Use a smartphone as a TV remote control - this is how it works

A smartphone or tablet can also be used as a remote control for the TV. What remote control apps are there....

Ure smartphones have many abilities: A perhaps not so familiar feature is that you can also control your TV. All you need is a TV remote control app. Some smartphones can even be used as a classic infrared remote control. Update: Entertain receivers and Samsung TV remote control.

Smartphone and Tablet as TV remote control: WLAN or infrared?

If you have a smart TV at home, you can also use your smartphone or tablet as a remote control. This is done either with an integrated infrared transmitter of the smartphone or with an app, which sends the control signals via WLAN or (more rarely) Bluetooth to the TV.

For the IR transmitters, they can control most devices, but require smartphone-side arrangements. For this, remote control apps, which transmit their signals over a digital interface also function without direct visual connection.

Smartphones with infrared transmitters are currently not very many, but some older models have built this function. Currently, the LG G5 is able to control television or other hi-fi equipment with its infrared transmitter. The Samsung Galaxy S6, Galaxy S5 and S4, the HTC One M9, M8 and M7 are also smart phones with infrared transmitters.

Among other things, the Galaxy S6 has an infrared transmitter / © COOLANDROIDTIPS

If your smartphone has an infrared transmitter, then it has an app from the factory, with which you can use the transmitter. In the manufacturer's app you can usually choose from a large database of devices your HiFi devices and then have the right infrared commands for your Blu-Ray player, TV and AV receiver at hand. Only more exotic devices you have to register manually - it is often necessary to teach the mobile phone the commands of the original remote control knob by button. Depending on the implementation of the learning process, this can be lengthy. However, it is also possible to use this device for example in command sequences.

IR remote control apps for TV

Sometimes the manufacturer's apps are not exactly comfortable. In the Play Store, there are fortunately some alternatives. For apps, which via infrared control your TV or other HiFi devices, you need of course an infrared transmitter in the smartphone or tablet.

IR remote control app for TV: Universal remote control

Really nice is the app with the simple title "universal remote control" not and many functions does not offer them synonymous.

The advertised at the bottom border advertising will certainly disturb some users also something. What makes the app so special is that it works! At the beginning you only have to select the appropriate TV brand and already connects the app with the TV. In order for everything to work out, the smartphone must also be able to handle infrared. A connection via WLAN is not possible.

According to the developers are supported all phones and tablets, in which an IR blaster is installed. A list of certain TV models are not available, but in the app are only the TV manufacturers specified. So just download the app and try it out. However, there were no problems with our four test TVs. Smart-TV functions could not be selected with the universal remote control unfortunately.

Not beautiful, but works! / © CodeMatics Media Solutions, COOLANDROIDTIPS

Download Universal TV Remote Control

IR remote control app for TV: Smart TV Remote

Smart TV Remote is the remote control app, originally developed for owners of a Samsung Smart TV. Meanwhile, the developers have begun to expand the app to include a general IR remote (assuming hardware support). If you want to use the app for smartphones and tablets only as a remote control, you can do this naturally, but if you want to get more from the remote control, you can create your own channel list or make settings directly on the Smart TV. The app communicates with Samsung TVs before the 2014 model year via WLAN.

Whether your Samsung TV supports the app, you can find out in the official app description.

If you have a Samsung TV, get the app. / © android, COOLANDROIDTIPS

Download Smart TV Remote

AnyMote

AnyMote is another app that allows you to use the IR transmitter of your smartphone. The app is quite mature and supports a lot of TVs from home. If your smartphone is equipped with an IR transmitter, you can use it without any detours. Alternatively, AnyMote supports some control protocols via WLAN or Bluetooth. So you can use the AnyMote as a remote control for an Android TV or a Fire TV (as well as for a whole lot more services).

In the free version, AnyMote supports only a controllable device, only an in-app purchase removes this limitation and supplements some features. The Pro version eliminates the advertising advertised by the app and, for example, the configuration can be saved in the cloud.

AnyMote is suitable as an IR remote control and as a wireless remote control / © Screenshots: COOLANDROIDTIPS

Download AnyMote Universal Remote +WiFi

Remote control apps with Wi-Fi connection

Smartphone and tablet as a remote control: The right apps for the right TV

Smart TVs are now widespread and almost all major manufacturers are promoting communication with a mobile device on their internet-enabled TVs. In order for the communication to take place, you also need a suitable app. Here is the rule of thumb: I have a Sony TV, I get the best Sony official app. If a Smart TV from LG in the living room, I access the LG app. This has the advantage that these apps usually recognize the respective TV immediately, the setting is relatively easy and the user interface is coordinated.

Remote control? No problem, there is the smartphone / © COOLANDROIDTIPS

Here you can find the most important remote apps of the TV manufacturers in the Play Store:

Download LG TV Remote

Download LG webOS Magic Remote

Download SAMSUNG TV & Remote (IR)

Download Philips TV Remote App

Dwonload Panasonic TV Remote 2

Download Video & TV SideView : Remote

You can also control consoles or media players with special apps. The most important you can find here:

Download Amazon Fire TV Remote App

Download Android TV Remote Control

Download Kore, Official Remote for Kodi

Download Xbox

Entertain customers can also access a control app. With this app even voice control is possible.

Download Entertain Remote Control

Current Samsung TVs do not support WLAN control - only for some older models there is a control app. However, the app only works with C, D, E and F TVs.

Download TV (Samsung) Touchpad Remote

We have looked at the apps for Sony and LG TV more closely:

Remote control app for Sony TV: TV SideView remote control

In the Google Play Store, some apps that are used as a TV remote for Sony TVs - at least as described. In praxistest, however, many apps proved to be very error-prone and often they could not be connected to the Sony TV. These problems did not occur with the official Sony TV app TV SideView remote control fortunately.

The test TV recognized the app immediately and also with the operation of the virtual remote control there were no problems - the connection was over WLAN. So the sound could be easily adjusted and the switching of the channels worked perfectly. The Smart TV features can also be selected with the remote control app. Simply press "Menu".

A TV newspaper is also available. / © Sony, COOLANDROIDTIPS

Besides the good service, the app also scores with an interactive TV program. Here you can see, among other things, what is currently on TV and what TV highlights today. Also very good: The app is also compatible with other Sony devices. For example, you can control a DVD player with the app.

Which Sony TVs as well as Sony devices support the app, can be found on the official website.

Download Video & TV SideView : Remote

Remote control app for LG TV: LG TV Remote

If you have an LG TV and want to control it via your smartphone or tablet, access the app LG TV Remote. The Sony app also shows a virtual program magazine, which allows you to "jump" immediately to the desired program, and the operation of the virtual remote also works easily.

The app also has a lot of setup options. The remote control app allows you to quickly access the Smart TV features installed on the TV, such as Apps, such as Netflix and Skype. This saves time and went through our tests without problems.

The app scores through many setting options. / © LG, COOLANDROIDTIPS

The LG TV Remote app is currently available (as of January 2016) in two versions. One version is for TV (also 3D-TVs), which are released from 2012, the other version is only compatible with LG televisions, which have come out in 2011.

Whether your LG TV supports the app, you can see in the official app description: TV before 2011 and TV which appeared 2012 or later.

Download LG TV Remote

Download LG TV Remote 2011

Does your TV remote control apps or do you prefer the classic remote control? Write it in the comments!