How to Use Your iPhone as a TCL Android TV Remote App

I still run a TCL 6-Series (65R635) that shipped with Android TV 9, plus a small TCL 4-Series (43S434) in the office. When I went hunting for the old Android TV Remote Control app on my iPhone, it was gone — Google pulled it. The Google TV app took over both sets without a fuss. My one gripe: the first pairing needs a code on-screen, so you do want the TV already on.

Below is the free official replacement, the universal-app option, and a fix for when your phone can't see the TV — each with the catch that actually matters. Prefer the boxed clicker? The TCL Android TV remote guide covers pairing, fixing, and replacing the physical remote itself. If your set runs the newer interface instead, the TCL Google TV remote app guide covers that, and the TCL Google TV remote guide handles pairing and fixing its boxed voice remote; a TCL Roku TV pairs differently again — see the TCL Roku TV remote app guide. Unsure which platform yours is on? The online TCL remote finder identifies it and hands you the matching app in a couple of taps.

The 30-second test: which TCL do you have?

Android TV and Google TV take the same app but look different, and Roku TVs need a different one. Thirty seconds now saves a wrong download.

1. 1Turn the TV on and look at the home screen. Rows of app icons on a dark bar = classic Android TV. A big content banner up top with a "For you" tab = Google TV. A grid of channel tiles = Roku, not Android at all.
2. 2On the TV, open Settings › Network & Internet and note the Wi-Fi name it's joined to.
3. 3On your iPhone, open Settings › Wi-Fi and confirm it shows that same network — not a guest or 5GHz-only band the TV can't see.
4. 4Android TV or Google TV? The Google TV app below pairs with both. Roku? Stop here and use the TCL Roku TV remote app guide instead.

Method 1: Set up the free Google TV app

Google's own app is the no-cost route for any TCL running Android TV. It's the direct replacement for the retired Android TV Remote Control app, with a built-in D-pad, OK button, voice search, and a keyboard for typing into search boxes.

1. 1Install the Google TV app. Download the free Google TV app from the App Store. It replaced the retired Android TV Remote Control app and still pairs with Android TV.
2. 2Join the same Wi-Fi as your TCL. Put your iPhone on the exact Wi-Fi network your TCL Android TV uses. The app reaches the TV over that shared network, never by infrared.
3. 3Tap the remote icon. Open the app, tap the remote icon at the bottom of the screen, and let it scan for Android TV devices on your network.
4. 4Pair with the on-screen code. Select your TCL from the list, then enter the pairing code shown on the TV. After that first pair, the phone reconnects on its own.

Catch: on very old TCL Android TV builds the pairing screen can lag, and the app won't pair with a TCL Roku TV at all. Google's Google TV Help covers the remote if a step looks different on your build.

Method 2: Control any TCL from your browser — nothing to install

If your house mixes TCL platforms — an older Android TV in one room and a Roku TV in another — the online TCL remote finder runs in your phone's browser, identifies the exact set, and hands you the matching way to drive it — no app to download and no account to sign into. For the very first pairing on any set, see how to connect your phone to a TCL TV as a remote.

Catch: like every phone remote, it needs the TV on and on the same Wi-Fi — it can't wake a TCL that's fully unplugged, and it can't reach one over cellular data.

Method 3: Fix a TCL Android TV your phone can't find

If the app scans and shows nothing, the fault is almost never the app — it's the network. On a classic Android TV set the update switch sits under Settings › Device Preferences › About (Google TV moved it to Settings › System), so check there for a system update and reboot the TV. A VPN left on the iPhone and a router that splits the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands are the other two usual culprits. The rest of the checklist is the same on either platform, so it lives on the TCL Google TV guide's fix-it steps.

Still stuck? TCL's official support pages list model-specific network settings, and a general TCL remote not working checklist covers the hardware side.

The old app vs the Google TV app that replaced it

People search for the old Android TV Remote Control app out of habit. It's retired. Here's how it stacks up against the free Google TV app that actually pairs with a TCL Android TV today. Don't want to install anything at all? The online TCL remote finder does it from your browser instead.

Pick the Google TV app if you own a TCL Android TV and already sign into Google on it. If you also juggle a TCL Roku TV, or just want to skip the install and the account step, open the online remote in your browser instead. Not sure which OS your set runs? The TCL TV remote app overview walks through every platform.

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