This feature comes in extremely handy when you can’t find the damn TV remote. My dog (May he rest in peace) used to hide the TV remote for fun and giggles and thankfully I had the Easy Universal TV Remote App to help me navigate my TV. But that is history, now the app is not that amazing as it used to be. Note: The app was tested on a Samsung Galaxy Note III which comes with an IR blaster. Around 10 TV sets were tested with the app, both old and new ones and only 5 worked well with the app. The rest were either not listed by the app or didn’t work at all. Recommendation: If you are a Samsung user, the WatchOn app has a much capable and responsive TV remote, especially if you have a Samsung TV too. Our Rating: 2.5 out of 5 Stars Google Play Rating: 4.1 out of 5 Stars
The Good
Easy Universal TV Remote app is easy to understand. While I can’t call the interface intuitive, it is still a tangible one. The app is simple in function as well as usage and requires minimal input from you once you set it up.
The Bad
The blatant use of full screen ads is highly tasteless and makes using the app a real pain. The ads pop with such frequency that you feel like browsing the ad section of daily newspaper. Some TVs dont work at all with the app, which is also a negative things for an app called Easy Universal TV Remote.
The Bottom Line
This free TV remote app for Android provides basic functionality and comes with some of the most annoying ads every seen. If it works with your TV, its a great app for occasional usage. But that is a big if because many new TVs are simply not supported. I will go as far as to say that this is just an Easy TV remote app for Android and not Easy “Universal” TV remote one.
How it Looks – 2 out of 5 Stars
The Easy Universal TV Remote App is a nice app but it is far from perfect. The interface is nothing to talk about and is fairly bland. There are a grand total of 6 buttons on the remote face itself which by the way is the default home screen of the app. The program and volume buttons are placed at a nice distance but the power and mute buttons are located way off base. The app makes it hard to reach the mute button, especially if you are using a large screened phone a phablet or a tablet.
The entire main interface while being user-friendly and self-explanatory lacks the polish which you can observe in a first party app. I feel that the remote could have been improved a lot if the studio actually hired an interface designer instead of making the coder do the job. The old-school LCD which shows the program number on the screen is also fairly useless because it’s just a counter not actual channel number. For example, if you are figuratively speaking on channel 20 when you switch on your TV, the Easy Universal TV Remote App will still show it as number one. The volume control for some reason shows a weird symbol when pressed, maybe I don’t understand elfish.
Setting it up – 3 out of 5 Stars
Getting the app on your Android device is a quite simple and standard business. Simply head on to the link provided above and click on install. The app will take very little time to download and get installed on your preferred device. After that simply find it in your App browser and tap on the icon to launch.
Once you have launched the app you can go into the settings by clicking on the gear like symbol on the top right corner of the app screen. Once there you can select your TV model from an extensive list. If you are lucky, your TV will be supported and the app will work flawlessly but if you are like me, you will have to choose another app. The app worked fine with an older Sony TV in the lounge but refused to work on a relatively newer, but not Smart TV, in my bedroom.
Now, you will need to select the connectivity mode. This is where the app gets tricky; you see not all smartphones come with an IR Blaster or port. And similarly not all TVs especially the little older HD TVs don’t come with WiFi capabilities. So you need to know if your phone comes with an IR Port or Blaster and set that accordingly. If your Android device doesn’t come with that, well you can still use the app but only with a SmartTV. I know this is a bit confusing but hey, this is the way it is.
Using The Remote – 4 out of 5 Stars
By some miracle you successfully checked all the points needed to get the Easy Universal TV Remote App to work, the app will work wonderfully. The channels will change, the TV will turn on and the volume will go up and down on your command. It’s a wonderful feeling to control a TV with your Android device, it’s an empowering tool.
There is not much to the app though, turning on and off TVs and changing channels and volume is what the app does. It also mutes the TV in case you need silence but that’s about it, there are no fancy features hidden on the app.
The Interruptions – 1 out of 5 Stars
I get it, making an app is not charity and there needs to be some ads to support the developer. But Easy Universal TV Remote App takes it way too far. Let’s list the times full screen ads were displayed on my smart phone screen:
Turning on the app. Clicking ANYWHERE. Tapping on the settings button. Selecting a TV model. Exiting the settings. Clicking on the Info button which by the way is an Ad button. Getting fooled by the side tongue and clicking it.
Now you have a good idea of how blatant the app is in forcing ads down your throat. It wasn’t like that when I wrote the best TV Remote apps for Android list, but things have taking a turn for worse.
Permissions – 5 out of 5 Stars
One of the best things about this free TV remote app for Android is that it never wants anything from you. Nothing is taken from your phone when this app is at work. No contacts are accessed, no gallery is opened and no information is relayed to hidden servers.
Conclusion:
There are many free TV remote apps on Android and certainly there are much better ones out there. I suggest that you check this app and if and only if it works, keep it. Otherwise there are many options out there which clearly out perform this ad-riddled free Android TV remote app. Samsung users, kindly try the great WatchOn app first before even thinking about using another third party TV remote app for Android. If you have any questions about this app or any other app for that matter, feel free to ask them in the comments below. I love reading your feedback.
