[Tips and tricks] How to use your smartphone as a universal remote

Tired of searching for your TV's remote? Too lazy to walk to the TV and change the channel? Well, why don't use the device that's always in your pocket to control your TV, or just about any other electronic appliance in your house? Yes, we are referring to smartphones and in this article, we'll guide you through the steps of transforming your device into a handy remote.

The pre-requisite for this guide is a smartphone which comes with an IR (Infrared) Blaster or sensor. A lot of popular smartphones these days come with an IR blaster; the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (review) and the Honor 8 (review) are good examples. These smartphones come with a pre-installed app, which can be used to control different electronic appliances. The app on Xiaomi's phone is called Mi Remote and Smart Controller on the Huawei's phones. Once you have located the application on your phone, follow these simple steps to control your appliances.

Note: For the purpose of this tips and tricks article, we are using the Mi Remote app to explain what you can do. Do note that a few steps could be different if you are using other universal remote apps but most of it will still be the same. 

STEP 1

Open your respective smartphone's app and choose which appliance you want to control using your smartphone. We will be using a Micromax Television for demonstration purposes. 

STEP 2

Select the brand of the TV from the next menu. Make sure your TV is on. 

STEP 3

 

Point your smartphone's IR sensor in the direction of the TV, and follow the onscreen commands to see if the TV responds to the buttons displayed on your smartphone. If the TV doesn't respond then choose a different test button and try again until you get a response from your TV. 

STEP 4

Configure a command for all the necessary buttons and then save your setup. 

If you don't like the bundled apps you can use third-party apps from the Play Store as an alternative. There are some good ones like Peel, IR Universal Remote, and a few more. All in all, a smartphone with an IR sensor is the easiest way to get rid of ancient remote controls. 

Quick fun tip: go to a multi-brand electronics store and switch off all the TVs one by one. Just ensure you are discreet about it, lest you want to get thrown out by the store.