By Klaus Jakobsen, developer of A Decent Remote Your phone can almost certainly run your TV. What takes a moment is working out which of the three ways of doing it applies to you, because the right answer depends on your TV, how many TVs you have, and one piece of hardware most phones no longer have.
Does your phone need an IR blaster?
An old remote talks to the TV with infrared light. A few Android phones can do the same, using a small dark window on the top edge. These are called IR blasters. Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO have kept them on many models, and most other brands have dropped them, including Samsung, whose Galaxy phones have not had one for years.
You only need one for an old TV with no network connection. Every smart TV can be controlled over Wi-Fi instead, and that works better anyway: it goes through walls, you do not have to aim, and you can type. If you are not sure what your phone has, the IR blaster guide shows how to check.
What does your TV need?
Two things:
It has to be a smart TV, or have a streaming stick plugged in. The phone needs something on the TV side listening on the network. A TV without that can be upgraded with a stick in the HDMI port, as the old TV guide explains.
It has to be on the same Wi-Fi as your phone. This is the cause of most “the app cannot find my TV” problems. Guest networks count as a different network, and so does a mobile data connection, so check the phone first. The checklist covers the rest.
Should you use the free app or a universal one?
If you own one TV, start with the free app from whoever makes it. That is honest advice, even from us. A universal app earns its place when you have more than one kind of TV, or when you want typing and a layout you can change, without ads.
| Your TV | Free app from the maker | First time with A Decent Remote |
|---|---|---|
| Android TV, Google TV | Google TV | Type a code shown on the TV |
| Samsung | SmartThings | Approve a prompt on the TV |
| LG | LG ThinQ | Approve on the TV, some models show a PIN |
| Fire TV | Fire TV | Approve one prompt on the TV |
| Roku | Roku | Use Roku’s own app: it is free and it is the better choice |
Sony, Hisense, TCL, Philips, Panasonic, Vizio and Apple TV also work over Wi-Fi, and each has its own first-time step, usually a PIN on the screen.
Every first-time step happens on the TV, which is awkward if the remote is missing. Each TV has a way round it, such as a hidden button or a USB mouse. The Samsung and Fire Stick guides have the details for those two.
How do I set it up?
- Install the free app for your TV, or A Decent Remote when it reaches Android.
- Join the same Wi-Fi as the TV.
- Open the app. It searches the network and lists what it finds.
- Tap your TV and finish the first-time step on the TV.
That is usually the only setup you will ever do, because the phone remembers the TV. A Decent Remote is free for your first 50 button presses, and after that it is paid. There are no ads at any point. The Android version is being built now. Leave your email and you get one message the day it is on Google Play.
What can a phone not do?
Turning the TV on is not guaranteed. Waking a TV over Wi-Fi depends on the TV keeping its network connection alive in standby. Android also limits what an app can learn about devices on your network, so on Android some TVs cannot be woken from off. Keep the TV’s own button in mind, or try it on your set before you rely on it.
Some apps refuse typing. Netflix in particular draws its own on-screen keyboard and ignores outside input, on every remote app, official ones included. There are workarounds, but no real fix.
It cannot run an old TV by itself. Without an IR blaster and with no network on the TV, there is nothing for the phone to talk to.
