By Klaus Jakobsen, developer of A Decent Remote An iPad is rarely the first thing you think of as a remote, and that is a pity. It is usually already on the sofa, it never needs pointing at the TV, and it has a keyboard you can actually type on. For a house where the iPad lives in the living room, it may be better at this job than a phone.
Does it work the same as on an iPhone?
Yes. Remote apps connect over Wi-Fi, so the TV only sees another device on the network. The steps are the same on an iPad, and the same limits apply: the TV has to be a smart TV or have a streaming stick, and it has to be on your Wi-Fi.
We have seen iPads run Android TV, Samsung, LG, Hisense, Fire TV, Roku, TCL and Vizio through our app, with button presses reaching the TV on each one.
How do I set up my iPad as a remote?
- Join the same Wi-Fi as the TV.
- Install A Decent Remote and allow Local Network when it asks.
- Tap your TV when it appears.
- Finish the first-time step on the TV. Depending on the brand, that is an Allow prompt or a code on the screen.
You do this once on each device, so an iPad and an iPhone each get their own approval. The app is free for your first 50 button presses, and after that it is paid. There are no ads.
If you only own one brand, the free app from whoever makes your TV is also a good choice. Most of them run on an iPad, though some are designed for iPhone first.
Why is an iPad better than a remote for typing?
Because searching on a TV is the slowest thing you do with one. Picking letters with arrows takes a minute for a film title, and a Wi-Fi password can take several.
With an iPad you get a full-size keyboard. Tap into a search box on the TV and type, or paste a password from your password manager. Most TV search boxes accept this. Netflix is the well-known exception, as it draws its own keyboard and ignores outside input on every remote app.
What if the app cannot find the TV?
Start with the Local Network permission, because iPads ask for it just as iPhones do, and it is easy to tap the wrong answer. Open Settings, then Privacy and Security, then Local Network, and switch the app on.
Then check that the iPad and TV share a Wi-Fi network. Guest networks count as separate networks. The full checklist covers the rest, including routers that keep devices apart.
What can an iPad not do?
It cannot run an old TV with no network. No iPad has infrared, so a TV with no Wi-Fi or Ethernet has nothing to listen with. A cheap streaming stick in the HDMI port is the way round that.
It has no lock screen card. The lock screen buttons are an iPhone feature.
Waking the TV is not guaranteed. That depends on the TV keeping its network connection alive in standby, just as it does from a phone.
