB flash drive to FAT32 and try again. If the update fails again, try using a different USB flash drive formatted in FAT32.
You can verify that the latest software version has been installed on your Sony TV by following the procedures below:
On the remote control, press the HOME button, and select Settings or Help > Customer support or Product Support. Compare the latest software available with the one on your TV, and if the available software is newer, download and install the update.
10. Turn Off Automatic Software Update
Another reason why your Sony TV may turn on by itself is having automatic software update option enabled.
You may be wondering, “Shouldn’t that be a good thing since latest versions of system software often fix software bugs with improved performance?”. Well, that’s mostly true.
However, when you have automatic software update option turned on, your TV may wake up to try to update the software to the latest version (especially when it’s connected to the internet).
In addition to fixing possible software bugs, this also explains another reason why updating your TV’s system software can help stop it from turning on by itself (since there’s no reason for the TV to try to update the software once the latest version has been installed).
Therefore, all you need to do is to manually update your TV’s system software to the latest version as shown earlier and turn off the automatic software update option.
Here’s how to turn off automatic update option on your Sony TV:
- For Android TV models: On the remote control, press the HELP button, then select Status & Diagnostics > System software update > Automatically check for update, and set it to OFF. (Note: If Status & Diagnostics is not shown, skip it.)
- For Google TV models: On the remote control, press the Quick Settings button, then select Settings > System > About > System software update > Automatically check for updates, and set it to OFF.
- For other Sony TV models: Press the HOME button on the remote control, and select Settings > Product Support or Customer supports > Automatic Software Update or Automatic Software Download, and set it to OFF.
11. Reset TV to Factory Settings
The next thing to do if your Sony TV still turns on by itself is to reset it to factory settings. This will delete all your apps, accounts, network settings and other configurations.
I will show you how to reset Sony Android TV, Sony Google TV and other Sony TV models to factory settings. I will also show you how to perform a forced factory reset if the normal reset process fails (or if you don’t have the remote control}.
How to Reset Sony Android TV models:
- Press the HOME button on the remote control, and select Settings.
- The next steps will depend on your TV menu options (depending on the model and version you have):
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- Select Device Preferences >Reset.
- Select Device Preferences > About > Reset, Factory reset, or Factory data reset.
- Select Storage & Reset. Select Factory data reset or Reset.
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- Select Erase Everything.
- Select ‘Yes’ when asked to confirmed factory reset
- If asked to provide a password, enter the password for the Parental lock (Broadcast). For X7, and W8 series: Skip this step
NOTE: If the HOME button on the remote control does not work, follow the procedures below:
- For Sony X74H_X75H, X7, and W8 series: Press the ACTION or Quick Settings button on the remote control, then select Settings > Device Preferences.
- The next steps will depend on your TV menu options
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- Select About > Factory reset, or Factory data reset > Factory data reset.
- Select About > Reset.
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Factory Reset without Remote on Sony Android TV:
This is another way to reset your Sony TV to factory settings without the remote control.
This works on Sony BRAVIA KDL TVs and other models with Android 6.0 Marshmallow or higher operating system installed. It also works on other Sony OLED and LCD models too.
Here’s what you need to do:
- Unplug your TV from the power outlet
- While unplugged, locate the power and volume down (-) buttons on your TV (not on your remote). Depending on the Sony TV model, the buttons may be located on top of the TV, at the bottom or at the one of the sides. Also, if you have a model with only power button on your TV, hold the power button and continue with the same procedure.
- Once you find them, hold down the volume and power button on the TV
- While still holding the volume and power button, plug back the TV into a working power outlet
NOTE: Make sure you plug the TV into the power outlet while still holding both power and volume down buttons on the TV. If you can’t reach the wall outlet on your own while holding down the buttons, find someone to help you plug it in.
- Once plugged in, keep holding the buttons until the LED light turns green (or white in some models) which shows the reset is done. You may have to wait 15-60 seconds for the reset to be completed. Once done, you can release the buttons.
- If the reset was effective, the TV will restart itself, display the Sony and Android start-up animation screen/logos before and then show the BRAVIA initial setup screen.
- If the TV doesn’t turn back on automatically, press the power button to turn it back on.
NOTE: If this doesn’t work on the first try, repeat the whole procedure again. According to Sony, you may sometimes have to try this up to 5 times in some cases before the reset is successful. If it still doesn’t work after the 5th try, move to the next tip.
VERY IMPORTANT:
Once you are done with the forced factory data reset, you need to perform another reset immediately before doing any setup. If you fail to do this after the forced factory data reset, some applications and features on the TV may be lost.
- Hence, skip Google account sign-in, skip network setup and skip channel setup. You can set them up later. Instead, you need perform another factory reset from the TV menu this time around.
- To do this, press the HOME button on the remote controller. Then, go to Settings > Storage & reset > Factory data reset > Erase Everything > Yes.
For some other models, you will find the reset option under Settings > System > About > Reset. On other models, try Settings > Device Preferences > Reset.
Once the actual factory reset has now been done, go ahead and perform the setup at the welcome screen (tuning settings, Google account, network setup e.t.c.)
How to Reset Sony Google TV models:
- Press the Quick Settings button on the remote control
- Select Settings > System > About > Reset > Factory data reset > Erase everything.
NOTE: If the Quick Settings button on the remote control does not work, follow the procedures below:
- Press the HELP button or the Input button on the remote
- Select Help > Manual (Help Guide) > Settings > Using the Quick Settings > Settings > System > About > Reset > Factory data reset > Erase everything.
Forced Factory Reset without Remote on Sony Google TV:
If the normal reset does not work, you can perform a forced factory reset for Google TV models without remote. Here’s how to do to that:
- Unplug the TV’s power cord from the power outlet
- Press and hold the power button on the TV (not on the remote control)
- While holding the power button on the TV, plug the AC power cord back in and continue to hold the button until the white LED light appears.
- Release the power button after the white LED light appears.
NOTE: It will take approximately 10-30 seconds for the LED light to turn white. If the LED light doesn’t turn white within 30 seconds, start all over again (from unplugging the TV).
- Wait a few minutes for the Factory data reset process to take place.
- Your Sony TV will reboot (turn on and off) twice.
- NOTE: If the TV doesn’t turn back ON automatically, press the Power button to turn the TV back ON.
- When the welcome setup screen appears, perform the setup. However, if the welcome setup screen doesn’t appear, unplug the AC power cord and then plug it back in.
How to Reset Other Sony LCD TV models:
- Press and hold the UP ARROW button on the remote control.
- While holding the UP ARROW button, press and hold the POWER button on your TV until Reset appears on the screen.
- The power button may be on the front, top, or side of the TV. If your TV has an Energy Saving switch, be sure to press the POWER button rather than the Energy Saving switch.
- Afterwards, the TV will turn off and then back on. If your TV remains off after performing a factory reset, press the POWER button to turn it on.
- Release the UP ARROW button.
- The initial setup screen displays if the above procedures were performed correctly. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the initial setup.
- If the reset didn’t complete successfully, disconnect all devices from the TV, turn off or disable the network connection, then repeat the steps above.
Once your Sony TV has been reset to factory settings, it should stop turning on by itself. This also applies if your Sony TV turns on and then shuts off, blinking red light continuously.
12. Contact Sony TV Support
If you have tried all the procedures above, your Sony TV should have stopped turning on by itself now. Otherwise, you need to contact Sony Support for further assistance.
You can talk with an agent on 239-245-6354 during the operation hours (Monday – Friday: 9:00 am – 9:00 pm E & Saturday – Sunday: 10:00 am – 8:00 pm ET).
Bottom Line
A Sony TV can turn on by itself due to a number of reasons. It can be as a result of features like HDMI-CEC (BRAVIA SYNC), Onn timer, TV auto power on or remote start being enabled.
It may also be due to software glitches, faulty remote control, outdated system software version, automatic software update check, or some external devices.
Imagine this happening in the middle of the night and waking you up from your sleep.
To fix this and stop your Sony BRAVIA TV from turning on by itself, do the following:
- Power cycle the TV and check that the power cable is tightly plugged in
- Disable the ‘On timer’ feature on your Sony TV
- Turn off ‘Auto TV On’ or ‘TV auto power on’ feature
- Turn off HDMI-CEC (BRAVIA Sync)
- Disable the remote start feature on Sony Android Tvs
- Remove batteries from the remote control
- Disconnect all external devices from TV
- Turn off Wi-Fi on TV
- Update Sony TV system software
- Turn off automatic software update
- Reset TV to factory setting
- Contact Sony for further assistance
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