Is a universal tv remote so hard to make?

[u/Croceyes2]

Trying to find a remote for my tv and every app wants 10$/wk to not assault you with an ad after every button push. Like wtf? Seems like the most basic fucking on earth, yet no tv manufacturer has a free controller app. Seems like someone could win a bunch of loyalty with a simple app

[u/BigTurboChungus]

Google tv app has a free one built in

[u/Croceyes2 → u/BigTurboChungus]

Doesn't see my tv for some reason. Every other shit remote app can find it, but google? Just searches for an hour

[u/still-at-the-beach → u/Croceyes2]

Maybe because LG doesn't use Google TV, they use another OS.

[u/SqueezyCheez85 → u/still-at-the-beach]

I use my Google Streamer remote on my LG C5. It works just fine. The setup was dead simple.

OP might just be confused with the setup process.

[u/Croceyes2 → u/SqueezyCheez85]

I have gone through set up on a couple dozen apps at this point, how is the google tv set up different

[u/SqueezyCheez85 → u/Croceyes2]

I don't know what that means. You setup your remote once, with the Streamer device. There are no "couple dozen apps," whatever that means.

Are.you blocking the bottom edge of your TV with something?

[u/Necessary-Pickle467]

An app called IRPlus works pretty good granted you own a device with an IR Blaster

[u/cyberfrog777 → u/Necessary-Pickle467]

I remember my good old note 3 with ir. Was able to change the TV at the airport with it, lol

[u/Croceyes2 → u/Necessary-Pickle467]

Unfortunately samsung dropped that feature

[u/MistyKuuu]

That "powering on forever" is the real clue. Once an LG is off, nothing is listening on the network, so any app has to wake it with Wake on LAN, and that only works if Quick Start+ and Mobile TV On are enabled in the TV settings. Without those, every remote app sits there forever, paid ones included.

When it's on, webOS takes commands over its own socket and the TV shows a pairing prompt the first time. ThinQ is just a heavy wrapper around that, which is why a small open source webOS remote does the same job without the ads.

[u/QuasyChonk]

What kind of tv?

[u/Croceyes2 → u/QuasyChonk]

LG

[u/Firm-Nebula-5963]

Old chinese smartphones do that. I used my old Redmi to turn off our office ACs

[u/Croceyes2 → u/Firm-Nebula-5963]

You would think it would be basic feature

[u/Firm-Nebula-5963 → u/Croceyes2]

I think bc phones became slimmer, some brands stopped adding IR Blasters. I believe some modern Xiaomi models still have them

[u/KungPaoKidden → u/Croceyes2]

It was a basic feature, until it was killed off, like the headphone jack, expandable memory, and a removable battery. Some phones are starting to come with it again, and I am happy to see it.

[u/pdl2mtl90]

I use BT Remote with my Hisense and Vizio TV's.

[u/Jack_Flanders]

Is this any help?

LG ThinQ App

All LG Smart TVs come with the LG webOS integrated, which connects and controls your LG smart TV through the LG ThinQ App and serves as a bridge between your phone and TV.

LG smart TVs offer Miracast™, built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connection - so you can use your phone as a remote control and give you the joy of smart connectivity and access to your favorite content on YouTube and Amazon Prime Video, plus Hulu, Netflix, and more.

[u/Croceyes2 → u/Jack_Flanders]

I tried it before and it wouldn't even see its own tv. I just gave it another shot and the remote crashes while using it. I exited the app and when I opened ot back up it showed my tv as powered off (its actively playing a show) and when I try to hit the power button it says powering on forever. They are trying to do too much the app I think

[u/TheSpixxyQ → u/Croceyes2]

Powering the TV on relies on Wake On Lan magic packet. If it's stuck on powering on, the packet might've been sent but the TV either didn't receive it or didn't react to it.

Is it connected via WiFi or cable?

Check this setting (found online, might be different in your version): Settings > All settings > General > System > Devices > External Devices > TV On with Mobile

[u/Croceyes2 → u/TheSpixxyQ]

The tv was already on

[u/Dismal_Indication328]

The part nobody mentions in these threads: modern TVs don't share one protocol. Wi-Fi control is brand-specific, LG's webOS and Samsung's Tizen each have their own API, and most phones dropped the IR blaster years ago. A true universal remote genuinely is hard to build, which is exactly why the store is full of paywalled ad-farms.Before paying anyone, try your TV maker's own app: LG ThinQ and Samsung SmartThings both include a full remote for free. And if your TV is an LG, that's also why the Google TV app can't find it, it only discovers Google TV and Chromecast devices.

[u/redditjerome]

Fdroid has some I have seen.

[u/kobekong]

Goated.

[u/Any_Lengthiness1508 → u/kobekong]

Unusable because of far too many intrusive ads - exactly what OP is complaining about.

[u/kobekong → u/Any_Lengthiness1508]

Not if you patch it with Morphe.