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How to Use Your Android Phone as a TV Remote in Pakistan (2026): Wi-Fi, IR Blaster, and Brand Apps

By Auraz Tech Editorial Team | October 2026

The TV remote has vanished into the sofa again, the batteries are dead, or the remote broke after one too many falls — and the match, the drama episode, or the news bulletin is about to start. The good news is that the phone in your hand can almost certainly replace it: most Android phones in Pakistan can control a TV in under two minutes, with no purchase and no technical skill needed. This guide covers exactly how to use your Android phone as a TV remote — the Google TV app method for Android TV and Google TV sets, the official brand apps for Samsung, LG, Roku and Fire TV, the infrared blaster method for older TVs that have no Wi-Fi, and what to do when your phone has no IR blaster at all, plus the setup details that make it actually work first time, and fixes for the problem nearly everyone hits: an app that cannot find the TV.

Illustration of a person using an Android phone as a TV remote in a living room

Before You Start: Which Method Fits Your TV?

There are two completely different ways a phone controls a TV, and picking the wrong one is why most people give up. The first way is over Wi-Fi: your phone sends commands through your home Wi-Fi network to a smart TV or streaming stick. This works for Android TV and Google TV sets, Samsung, LG, Roku and Fire TV devices, and it needs no special hardware in the phone — any Android phone with Wi-Fi can do it. The second way is infrared, the same invisible light beam a normal remote uses: your phone needs a built-in IR blaster, a tiny transmitter on its top edge, and it works with almost any TV, smart or not, including the old CRT-era and early LCD sets still common in Pakistani homes. Wi-Fi remotes can do things infrared cannot, like typing a search with your phone keyboard, while infrared works even when the Wi-Fi is down or the TV has never been online. So the rule is simple: if your TV is a smart TV connected to your home Wi-Fi, start with the Wi-Fi method. If your TV is old, has no Wi-Fi, or its smart features were never set up, check for an IR blaster. Many households will end up using both — Wi-Fi for the smart TV in the lounge, infrared for the older TV in a bedroom.

One more check before you begin: your phone and your TV must be on the same Wi-Fi network for the Wi-Fi method, and this is the single most common reason setups fail. If your phone is on mobile data, or on a different Wi-Fi network name than the TV — for example, the router's 5 GHz network while the TV is on the 2.4 GHz network — the app will never see the TV. Open Settings, then Wi-Fi, on your phone, and note the network name. Then check the TV's network in its Settings menu. If they differ, move one of them to match the other. Also note that a phone remote is a replacement for everyday buttons — power, volume, channels, play and pause, navigation — not a full service menu tool. Deep TV settings, like a factory reset or a channel rescan on some models, still need the original remote or the buttons on the TV itself, so keep the original remote somewhere safe even after your phone is working as a remote.

Method 1: Use the Google TV App (Android TV and Google TV)

If your TV runs Android TV or Google TV — which covers TCL, Haier, Sony, Hisense, and many local-brand smart TVs sold in Pakistan, plus any TV with a Chromecast with Google TV plugged in — the official Google TV app is the best starting point. It is free, made by Google, and it is not tied to one TV brand, so it keeps working even if you change TVs. Install the Google TV app from the Google Play Store, then follow these steps.

  1. Connect your phone and your TV to the same Wi-Fi network, and make sure the TV is switched on and actually online — open YouTube or another app on the TV to confirm it can reach the internet.
  2. Open the Google TV app on your phone and sign in with the same Google account used on the TV, if it asks. Allow it to find devices on your local network when prompted — without this permission it cannot discover the TV.
  3. Tap TVs nearby at the bottom right of the app, then tap your TV's name in the list that appears.
  4. Your TV shows a pairing code on screen. Type that code into the phone and tap Pair. The remote screen opens immediately.
  5. Use the on-screen remote: the D-pad or swipe pad moves around menus, the centre button selects, and there are buttons for back, home, volume, mute, and play and pause. Switch between D-pad and swipe controls from the remote screen if one feels awkward.

Two features make the phone remote genuinely better than the plastic one. First, typing: when a search box opens on the TV, your phone's keyboard pops up, so searching for a drama on YouTube or a movie on Netflix takes seconds instead of painful letter-by-letter entry with arrow keys. Second, speed of access: on many Android phones you can add the TV remote to Quick Settings, so you pull down the notification shade, tap the TV Remote tile, and the remote is on screen in about two seconds, without opening the app at all. If the Google TV app cannot find your TV, do not reinstall it yet — work through the same-network check and the troubleshooting section below first, because a fresh install rarely fixes a network problem. Our Wi-Fi fix guide covers the deeper steps if your phone itself struggles to stay connected to Wi-Fi.

Method 2: Use Your TV Brand's Own App

If your TV is not an Android TV or Google TV, its maker almost certainly has its own free remote app, and it is usually the most reliable option for that brand because it is built for its exact menus. The setup is the same in every case: install the official app from the Play Store, connect phone and TV to the same Wi-Fi, open the app, let it find the TV, and enter the code or confirm the pairing on the TV screen if one appears. Install only the official app from the brand itself — not a lookalike with a similar name — and skip any app that demands a subscription just to show volume buttons.

Brand apps have one practical advantage over generic universal remote apps: they understand the TV's own features. A Samsung app knows Samsung's app launcher, an LG app knows webOS, and a Fire TV app knows Alexa voice search, while a generic app often only manages the basic buttons. If you have TVs of different brands in different rooms, there is nothing wrong with keeping two or three official apps on your phone — they are free, small, and each one only wakes up when you open it. Just label them clearly on your home screen, or you will open the Samsung app while standing in front of the LG TV, which is a more common mistake than anyone admits.

Method 3: Use the IR Blaster (Older TVs, and Anything with a Normal Remote)

An IR blaster is a small infrared transmitter, usually a tiny dark dot on the top edge of the phone, that sends the same invisible signals as a normal remote control. In 2026 it is rare outside a few brands, but those brands are exactly the ones most common in Pakistan: Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco phones very often include one, including the Redmi Note 14 and Note 15 series, and some OnePlus and Honor models have it too. No current Samsung Galaxy phone has one, and no iPhone ever has. The advantage of infrared is that it needs no Wi-Fi, no account, and no pairing: point the phone at the TV, press a button, and it works, including on old TVs, set-top boxes, air conditioners, and soundbars that no app could ever reach over Wi-Fi.

  1. Check your phone has an IR blaster: look for the small dark lens on the top edge, or check whether a remote app such as Mi Remote came preinstalled. On Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco phones, Mi Remote is the built-in app and it is already set up for this.
  2. Open Mi Remote (or your phone maker's remote app), tap to add a remote, and choose the device type — TV first, then air conditioner, set-top box, or fan if you want those too.
  3. Choose the brand of your TV from the list — Samsung, LG, TCL, Haier, Sony, Dawlance, and most other brands sold in Pakistan are there — and point the phone at the TV.
  4. The app sends test signals: press the on-screen power or volume button when asked, and confirm whether the TV responded. If the first brand profile does not work, try the next one offered for the same brand — manufacturers reuse remote codes across models, and the second or third profile often matches.
  5. Once it works, save the remote with a clear name, such as Lounge TV or Bedroom TV, and repeat for other devices. One phone can hold remotes for the whole house.

Infrared has honest limits. It needs a clear line of sight: the phone must point at the TV, and a person standing in the way or a closed cabinet door blocks it, just like a normal remote. Its range is a few metres, similar to a plastic remote, and it cannot type searches or browse a smart TV's apps the way a Wi-Fi remote can. It also cannot reach a device in another room. But for the everyday job — power, volume, channels, input switching on an old TV — it is instant and it works during load-shedding on a UPS-powered TV when the router is off, which is exactly when a Wi-Fi remote fails. If your phone has an IR blaster, set it up even if you mainly use Wi-Fi: it is the backup that works when everything else does not.

Method 4: No IR Blaster and No Smart TV? Your Options

If your phone has no IR blaster and your TV has no Wi-Fi, a phone app cannot control that TV directly — no app can create infrared light from hardware that is not there, and any app that promises to is selling ads, not a remote. You still have three sensible options. First, a universal remote from a local electronics shop: it costs a few hundred rupees, works with almost every TV brand out of the box, and needs no phone at all. This is the honest best answer for an old TV, and it is cheaper than any dongle. Second, a USB-C infrared dongle: a tiny plug that adds an IR transmitter to a phone, sold online for a low price. Dongles work with some phones and some remote apps, but support varies, some phones do not supply enough power through USB-C for them, and a dongle sticking out of the charging port is easy to lose — try it only if you specifically want the phone-as-remote experience on an old TV. Third, upgrade the TV rather than the phone: a Chromecast with Google TV or a Fire TV stick, plugged into the old TV's HDMI port, gives it the full Wi-Fi remote method from this guide, plus streaming apps, for far less than a new TV. If your old TV has no HDMI port at all, it is too old for a streaming stick, and the universal remote is the answer.

One more idea worth knowing: an old Android phone can become a permanent living-room remote. If you have a retired phone with an IR blaster, or one that runs the Google TV app, leave it on the coffee table, charged, with only the remote app on its home screen. It never leaves the room, so it never gets lost in a bag or a bedroom, and the whole family learns where the remote lives. Just remove your personal accounts from it first if other people will use it, and keep it on Wi-Fi only — with no SIM and no mobile data, it costs nothing to run. Our old-phone guide covers other useful second lives for a retired phone, and our casting guide explains how to send videos from your phone to the TV screen, which is a different job from remote control but pairs well with it.

Tips That Make a Phone Remote Actually Pleasant

First, add the remote to Quick Settings if your phone offers it: the Google TV remote tile, or your brand app's widget, turns a two-minute fumble into a two-second tap, which matters when an advertisement is blaring. Second, use the phone keyboard for every search and password: typing a Wi-Fi password or a YouTube search on the phone is faster and far less error-prone than arrowing across an on-screen keyboard. Third, keep the phone charged and the screen awake while watching: a phone remote that locks mid-show needs an unlock and a reconnect, so set the screen timeout a little longer during a match, or just tap the remote now and then. Fourth, turn the phone's own media volume and the TV volume into separate habits — pressing the phone's side volume buttons while a video is playing on the phone changes the phone, not the TV, so use the volume buttons inside the remote app, not the physical buttons. Fifth, if the house shares one TV, agree on one app: three family members with three different remote apps, all paired to the same TV, leads to the classic argument about who changed the channel. And finally, keep the original remote in a drawer, with batteries, as the backup for the day the phone is charging in another room or its battery dies mid-episode.

Troubleshooting: App Cannot Find the TV, Buttons Do Nothing, and More

FAQ

Can any Android phone work as a TV remote?

Almost any Android phone can control a smart TV over Wi-Fi with the right app, such as the Google TV app for Android TV and Google TV, or the TV brand's own app. Controlling an older TV that has no Wi-Fi needs a phone with a built-in infrared blaster, which most Samsung phones and all iPhones lack, so check which method fits your TV before you start.

Why does the Google TV app not find my TV?

The phone and TV are almost always on different Wi-Fi networks, or the TV is not connected to Wi-Fi at all. Put both on the exact same home Wi-Fi network name, check the TV is actually online by opening YouTube or another app on it, turn the phone's Wi-Fi off and on again, and restart the TV if it still does not appear.

How do I know if my phone has an IR blaster?

Look for a tiny dark dot or lens on the top edge of the phone, and check whether a remote app such as Mi Remote is preinstalled. Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco phones commonly have one, while Samsung Galaxy phones do not. If no remote app came with the phone and there is no dot on the top edge, your phone almost certainly has no IR blaster, and no app can add one.

Can my phone turn the TV on and off?

Yes, in most cases. A Wi-Fi remote app can switch a smart TV on and off as long as the TV stays connected to power and its network standby is on, and an IR remote can switch almost any TV on and off by pointing the phone at it. If the TV was unplugged from the wall, or its power-saving mode fully cuts the network, no phone remote can wake it and you need the physical remote or the TV's own power button.

Is it safe to use a free universal remote app from the Play Store?

Stick to official apps: the Google TV app, your TV brand's own app, or your phone maker's own remote app such as Mi Remote. Many random universal remote apps are full of ads, ask for permissions they do not need, or put basic buttons behind a subscription. Check the developer name, read recent reviews, and never grant a remote app access to your contacts, messages, or files.

What can I do if my TV remote is lost and my phone has no IR blaster?

If your TV is a smart TV, use its brand's Wi-Fi app or the Google TV app, which need no IR hardware at all. If your TV is an old non-smart TV, a cheap universal remote from a local electronics shop costs less than most phone accessories and works immediately, and a USB-C infrared dongle is a second option, though dongle support varies by phone.

Auraz Tech Editorial Team — we test every guide on real devices and keep our tutorials updated.