Can I Use My Phone as a Remote

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Lost the darn remote over again? Here's how to utilise your phone every bit a TV remote and control all your TV and streaming devices.

Remote control life hack

Who doesn't love a good life hack? In that location tin exist several reasons you lot may detect yourself needing a backup remote: the regular Tv set one broke; it needs new batteries (and you don't have any spares on hand); or the kids lost it (again). With the size of remotes getting smaller and smaller (we're looking at you, Apple Television set remote), losing it in the couch cushions tin can get a daily struggle.

Quick set

The great news is you can set upwards your smartphone in but minutes to utilise as an actress remote control. Then adjacent time yous want to lookout man Disney+, but can't find the clicker, don't go on an ballsy quest, just grab your phone. We'll walk you through the complete procedure below.

What devices to utilize

You can apply nigh any smartphone, no affair whether it is Android or an iPhone. Yous tin can even use a tablet or an iPod touch. If yous take an older phone lying around you no longer use, substitute information technology as a fill-in remote.

Go the apps

You will need a few apps to get the ball rolling. There are three dissimilar types of apps to download, and they are all free. You tin get a basic Idiot box remote app, apps for your streaming device (such as Roku or Chromecast) and general streaming service apps (such as those for Netflix or Hulu). The app(s) that are most useful for you volition depend on if you mainly use your smart TV or a streaming device.

Television remote apps

There are lots of Television receiver remote apps on the App Store or Google Play for Android phones. Some highly-rated apps for iPhone or iPads are Universal Remote Television Smart. This app works over Wi-Fi, is uniform with most major Tv manufacturers (such as Samsung, LG and Sony, to name a few) and detects your TV automatically, making setup time basically nada.

Though only compatible with Samsung TVs, myTifi is another well-designed TV remote app. It allows you to control multiple TVs in your household through simple labels (such as living room Goggle box or bedroom TV), and you can switch channels by clicking on the logos. It besides includes simple instructions in the app, and so you're never far from help.

Streaming device apps

Download streaming device apps to make browsing and navigating a lot easier with the devices you already own. Roku, Chromecast, Amazon Burn down TV Stick and Apple Tv all accept compatible apps, as well as third-party apps that interact with these systems.

Roku'due south app has a built-in remote control that connects to your Roku device via Wi-Fi and lets you search with your vox or your cellphone keyboard. The Amazon Fire TV app, bachelor for Android or iOS, has a similar design to the Roku app where you tin can access a remote directly from the app.

The Google Home app works on all things Chromecast, plus it can control Google Nest (Google'due south family of smart, Wi-Fi home devices), so basically you can use this as an all-inclusive hub to manage your lights, security cameras, thermostat and more.

If you take an Apple TV, y'all probable as well have an iPhone, which conveniently has their Remote app built correct into your smartphone. Plus, this app, along with the Chromecast and Roku apps, lets y'all mirror, or project, your phone screen onto your Telly — corking for sharing vacation photos with the family unit or playing Spotify over your Television set speakers. The Amazon Burn down Goggle box app doesn't currently have this office, only you lot tin can utilise third-party apps to get this feature.

Streaming services apps

You can also become the apps for simply the subscription services you use. If y'all use the native apps (i.e. congenital-in) in your smart Tv set, this could be a proficient option. For example, say you only watch Netflix. Y'all can download that single app (which saves memory on your cellphone too) and sync it with your Tv to browse and manage your shows with your Android or iPhone.

One final thing to protect your remote

One last piece of advice: if yous are forever losing the remote, become Tile. These handy little stickers are the size of a bottlecap and can be stuck on remote controls, or just about anything else too. If you lot misplace the particular, use the free Tile app on your smartphone to brand the tile ring.

Desire to get across using your phone as a Tv set remote? Check out our Resource Center to find out what other cool things you lot can do with the internet and a smart TV.

Written by:

Lisa Iscrupe

Writer, Broadband & Data Content

Lisa uses years of experience in sales and customer service for net-Goggle box providers to inform her writing on broadband. Her work has been referenced by CNN and other national sources. In Lisa's Words: E'er… Read more

Edited past:

Trey Paul

Editor, Head of Content

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