Your Smartphone Can Be Your Universal Remote Control

Google recently launched a new remote-control app for Android phones that lets you control compatible Google TVs and Android TV operating system devices. You can add the remote to the Quick Settings tiles on your Android phone.

On the iPhone, you can take advantage of the remote-control app for Apple TV inside Control Center. On models dating back to iPhone X, swipe down from the upper right corner of the screen to surface Control Center; swipe up from the bottom edge of the screen on prior models. The Apple remote can also control AirPlay2-compatible devices, which lets you stream games, music, photos, podcasts and videos from the phone to those devices.

Now the bad news: None of these apps designed to replace a tangle of physical remote controls is perfect, at least not yet.

“I can’t point to a single solution that truly works universally well with all of the gear I tend to use or have tested,” says Greg Tarr, managing editor of HD Guru. The website is devoted to consumer news and reviews around home theater.

Tim Brennan, who runs UniversalRemoteReviews.com, has found several physical remotes designed specifically for older adults, but "there really is no single universal remote app that I would have recommended to my now-deceased parents in their later years.” He says he’s tested lots of “junky” remote apps, many that he found buggy or that served up “obnoxious” ads if you didn’t pay for the full version.

Free apps work well, expert says

Brennan does have a few favorites. At the top of the list is Logitech Harmony Hub, which can turn your smartphone into a remote that you can swipe and tap to control multiple TVs and 270,000-plus entertainment and smart home devices from more than 5,000 brands. It works with voice, too, and is compatible with both iPhones and Androids.

Here’s the catch: The wireless Harmony Hub it requires costs $99.99. And this option is not perfect, either. Brennan points to places in the app where a less-tech-savvy person could get lost. What’s more: While Logitech says it will continue to service its current remote control and hub customers, the company announced that it will no longer manufacturer new models once the current inventory sells out.

Brennan ranks Apple’s own Apple TV app high, and the same for Google’s official Android TV remote and Amazon’s Fire TV offering, each of which is free. He likes the Roku Remote Control: RoByte app from TinyByte Apps, as well, which is free with some in-app purchase options.

Some apps do permit the use of voice, but that’s no nirvana either. The experience can be “irksome,” says Adam Wright, senior analyst for smart home and office devices at International Data Corp. (IDC). The provider of market intelligence, advisory services and events is based in Needham, Massachusetts.

“Voice interfaces should be seen as an additional tool to help with navigating and searching for content,” he says. But if you ask a remote to “Show me funny movies,” you’ll likely see a screen of options that will turn into a “crapshoot on whether or not that command will be executed satisfactorily."

Smart home control becoming less complex

For several years it has been worth asking a simple question: If a smart home is so smart, why is it so complicated?

Not only was setting things up a challenge, even for techies, but determining which smart light fixture, faucet, lock or fridge to buy was equally puzzling. People fretted about potential incompatibilities with the other internet-connected devices and products in the home, especially as each major tech company tried to get you to go all in on their own smart home platforms and systems.

With Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Google Home and Samsung SmartThings, among others, the biggest companies were the ones doing the asking. The reality is that many consumers who want to control smart home devices with their smartphones and voice-enabled smart speakers have a patchwork of products. But the good news is that the reasons for some of the concerns are disappearing, Wright says.

“For consumers, I don’t think there’s much need for worrying too much about cross-brand compatibility since at this stage almost all of the big brands in the space are working together on interoperability,” IDC’s Wright says. “Mixing and matching is definitely a way to go if someone likes certain products and services from different brands.”

The Alexa, Google Home and Samsung SmartThings apps are available on both iOS and Android, though Apple doesn't have a HomeKit app for Android.

Situations where you still may encounter problems often have work-arounds. For example, if you have a HomeKit-enabled ecobee3 smart thermostat, you can control it from a dedicated ecobee3 app for iOS and Android. But you can't use Siri to control the ecobee3 by voice on an Android phone.

Indeed, some benefits come from sticking with a single platform from the most recognizable companies. The promise is that everything will work more smoothly. Experiences can be tailored to your preferences.

“The bigger brands are likely in a better position to have already implemented well-thought-through solutions to securing those devices and ensuring adequate privacy protections,” Wright says.

And while you may not rely on it all the time, you can remotely control all the activities from your phone, from finding something to watch to peeking at a security camera — as long as your phone doesn’t slip under a cushion.