Your phone can replace the remote. Modern connectivity standards let smartphones control smart TVs, while companion apps turn a small screen into a more capable command center. The trick is choosing the control method that matches your television or streaming device.
Most smart TV remotes use Bluetooth to send commands, though infrared technology still handles the job on some devices. A few Android smartphones include built-in IR blasters and arrive with a universal remote app already installed, letting the phone control equipment without relying on a smart TV platform.
Three Ways to Control a Smart TV
If your Android phone has an IR blaster, launch the infrared remote app, add your device, and test the buttons. These apps can turn a television on or off, along with handling other remote commands. The TV Remote Control app on the Play Store has passed 500,000 downloads and holds a 4.6-star rating, so this is not an obscure experiment reserved for people who enjoy troubleshooting household appliances.
Mainstream smartphones from Samsung, Google, or Apple rarely include IR hardware. For those phones, the practical route is a mobile companion app tied to the television platform.
Google TV and Android TV devices can be controlled through the Google TV app on Android and iOS. The Roku mobile app handles Roku TVs and streaming sticks, while the Fire TV mobile app works with Fire OS devices. Apple TV can be controlled through Control Center on an iPhone.
These apps typically provide D-pad controls, volume buttons, and a QWERTY keyboard for entering text. That last feature matters when searching for shows or entering passwords: “It’s much easier to use your phone’s keyboard than the one on your TV,” Adnan Ahmed wrote.
Some smart TVs can also wake from standby through a setting labeled Wake-on-LAN in the network settings. That feature can make phone-based control more convenient, though the television still needs the right network connection and configuration.
Why Add a Streaming Device?
A phone remote solves the immediate problem, but it does not fix every weakness built into a smart TV. Smart TVs support conveniences such as AirPlay, voice control, and smart hub functionality, yet their software support fades after several years. Performance slows, reliability drops, and the built-in experience starts to feel less smart than advertised.
Advertising adds another complaint. Many smart TVs place ads across numerous locations, and Samsung has integrated marketing content into its television experience since 2016. Roku and Google dongles and boxes also contain plenty of ads, while Apple TV and Raspberry Pi offer more ad-free streaming options.
A streaming device can bypass the loss of software updates on an older television without replacing the screen itself. That makes the upgrade a cost-effective way to restore access to current software, even if the television’s original interface has begun to creak.
The better streaming boxes also expand what the television can do. NVIDIA Shield supports personal content uploads, live TV, and gaming, while some streaming devices can play live television through web-based subscription services. A few include buttons that help locate a lost remote, a small feature with an outsized value when the remote disappears into the furniture dimension.
Storage is another advantage. “Most plug-and-play streaming devices include integrated storage of some kind, and many can be connected to a standalone hard drive,” according to Source 2. That combination supports personal media libraries and media servers without asking the television’s built-in software to carry the entire load.
Streaming dongles bring a final practical benefit: they are lightweight and portable. You can move one between televisions or take it while traveling, preserving the same streaming setup without depending on every TV’s software, remote, or advertising choices.
Adnan Ahmed published the phone-remote guide on September 20, 2026, after a separate article on streaming devices appeared on September 19, 2026. The sensible path is clear: use a companion app when the TV platform supports it, use infrared when the phone has the hardware, and add a streaming device when the television’s software becomes the real problem.
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