Peel Smart Remote (Galaxy Tab)

Peel Smart Remote turns any Android phone or tablet with an IR blaster into a TV remote.

With the Peel Smart Remote, everyone in the home has a remote for every TV set in the home just by having access to a phone or tablet. These days, Android TV remote apps are fairly common, but Peel was really at the forefront of this type of innovation. They even negotiated a deal to include this app with Samsung devices based on that innovation, and this app still does things that others don’t.

The Peel Smart Remote is really simple to configure, and the app has become particularly refined in that regard in the most recent versions. It works by using IR codes, and if you have the right IR code for your TV, you can simply input it. If you don’t, don’t fret. It can scan all known codes until it finds the right one for you. The app isn’t just a simple remote. It can also provide you with a searchable, image-based directory, and it fills that based on the specific service providers you have access to.

Peel Smart Remote requires IR, so it only works with phones and tablets that have IR. The good news is that IR is quite prevalent now, but if you happen to have a device without it, you’re out of luck. There’s no alternative, such as Wi-Fi. It’s also worth noting that experience can vary greatly from one TV to the next. The developer seems to struggle to support all televisions, and if there is an issue with the particular set that you use, you may be waiting a while for a fix.