9 Best TV Remote Apps for Android and iOS.
We all know there is an app for that when it comes to modern smartphones, but have you considered using your smartphone as a remote control for your TV or home entertainment system?
There are quite a few mobile apps that promise to replace your remote control, but we consider them the best TV remote control apps available today.
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A note about phones with infrared remote control amplifiers
In the world of remote TV applications, there is one big division: whether or not they use infrared signals. Almost all TVs use infrared sensors to communicate with remote controls. This means that if you want to use an app to control this TV, you need a model that can send IR signals.
This is becoming a rather rare feature in modern phones. One that you won’t even find on flagship phones from manufacturers like Samsung If your smart TV can also receive remote commands via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, then it can work with your phone without an IR transmitter. However, you will have to check this on a case-by-case basis.
A much more practical solution is to use a device like Android TV or Apple TV, which can be controlled via an app. Using HDCP, this device can also control your TV. Power on and off, change volume and more.
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If you really want to use your phone as a universal remote control and have devices that only work with infrared, you can buy an IR transmitter and connect it to compatible phones. It’s not a neat solution at all, especially for your primary phone. However, if you have an old smartphone that no one is using, this is really a great solution, as you can simply leave the IR transmitter connected at all times.
Another alternative is to use a WiFi to IR converter This device, which interacts with the smart app, receives its commands over the network, and then generates IR signals. This is a good solution if you want multiple people to use their phones to control devices, or if you want to use your main phone without an IR transmitter to control all the IR equipment of your home entertainment system.
Official Smart TV App
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Many smart TV brands offer their own solutions for using your phone as a remote control. Whether this is possible (or whether it works well) depends entirely on the brand of your phone. Since there are hundreds of brands, we cannot list them all, but all companies like Sony, Samsung and LG have remote control apps for their TVs, and sometimes for other devices that you can use alongside them, such as soundbars and AV receivers.
It’s always worth checking the official TV remote control app first. At least you will be able to compare the official solution with any third-party applications. As a guide for what is best. It is also much less likely that the next app update will suddenly break compatibility with your devices.
Official App for IR Blaster Phones
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The Huawei P30 Pro includes an IR transmitter as a feature.
If you have a phone with a built-in IR transmitter, there is almost certainly an official app from your phone manufacturer for the remote control function. You should check if the app is preloaded on your phone or available for free download from the app store. Remember that some phone manufacturers also have their own app stores in addition to (or instead of) the Play Store, so check for additional software as well.
The advantage of using an app designed to work with your phone is usually that it is a more reliable choice. Obviously, how good individual applications are will depend on their personal merit.
Application Remote Controls
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Another snag in the history of deleted Smart TV apps is the availability of smartphone apps that can control Smart TV apps. The best example is YouTube
Let’s say you have a smart TV with the YouTube app, as well as a phone. If you’re signed into YouTube on both your phone and Smart TV, you can search, play, and otherwise manage content using the phone app. This is especially useful for text searches and more advanced YouTube features.
If your smart TV has an app that’s also available on your phone, it’s worth checking if the developers offer any kind of remote control interaction between the two.
Official Set-Top Box Apps
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As you can imagine, we are not talking about any particular application here. Most smart TVs from major manufacturers have their own remote control app. They vary in quality, but all allow you to control your Smart TV device and are guaranteed to work perfectly with it, since the app is written by the same people who make the equipment. A prime example is the Apple TV remote app
There are also third party apps for many of these devices if you don’t like the official apps. However, if you are using a third party solution, no bids will be accepted.
Please be aware that if your smart device and TV support this feature, these apps will also let you control your TV. Replaces the need for a dedicated remote control. At least to some extent.
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