Some cater to a particular brand or set of devices, while others promise to work across brands. Numerous other TV apps are available in both the Google Play Store and Apple App Store, some free and ad-supported, plus others that carry a fee. enables you to search for channels, connect headphones, turn up the volume, pause and do everything else that the physical remote does. Phillip Swann, editor and publisher of the TV Answer Man! website, says he has received questions from older adults “who have lost their Roku remotes and are clueless what to do. And for better or worse, your smartphone is usually nearby. But they also have dedicated apps that can work with these devices. Such products typically come with remote controls. If your TV doesn’t already have such apps, you can easily add them through Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Google Chromecast, Roku and other set-top boxes and streaming accessories that plug into your television. In the past several years, TVs have gone “smart,” which really means they’re connected to the internet and a variety of streaming channels and apps from HBO Max to Netflix. Most older adults' experience with a remote control started with a television. Beyond news and entertainment, the phone remote is a bridge to the internet-connected smart home, either through its built-in capabilities or when you download third-party apps.īy tapping the phone or summoning such voice assistants as Amazon Alexa, Apple’s Siri, Google Assistant or even Samsung’s Bixby, you can remotely turn on lights, lower the blinds, open garage doors, change the thermostat's temperature and control a gaggle of compatible products and appliances. You might even repurpose a retired smartphone for the job.īut a smartphone turned remote control is potentially so much more than a channel clicker. One device you probably keep in your pocket or purse can substitute for your physical remote control, though apps on your iPhone or Android handset may not address all of your frustrations. Sometimes remotes go missing under a couch cushion or reappear in another room. Any remote also seems to run out of battery power at what seems like the most inopportune times, like just before you’re about to switch the channel to the big game or the cliffhanger reveal of a favorite series. They can’t figure out which remote cluttering their coffee table controls the television, stereo, cable box, Blu-ray player or some other electronics.īut the best universal remote controls don’t come cheap. People have all kinds of reasons to dislike remote controls: They find all of those little buttons too complicated.
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