Those who own the HTC One M8 and HTC One M7 and have been using HTC’s Sense TV application, which allows users to control their TV’s through the IR blaster will soon no longer be able to use the app, as HTC is reportedly going to be shutting down Sense TV beginning April 30th, according to Android Central. For those who were unaware, Sense TV was an app dedicated to the TV lovers and offered functions like a smart remote when paired with the IR blaster on the HTC One M7 , One M8 or the upcoming One M9, while also incorporating an electronic program guide to keep people up to date on what’s playing from their favorite channels.
It also allowed for support of those functions in multiple rooms, which made it even more useful. Unfortunately for those who have become accustomed to using it, Sense TV will soon be no more. This isn’t entirely a loss however, as Android Central states that HTC has confirmed they will instead be opting to promote the Peel Smart Remote app, which comes pre-installed on the new HTC One M9 device that is scheduled to launch on April 10th and is already available in the Play Store for other users. HTC One device owners will likely have to switch to using this app instead if they want to continue to have smart remote features. The good news is that Peel Smart Remote is free to use, and offers the same smart remote functions for controlling your TV, set-top box etc., while also offering an electronic program guide for keeping up on listings of your favorite shows.
Reports about the closure of the Sense TV application started coming in from users of the HTC One M8 Windows model, but HTC reportedly states that this shutdown will affect users on Windows models as well as those running Android. The shutdown more or less makes sense, as Peel Smart Remote and Sense TV are basically the same thing and seem to offer all the same features. If you’re using an HTC One M7, One M8 or One M9, you’ll continue to have access to Sense TV until the shutdown date, users will likely want to switch to using Peel before then however, to make the transition smoother.