Remote Control

Remote Control turns your Android smartphone or tablet into a remote for practically any television.

Remote Control by Smarter Apps is an TV remote app that works on almost all versions of Android and works with practically any TV. The app is basic, which is what allows for it to be so universal. As long as your TV and Android device can communicate via the same technology, then this app will just work. Supported technologies include IR, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.

Pairing your Android device to your TV is pretty simple. Even if you use IR and don’t have the code for your television, this app can scan the codes until it finds a match. Once paired, you’ll have access to a series basic remote functions that you’ll access by interacting with the touchscreen. You can turn the television on or off. You can change the channel or adjust the volume, and if you’re TV has a way to communicate with other devices, you can control those too. For instance, if your TV supports HDMI-CEC and is connected this way to a Blu-ray player or a home theater receiver, you can control those as well.

Perhaps the biggest issue with this app is that it’s a bit basic. It handles on and off, volume up and down, channel up and down and other basic operations. Beyond that, it is quite limited and doesn’t have many of the smart features that many modern TV users have come to expect. If you want something straightforward, this fits the bill, but if you want something more, then this probably isn’t it.