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Remutto guide

How to use your phone as a TV remote

By Tim Grootes, Bumblly · Last updated

Your phone can be a TV remote, but not in the way an old remote works. It talks to the TV over your home Wi-Fi. That brings a few rules: the TV must be on your network, and some TVs ask you once to allow the phone. Here is how it works, which TVs answer, and the steps.

We make Remutto, one of the apps in this guide. We start with the free options from the TV makers, and we say where each one falls short.

How it works

Wi-Fi, not infrared

A classic remote sends invisible infrared light to the TV. A phone remote app works differently. Smart TVs and streaming devices listen for commands on your home network. The app finds the TV on that network and sends its commands over Wi-Fi.

An iPhone has no infrared emitter: Apple's spec list for iPhone 17 names none (Apple). So on iPhone, a remote app can only control TVs that are on your network. Remutto works over Wi-Fi on both iPhone and Android, and it does not send infrared on either.

Which TVs

Which TVs answer a phone

Remutto works with these TVs and devices when they are on the same Wi-Fi as your phone:

A Chromecast without Google TV only gets media controls such as play, pause and volume. Not supported: TVs without a network connection, and Apple TV from the first to third generation. Features differ by model and software.

Free

The TV makers' own apps

If you have one TV brand and do not mind an account, the maker's free app may be all you need:

A universal app is handy with several brands at home, or if you want no account. Our comparison of TV remote apps for iPhone has the details.

Only want a free remote? Here is which TV remote apps for iPhone are really free.

Step by step

Set up your phone as a remote with Remutto

  1. Check the TV is on your Wi-Fi. A smart TV, or a streaming device such as a Roku or Fire TV Stick, must be connected to your home network.
  2. Put your phone on the same Wi-Fi. Use the same network as the TV, not a guest network. Turn off a VPN on the phone.
  3. Open Remutto. Remutto searches your network by itself. On iPhone, allow Local Network access when asked; without it, no app can find the TV.
  4. Pick your TV. Tap your TV in the list. If it does not show, use Connect by IP and type the TV's IP address from its network settings.
  5. Allow the phone or type the code. Samsung and LG TVs ask you to allow the phone on the TV; some LG models show a code instead. Fire TV and Google TV show a code that you type into Remutto. A Roku needs nothing.
  6. Use the remote. Remutto remembers the TV and reconnects when you open it. While the remote is open, your phone's volume buttons change the TV volume.
Remutto on iPhone: a universal TV remote with power, arrows, OK and volume next to a TV
The remote screen on iPhone.
Remutto needs no account: TV commands stay on your local Wi-Fi network
No account; commands stay on your home network.

Stuck?

If the app cannot find or control the TV

Free and Pro

What Remutto costs

Remutto needs no account. After your first connection, the whole remote is free for 3 minutes. After that, 5 basic presses a day stay free: power, volume, mute, the arrows, OK, Back and Home. They come back at midnight. Remutto Pro unlocks the whole remote with no daily limit, plus the keyboard, touchpad, play and pause, channel buttons, app shortcuts, input switching and more TVs. Pro is a one-time purchase, not a subscription. The App Store or Google Play shows your price before you buy.

TV commands go from your phone straight to the TV over your home network. There is no account and no Bumblly server in between. See the Remutto privacy policy.

FAQ

Questions

Does a phone remote app work without Wi-Fi?

No. The phone and the TV must be on the same network. That is how the app finds the TV and sends commands.

Can my iPhone control an old TV without Wi-Fi?

No. An iPhone cannot send infrared, and a TV without a network connection only listens to infrared.

Is it safe to control my TV with a phone app?

Remutto sends its commands only inside your home network, with no account and no server in between. Some TVs also ask you to allow each new phone.

Can I use my phone's volume buttons?

Yes. While the remote screen is open in Remutto, the phone's volume buttons change the TV volume.

Is Remutto free?

Partly. After your first connection the whole remote is free for 3 minutes. Then 5 basic presses a day stay free. Remutto Pro unlocks everything with one payment, no subscription.

Get Remutto

Your phone as a Wi-Fi TV remote

Remutto finds your TV on your home Wi-Fi and works without an account. After your first connection the whole remote is free for 3 minutes; after that, 5 basic presses a day stay free. Remutto Pro unlocks everything with one payment, no subscription.

Download on the App StoreGet it on Google Play

All Remutto guides · Lost TV remote · Turn on a TV without the remote · Roku without a remote

Sources

Sources

We link to the pages behind every statement about another app or device. They can change after the date we checked them.