Looking for a Google TV remote app for iPhone

Tv Remote Apps
1

I’m trying to control my Google TV from my iPhone, but I can’t find a reliable iOS remote app that works the way it should. The options I tried either won’t connect or keep disconnecting, and I need help figuring out the best Google TV remote app for iPhone and how to get it working.

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iPhone app for Google TV remote use, here’s the short version

If you want to control Google TV from an iPhone, I kept running into two choices.

The first one is the official Google TV app. It already has a remote inside it for Chromecast and Google TV devices. You get the usual stuff, navigation, play and pause, voice search, and basic control. It works, and if you already use Google services, setup feels pretty direct. My issue was consistency. Sometimes it connected fast. Other times I had to wait, or reconnect after the TV woke up from sleep. I saw small input lag too, enough to get annoying when you’re hopping around menus.

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Then there’s TVRem – Universal TV Remote App . This one feels less like a single-brand companion and more like a full remote replacement. It supports Google TV and Android TV, but also LG webOS, Samsung, Roku, and other smart TV setups, so you’re not boxed into one platform.

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What stood out to me

  • Pairing over Wi-Fi is quick when your phone and TV are on the same network
  • It works with more than Google TV, which matters if you have mixed devices at home
  • The touchpad control feels smoother than tapping directional arrows over and over
  • Common buttons are easy to reach, like volume, Home, Back, and input selection
  • Keyboard input saves time when you need to type into YouTube or search fields
  • Connection behavior during standby felt steadier than a lot of remote apps I’ve tried
  • The layout is clean, without the usual clutter I see in ad-stuffed remote apps
  • One app handles multiple TVs and streamers, so you don’t end up juggling a pile of remotes

My take

If all you need is a simple official option, the Google TV app does the job. If your setup includes more than one brand, or you want something closer to a real everyday remote, TVRem is the better pick over time. It feels more practical for daily use, and I found it easier to rely on when the physical remote was missing or dead.

3 Likes
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I’d start with the built-in iPhone route before installing more apps.

Open Control Center, tap the Google TV remote tile if it shows up through the Google Home or Google TV ecosystem. For a lot of people, this is more stable than third-party apps because it talks to the device the way Google expects. Weirdly, the full Google TV app is not always the best part of Google’s own setup. I disagree a bit with @mikeappsreviewer there. The remote shortcut tends to feel faster for me.

If you keep getting disconnects, the issue is often not the app. It’s your network.

Check these:

  1. iPhone and TV on the same Wi-Fi band, 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz.
  2. Turn off VPN on your iPhone.
  3. Disable AP isolation or guest mode on your router.
  4. Let Google TV stay on network in standby mode.
  5. Reboot router, then TV, then phone. Dumb fix, works a lot.

If you want a fallback app, test one with keyboard input and wake support. If pairing fails twice, delete it and move on. Most junk remote apps fail fast, tbh.

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I’d actually push back a little on @mikeappsreviewer and @boswandelaar here. Not because they’re wrong, just because with Google TV on iPhone the “best app” is kinda secondary to how the TV exposes remote control.

A lot of Google TV devices use two different control paths:

  • casting/discovery over Google’s ecosystem
  • remote commands over Android TV Remote Service

If that second piece is buggy or sleeping, basically every iPhone remote app feels broken. That’s why one app connects fine one day and acts braindead the next.

What helped me more than swapping apps was this:

  • On the Google TV, go into apps/system apps and make sure Android TV Remote Service is enabled and updated
  • Also update Google Play services on the TV
  • In network settings, give the TV a reserved IP in your router if you can
  • Turn off any “smart connect” band steering temporarily. Some TVs get weird when iPhone jumps bands
  • Check whether your TV maker also has its own app. Sony and TCL stuff can be less flaky with manufacturer apps than generic remotes

My unpopular opinion: most third-party “universal remote” apps for iPhone are fine for testing, but I wouln’t pay for one until the TV side is confirmed healthy. Otherwise you’re just rotating through the same disconnect issue in different menus.

If you want the least annoying setup, fix the TV services first, then test official Google remote features, then third-party apps last. That order saved me a ton of time tbh.

5

I’d actually test one thing nobody mentioned clearly: Bluetooth. Some Google TV boxes pair the remote service more reliably when Bluetooth is on, even though the commands still go over Wi‑Fi. iPhone + TV discovery can get flaky if BT is off.

I partly disagree with @boswandelaar on the Control Center route being the best default. It’s clean, sure, but when it glitches, troubleshooting is opaque. The full app or a universal remote sometimes gives you better feedback.

If you want another option, TVRem – Universal TV Remote App is worth trying.

Pros

  • fast layout
  • keyboard input
  • works with more than just Google TV
  • easier fallback if you own mixed TV brands

Cons

  • still depends on your TV’s remote service behaving properly

Compared with what @reveurdenuit and @mikeappsreviewer said, my rule is simple: if remote apps disconnect mostly after sleep, it’s often a wake handshake issue, not a bad app. Try turning TV quick start / fast boot on. That setting alone fixes a surprising amount.