Description: HTC One Universal Remote is an IR remote app for the HTC One line of devices, with an identical app available for the Galaxy S line of devices, and it aims to make controlling your TV, cable box, DVD player and whatever else super-easy from your smartphone. Consolidating all your remotes into the one thing you always have on you – your smartphone – is n excellent idea, but how well does it work in practice? New devices are always being added to the app and you can even create macros to perform a number of different actions in sequence with each other. Keep reading to find out how to use this Universal Remote and my experiences with it.
How it Works: Before you even go off to download the app, you need to be sure you’re using an HTC One device or Galaxy device like a Galaxy S or Galaxy Note 3 that has an Infrared module built-in. If that’s the case then you can download HTC One Universal Remote from the Play Store here, and download the identical Galaxy app here. The only differences with the app is that they’re designed for different hardware. Here, I’m going to be using the HTC One Universal Remote with an original HTC One (M7), here I’m going to select my TV brand from the list.
Once you’ve chosen your TV manufacturer you’ll be given a remote to test and see if it works. In my experience things worked right away.
What I was more interested in however, is controlling my cable box. I’m in the UK and have Virgin Media service. I enjoy the channel section and such but their remote is such a pain to use, thankfully, HTC One Universal Remote worked straight away and the layout is much easier and simple to use.
In my usage though, I don’t use just one remote at a time, I need to use volume on my TV remote. However, instead of swiping between them, HTC One Universal Remote allows you to create your own custom remote with functions from each, which is really handy if you have multiple devices in your set up.
You can even set up macros to perform certain actions in sequence, too.
It’s not just your TV setup that HTC One Universal Remote will control though, it works well with my old Sherwood HiFi amp which was impressive. There’s a long, long list of what HTC One Universal Remote can control including climate control, dSLR cameras, projectors, games consoles and more. Don’t forget Samsung users, that there’s a similar app available for you as well.
Opinion: As a techie kind of guy, it’s no surprise I have a lot of things to control in a lot of different rooms. Which can get fairly annoying with all those remotes lying around. I have more remotes than I need these days, and universal options are expensive and clunky. However, with this my HTC One can do all the work and it makes everything nice and simple to deal with. Controlling my TV and cable box has never been easier and the very few things I use my HiFi remote for have been reduced to an easy to use app on my smartphone. HTC One Universal Remote can reduce clutter, save you when the remote goes down the couch and it’ll control pretty much anything.
Ratings
- Speed (4/5) – I didn’t noticed much of a lag, if any, when hitting the buttons int he app and set up is quick.
- Features (5/5) – Looking to consolidate those remote controls? Lost one? No matter why you need an app like HTC One Universal Remote, it controls more than just TVs and has a massive range of brands and devices that are constantly being added to.
- Theme (4/5) – An easy to use app that looks good, the theme is a little basic, but something like this doesn’t need to be flashy it just needs to work.
- Overall (4.5/5) – A great way of controlling your TV, Xbox, HiFi and more from one app on your smartphone HTC One Universal Remote (and the Galaxy S4 version) is great, even if it is a little pricey.
Pros
- Easy to setup after having installed the app, runs nice and quickly too.
- No need to spend hours scanning for codes, there’s a massive database of devices in here.
- Simple to use, with a nice layout and large buttons for quick use.
- Macros and custom remotes make controlling multiple devices quick and efficient.
Cons
- Color coding for different remotes would be a nice touch.
- Is fairly pricey, with no free option available however, there is a no-quibble money back guarantee from the developers.
Conclusion: HTC One Universal Remote as well as the Samsung version, is a great app to use if you’re fed up of swapping from one remote to another. It just works with very little fuss, and there’s no need to spend time scanning for remote codes or anything like that. I was genuinely impressed with the wide range of devices that HTC One Universal Remote supported and it makes using my cable box and TV together much easier and helps me control my HiFi and Xbox when gaming, too. A great application that is a little pricey, HTC One Universal Remote is definitely worth looking into if you want simple and easy to use. If, for whatever reason, you don’t like the Universal Remote app, Moletag will simply refund you your money, without even asking any further details.