我们都知道现代智能手机“有一个应用程序”，但您是否考虑过将智能手机用作电视或家庭娱乐系统(TV or home entertainment system)的遥控器？
有很多移动应用程序承诺取代您的遥控器(remote control)，但这些是我们认为是当今可用的最好的电视遥控器(best TV remote)应用程序。
带有红外遥控发射器的电话注意事项(A Note On Phones With IR Remote Blasters)
电视远程应用程序(TV remote apps)的世界有一个很大的分歧，那就是它是否使用红外信号。几乎所有电视都使用红外传感器与其遥控器进行通信。这(Which)意味着如果您想使用应用程序来控制该电视，您需要一个能够发送 IR 信号的模型。
这正在成为现代手机上相当罕见的功能。您甚至在三星(Samsung)等手机制造商的旗舰手机上都找不到它。如果您的智能电视也可以通过WiFi 或蓝牙(WiFi or Bluetooth)接受远程命令，那么它可能适用于没有红外线发射器(IR blaster)的手机。但是，您必须根据具体情况进行检查。
一个更实用的解决方案是使用像Android TV或Apple TV这样的设备，可以通过应用程序进行控制。使用HDCP，该设备还可以控制您的电视机(television set)。打开和关闭它，改变它的音量等等。
如果您真的想将手机用作通用遥控器并且拥有只能使用红外线的设备，您可以购买红外线发射器(IR blaster)并将其连接到兼容的手机上。这根本不是一个优雅的解决方案，尤其是对您的主手机而言。但是，如果您有一部没有人使用的旧智能手机，这实际上是一个很好的解决方案，因为您可以永久连接红外发射器。(IR blaster)
另一种选择是使用WiFi 到 IR 转换器(a WiFi to IR converter)。这是一种与智能应用程序对话、通过网络接收其命令然后生成 IR 信号的设备。如果您希望多人使用他们的手机来控制设备，或者如果您想使用您的主手机（没有IR blaster）来控制家庭娱乐系统(home entertainment system)中的所有IR 设备(IR gear)，这是一个很好的解决方案。
官方智能电视应用(Official Smart TV Apps)
许多品牌的智能电视提供(TV offer)内部解决方案，将您的手机用作遥控器。这是否可能（或运作良好）完全取决于您拥有的手机品牌。由于有数百个品牌，我们无法全部列出，但索尼(Sony)、三星(Samsung)和LG等公司都为他们的各种电视提供远程控制应用程序(control apps)，有时甚至还有您可能与它们一起使用的其他设备，例如条形音箱和 AV 接收器.
首先检查官方电视远程(TV remote)应用程序总是值得的。至少您可以将官方解决方案与任何第三方应用程序(party apps)进行比较。作为一个更好的参考点。未来的应用更新(app update)也不太可能突然破坏与您设备的兼容性。
IR Blaster 手机的官方应用程序(Official Apps For IR Blaster Phones)
(The )华为 P30 Pro(Huawei P30 Pro)(Huawei P30 Pro)包含一个 IR Blaster 作为一项功能( includes an IR Blaster as a feature.)。
如果您的手机带有内置红外发射器(IR blaster)，那么几乎可以肯定，您的手机制造商(phone maker)提供了一款用于远程控制功能(remote control functionality)的官方应用程序。您应该检查该应用程序是否已预装在您的手机上，或者是否可以从应用程序商店(app store)免费下载。请记住(Remember)，一些手机制造商(phone maker)除了Play 商店(Play Store)（或代替它）还有他们自己的应用商店(app store)，所以还要检查那里的增值软件。
使用专为手机设计的应用程序的优势在于通常是更可靠的选择。显然，各个应用程序实际上有多好将取决于它们各自的优点。
特定于应用程序的遥控器(App-Specific Remote Controls)
智能电视远程(TV remote)应用程序故事的另一个问题是存在可以控制智能电视应用程序的(TV apps)智能手机应用(smartphone apps)程序。最好的例子是YouTube。
假设，为了争论，你有一台智能电视，上面有YouTube 应用程序(YouTube app)以及你的手机。如果您同时在手机和智能电视上登录YouTube ，则可以使用手机应用搜索、播放和以其他方式(phone app)控制内容(control content)。这对于进行文本搜索和使用更高级的YouTube功能特别有用。
如果您的智能电视有一个应用程序也可以在您的手机上使用，那么值得检查开发人员是否在两者之间提供任何类型的远程控制交互(remote control interaction)。
官方机顶盒应用(Official Set-Top Box Apps)
如您所知，我们在这里讨论的不是任何一个特定的应用程序。大多数主要品牌的智能电视设备(TV device)都有自己的内部远程控制应用程序(remote control application)。它们的质量各不相同，但都允许您控制智能电视设备(TV device)并保证与它完美配合，因为该应用程序是由制造硬件的同一个人编写的。一个典型的例子是Apple TV 远程应用程序(Apple TV remote app)。
许多这些设备还有第三方应用程序，以防您不喜欢原版的官方应用程序(vanilla official apps)。但是，如果您使用的是第三方解决方案，那么所有的赌注都会被取消。
请记住，如果智能设备和电视机(device and TV)支持它，这些应用程序也将允许您控制您的电视。取代对专用遥控器的需求。至少在某种程度上。
AnyMote 通用(AnyMote Universal) （Android和( & )iOS）
Anymote是我们用过的最好的通用远程控制应用程序之一。它支持 IR 和基于 WiFi 的设备控制(device control)。这很好，因为我们试用此应用程序的Galaxy Note 10+没有红外遥控(IR remote)发射器。但是，该应用程序立即检测到同一WiFi 网络上的(WiFi network)三星智能电视(Samsung Smart TV)。它还可以充当一长串智能设备和应用程序的遥控器，包括充当 iTunes 遥控器和VLC媒体播放器遥控器。
您可以将应用程序的基本功能与广告一起使用，但要充分发挥其潜力，您必须付费。要么购买AnyMote 硬件(AnyMote hardware)，但他们的设备已经停产。此外，请务必仔细检查应用说明中与应用不兼容的设备列表。
精益遥控器(Lean Remote) （Android & iOS）
Lean Remote是另一个专注于红外遥控(remote control)的应用程序。你可以用它控制从空调(air conditioner)到智能机顶盒的一切。开发人员将应用程序定位为离散遥控器的集合。包括Roku 和 Android TV 设备(Roku and Android TV devices)的遥控器。索尼和 LG 电视以及(Sony and LG TVs)Chromecast设备 也包括在内。
Lean 将WiFi 和 IR 遥控器(WiFi and IR remotes)彼此分开，分成不同的部分，便于保持直线。界面也很整洁，非常易于使用。它可能不是最精致的界面，但是当您只想快速找到正确的按钮时，这种方法有很大的用处。
Unified TV 不是免费的电视远程应用程序(TV remote app)，但它也相当便宜，据报道，开发人员可以毫无问题地退款给那些发现它不适用于他们的手机的用户。无论如何，它只有大约一美元，如果它对你有用，那么它的价值远远超过要价。
这里提供了 80 多个特定于设备的遥控器。这些应用程序支持相当多的带有内置红外发射器的手机以及两个特定的WiFi 红外(WiFi IR)发射器。在购买应用程序之前，请确保您拥有的品牌或设备列在支持的硬件下。
与许多其他同类遥控器一样，实际的远程接口(remote interface)非常小，但如果您使用官方支持的设备，Unified 似乎提供了最流畅的体验之一。也就是说，根据用户反馈和评论(feedback and reviews)来判断。
Twinone 万能电视遥控器（安卓(Android)）
Twinone 的通用遥控器(Universal Remote)是完全免费的，虽然它确实使用广告，但它并没有以令人讨厌的方式实现它们，例如妨碍使用实际遥控器的全屏广告。
存档的遥控器数量似乎相当多，但这个应用程序只支持红外发射器。这限制了它适用于哪些手机。
大多数人似乎在Twinone 应用程序(Twinone application)上取得了相当大的成功，如果没有其他应用程序具有可以工作的遥控器，那绝对值得一试。
统一遥控器（(Unified Remote ()安卓(Android)(Android)）
严格来说，最后一个远程控制应用程序(control app)应该根本不在此列表中。它不是控制您的电视或智能电视机顶盒的应用程序。相反，它是一个充当 PC 遥控器的应用程序。
我们在此处添加此电视远程应用程序的原因是因为那里有很多人将笔记本电脑或家庭影院计算机(laptop or home theater computer)连接到他们的电视(TVs)。Unified Remote让您无需笨重的鼠标和键盘(bulky mouse and keyboard)即可控制这些计算机。
它还为Plex、VLC、Spotify、iTunes 和谷歌音乐(Google Music)等常见应用程序提供专门的遥控器。如果您有需要走HTPC 路线(HTPC route)的设备，Unified是必不可少的应用程序。
9 Best TV Remote Apps for Android and iOS
We all know that “there’s an app for that” when it comes to modern smartphones, but have you considered using your smartphone as a remote control for your TV or home entertainment system?
There are quite a few mobile apps out there that promise to replace your remote control, but these are the ones we think are the best TV remote apps available today.
A Note On Phones With IR Remote Blasters
There is one large divide in the world of TV remote apps and that’s whether it makes use of infrared signals or not. Just about all televisions use infrared sensors to communicate with their remote controls. Which means if you want to use an app to control that television, you need a model that has the ability to send IR signals.
This is becoming a fairly rare feature on modern phones. One which you won’t even find on flagship handsets from phone makers such as Samsung. If your smart TV can also accept remote commands via WiFi or Bluetooth, then it may work with a phone that doesn’t have an IR blaster. You will however have to check this on a case-by-case basis.
A much more practical solution is to use a device like an Android TV or Apple TV, which can be controlled via an app. Using HDCP, that device can also control your television set. Switching it on and off, changing its volume and more.
If you really want to use your phone as a universal remote and have devices that will only work with infrared, you can buy an IR blaster and attach it to compatible phones. It’s not an elegant solution at all, especially not for your main phone. However, if you have an old smartphone no one uses, this is actually a great solution, since you can just leave the IR blaster permanently attached.
Another alternative is to use a WiFi to IR converter. This is a device that speaks to a smart app, receives its commands over the network and then generates IR signals. This is a good solution if you want multiple people to use their phones to control devices or if you want to use your main phone, sans IR blaster, to control all the IR gear in your home entertainment system.
Official Smart TV Apps
Many brands of smart TV offer in-house solutions to use your phone as a remote control. Whether this is possible (or works well) is entirely dependent on the brand of phone you have. Since there are hundreds of brands, we can’t list them all, but companies like Sony, Samsung and LG all have remote control apps for their various TVs and sometimes even other devices you might use alongside them, such as sound bars and AV receivers.
It’s always worth checking for an official TV remote app first. At the very least you’ll be able to compare the official solution to any third party apps. As a point of reference for which is better. It’s also much less likely that a future app update will suddenly break compatibility with your devices.
Official Apps For IR Blaster Phones
The Huawei P30 Pro includes an IR Blaster as a feature.
If you have a phone with a built-in IR blaster, there is almost certainly an official app from your phone maker for remote control functionality. You should check if the app is preloaded on your phone or whether it’s available from an app store as a free download. Remember that some phone makers also have their own app stores in addition to the Play Store (or instead of it) so also check there for value-added software.
Using the app that’s designed to work with your phone has the advantage of usually being the more reliable choice. Obviously, how good the individual apps actually are will depend on their own individual merits.
App-Specific Remote Controls
Another wrinkle in the smart TV remote app story is the existence of smartphone apps that can control smart TV apps. The best example is YouTube.
Let’s say, for argument’s sake, you have a smart TV with the YouTube app on it as well as your phone. If you’re logged into YouTube on both your phone and smart TV, you can search, play and otherwise control content using the phone app. This is especially useful for doing text searches and using more advanced YouTube features.
If your smart TV has an app that’s also available on your phone, it’s worth checking if the developers offer any sort of remote control interaction between the two.
Official Set-Top Box Apps
As you can tell, we’re not talking about any one specific application here. Most smart TV devices from major brands have their own in-house remote control application. They vary in quality, but all allow you to control the smart TV device and are guaranteed to work perfectly with it, since the app is written by the same people who make the hardware. A prime example is the Apple TV remote app.
There are also third-party applications for many of these devices, in case you don’t like the vanilla official apps. However, all bets are off if you’re using a third-party solution.
Keep in mind that, should the smart device and TV set support it, these apps will also allow you to control your television. Replacing the need for the dedicated remote. At least to some extent.
AnyMote Universal (Android & iOS)
Anymote is one of the best universal remote control apps we’ve used. It supports both IR and WiFi-based device control. This is good since the Galaxy Note 10+ we tried this app on doesn’t have an IR remote blaster. However, the app immediately detected the Samsung Smart TV on the same WiFi network. It can also act as a remote for a long list of smart devices and apps, including acting as an iTunes remote and a VLC media player remote.
You can use the basic functions of the app with advertising, but to unlock its full potential you’ll have to pay. Either that or buy AnyMote hardware, but their devices have been discontinued. Also, be sure to carefully check the list of devices that aren’t compatible with the app in the app description.
Lean Remote is another app with a strong focus on infrared remote control. You can control everything from an air conditioner to smart set-top boxes with it. The developers pitch the app as a collection of discrete remotes. Including remotes for Roku and Android TV devices. Sony and LG TVs are also included, as are Chromecast devices.
Lean have separated the WiFi and IR remotes from each other into different sections, making it easy to keep it all straight. The interface is also uncluttered and pretty easy to use. It may not be the most polished interface, but when all you want is to find the right buttons quickly, this approach has a lot going for it.
Unified TV is not a free TV remote app, but it’s also pretty inexpensive and the developers reportedly have no issue refunding users who find it doesn’t work with their handsets. In any event, it’s only about a dollar and if it does work for you that’s worth way more than the asking price.
There are more than 80 device-specific remotes on offer here. The apps supports a fair number of phones with built in IR blasters as well as two specific WiFi IR blasters. Before you buy the app, make sure that the brands or devices that you have are listed under supported hardware.
Like many other remotes of its type, the actual remote interface is pretty minimal, but if you’re using officially supported devices with it, Unified seems to offer one of the smoothest experiences. That is, judging by user feedback and reviews.
Twinone Universal TV Remote (Android)
Twinone’s Universal Remote is completely free and, while it does use adverts, it doesn’t implement them in an annoying way, such as full-screen ads that get in the way of using the actual remotes.
The number of remotes on file seems quite formidable, but this app only supports IR blasters. This limits which phones it will work for.
Most people seem to have quite a lot of success with the Twinone application and if no other apps have remotes that work it’s definitely worth a try.
Unified Remote (Android)
This last remote control app should, strictly-speaking, not be on this list at all. It’s not an app to control your TV or smart TV set top box. Instead, it’s an app that acts as a remote controller for your PC.
The reason we’ve tacked this TV remote app on here is because there are plenty of people out there who have a laptop or home theater computer attached to their TVs. Unified Remote lets you take control of those computers without the need for a bulky mouse and keyboard.
It also has specialized remotes for common applications such as Plex, VLC, Spotify, iTunes and Google Music. If you have devices that need to go the HTPC route, Unified is an essential application to have.
