Bluetooth Remote, a free third-party tv app on Google Play, is being used by more than 500,000 people to turn a smartphone into a TV remote over Bluetooth. The app’s latest update arrived in March 2026, and its 4.1-star rating is based on 1,700 reviews.
The app gives users directional controls, a number keypad, play and pause buttons and a keyboard, aiming to replace the separate remote that too often goes missing in the couch cushions. Reviewers have praised it as ad-free, simple, straightforward, truly free and free of subscription tiers, which has helped it stand out in a crowded category.
That appeal has not been universal. Some users say the app does not work correctly with their specific television, and others report having to re-pair the Bluetooth connection to the TV often. Those complaints matter because Bluetooth Remote depends on that connection to do its job, and when the pairing breaks, the phone stops being a remote.
There are other options for people who want to control a TV from a phone. The Google TV and Google Home apps can also serve as a remote on compatible devices, but they are built with different goals in mind. Google Home is designed to tie into multiple home features, while Google TV focuses on watching video and adds a remote option when casting. Google also owns Android TV, though Android and Google TV are not the same thing, which can shape whether a phone-based remote works at all.
For now, Bluetooth Remote has found an audience by being free, simple and focused on one job. The question is not whether the app has gained users — it has — but whether its Bluetooth connection stays reliable enough to keep them using it when the TV is already on and the real test begins.
