Couch Control: Smart TV Remote

Typing on a TV is miserable. Nudging a cursor letter by letter across an on-screen keyboard to search for one video — there's a better way. Couch Control turns your iPhone into a proper remote for your smart TV, with a real keyboard, a trackpad, and one-tap search.

One app for the TVs you actually own. Couch Control speaks the local-network control protocols built into the four most popular smart TV platforms, so it works with most recent smart TVs and streaming players out of the box. Open the app — if your TV shows up in the scan, you're set.

TYPE THE EASY WAY
Tap Keyboard and type with your iPhone's keyboard — the text appears on the TV as you go. When a search box or the browser's address bar is focused on the TV, the keyboard even pops up on your phone automatically. Paste, edit, hit return. No more hunting for letters one arrow-press at a time.

A REAL TRACKPAD
Swipe to move the on-screen pointer and tap to click, just like a laptop trackpad. Scroll long web pages with a dedicated strip. (Pointer control is available on TVs that support it; the rest get a big, comfortable directional pad.)

FINDS YOUR TV FOR YOU
Open the app and it scans your Wi-Fi and lists the TVs it finds, by name. If there's just one, it connects automatically. No typing in IP addresses, no fiddly setup.

EVERYTHING YOU EXPECT FROM A REMOTE
• Directional pad and OK, Back, Home and Exit
• Volume up/down and mute
• Play and pause
• Open any website or search straight from your phone into the TV browser
• Turn a sleeping TV back on with one tap (when your TV supports networked standby)

PRIVATE BY DESIGN
Couch Control talks directly to your TV over your own Wi-Fi. There are no accounts, no logins, and no data collection — nothing about you leaves your phone. Pairing keys are stored securely in the iOS Keychain, and each TV's identity is pinned so only your TV answers.

No ads. No subscriptions. No tracking.

Your phone and TV need to be on the same Wi-Fi network. On first launch, allow the Local Network permission so the app can find your TV. Some TVs show a quick one-time pairing prompt the first time you connect — just accept it on the TV.