TV Remote App for Android With No Ads: What to Look For

By Klaus Jakobsen, developer of A Decent Remote

Quick answer Look for an app without the Contains ads label on Google Play. Free official apps such as Google TV and Fire TV work for their own brand. For mixed TVs, A Decent Remote has no ads and needs no account. It is free for your first 50 presses, and after that it is a paid app with a one-time option.

A remote is the one app you open at the worst moment for an ad. Someone has just said “pause it”, or the volume is suddenly far too loud, and a full-screen video with a five-second countdown appears between you and the button.

Why do so many remote apps show ads?

A TV remote is an app people use for a few seconds, many times a day. For an advertising business that is ideal, because each press can be another chance to show something. Remote apps are also simple enough that plenty of near-identical ones compete for the same searches, so many give the app away and earn from the ads.

That is a fair way to fund an app, and some people will not mind. It is just a poor match for a remote, where a delay is the whole problem.

How can I spot the ads before installing?

Use the listing:

Contains ads. This label appears below the app name on Google Play. If it is not there, the developer has declared that the app has no ads.
In-app purchases. A free app with this label and no ad label is probably paid for by a subscription. Open the list and see the billing periods.
Recent reviews. Search for the word “ads”. Reviews tell you whether they appear on launch, or after every press.

Look at the pattern of the ads as well. A banner at the bottom is a mild annoyance. A full-screen ad every few presses is the kind that makes a remote unusable.

Which remote apps have no ads?

Official apps are the first place to look. Fire TV, Google TV, SmartThings and LG ThinQ come from the companies that make the TV software, and they carry no Contains ads label on Google Play. The Roku app does. Some do suggest things to watch, because that is part of their business. For one brand, they are the sensible answer.

For mixed TVs, you need a universal app, and here you are choosing how to pay for it. A free one usually has ads or a subscription, so an ad-free universal app is normally a paid one.

A Decent Remote is one of those, and we make it. There are no ads in it at any point, including the free part. You get your first 50 button presses free, which is enough to find out if it works with your TV. After that it is paid, and there is a one-time option, so you do not have to take a subscription. The price shows in the app, in your currency. The Android version is being built now. Leave your email and you get one message the day it is on Google Play.

Is a one-time purchase better than a subscription?

For a remote, usually. You need it for as long as you own the TV, and the app does not cost much to run on your phone, so paying again every month is hard to justify unless you only need it briefly.

A monthly plan can make sense in a holiday rental, or while you wait for a replacement remote. Look out for weekly plans in particular, which can add up to far more over a year than they appear to at first.

What about the apps with a “remove ads” upgrade?

These can be a good deal, as long as you check two things first:

Is the upgrade a one-time purchase? If it is a subscription, the ads return when it ends.
Does the app work with your TV? Try it before you pay, using the free version.

If the free version does not find your TV, paying will not change that. Most of the time it is a network issue rather than an app issue, and this checklist helps you find out which.

Get A Decent Remote on the App Store One iPhone remote for Roku, Samsung, LG, Sony, Fire TV, Apple TV, Vizio, Hisense, Philips, Panasonic, Toshiba, Chromecast and Android/Google TV

Android? Join the test

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Frequently asked questions

How can I tell if an Android app has ads before installing it?

Look under the app name on Google Play for the Contains ads label. Developers have to declare ads, so it is a reliable first check, and recent reviews will tell you how intrusive they are.

Is there a completely free remote app with no ads?

For a single brand, the official apps are the closest thing. A free universal app has to be paid for somehow, and it is usually ads, a subscription or both. Treat a promise of free, universal and ad-free with some suspicion.

Does paying to remove ads get rid of them for good?

It depends on the app. Check whether the upgrade is a one-time purchase or a subscription that brings the ads back when it ends. The in-app purchases list on the listing shows the options.

Are ads in a remote app a privacy risk?

Ads usually involve an advertising network collecting some data. Read the Data safety section to see what is shared. A remote does not need your contacts or precise location to send button presses.