Remote by Hand is a TV remote for Apple Watch and iPhone. Lean your wrist to move around the screen, or press the buttons. It works with Android TV and LG webOS over your home Wi-Fi: no cloud, no account.
Tilt your wrist and hold it for a moment: left, right, up or down. The remote moves one step for each lean, so the cursor does not run away. If you prefer to keep moving while you hold, switch on auto-repeat in the watch settings.
The watch measures from where your arm is when you open the app, and you can set a level pose in its settings.
Every key is also a button, on the watch and on the iPhone: directions, OK, back, menu, play and pause, mute, power, and volume on the Digital Crown. Gestures never replace the buttons, so the remote still works when a lean is not what you want.
On watches that support Double Tap, the pinch gesture presses OK.
Siri and Shortcuts can press any key, repeat it (“left 5 times”) and switch a TV on by name. The app name is part of every phrase, which is how Siri knows which app you mean.
Pair as many TVs as you like and switch between them from the watch or the iPhone. A TV that is off can be switched on from the app when the set allows it: through HomeKit if the TV is in your Home, otherwise by Wake-on-LAN, which needs the TV’s own “turn on via Wi-Fi” setting.
The iPhone talks to your TV over the local network and nothing else. There is no cloud, no account, no analytics and no tracking. Motion data stays on the watch.
TV names in the screenshots are sample data. Screenshots from an iPhone in dark and light mode and an Apple Watch Ultra. The iPhone app follows the system theme.
Install Remote by Hand on your iPhone. The Apple Watch app comes with it and appears on the watch.
Open the app and allow local network access, so it can find the TV on your Wi-Fi. The iPhone and the TV must be on the same network.
Pick the TV in the TVs tab. For Android TV or Google TV, type the PIN the TV shows. For LG webOS, accept the prompt on the TV.
Raise your wrist and open Remote by Hand. Keep your arm still for a moment while it learns where level is.
Lean your wrist left, right, up or down and hold briefly to move one step, press OK with Double Tap, or use the buttons.
Remote by Hand is an independent app by 278labs. It is not made, sponsored or endorsed by Apple, Google, LG, Samsung or Roku. Android TV, Google TV, webOS, Tizen and Roku are trademarks of their owners.
A TV remote for Apple Watch and iPhone. On the watch you lean your wrist to move around the TV screen, and every key is also a button. The iPhone holds the connection to the TV.
Yes. In Remote by Hand you lean your wrist left, right, up or down and hold for a moment, and the TV cursor moves one step. The watch measures the lean from where your arm is when the app opens, so you do not have to hold it in a fixed pose.
Android TV and Google TV, and LG webOS. Samsung (Tizen) and Roku are built in but have not been tested on a real set yet, so treat them as experimental. Apple TV and Fire TV are not supported.
No. Apple TV is not supported. Remote by Hand controls Android TV, Google TV and LG webOS sets, and has experimental support for Samsung Tizen and Roku.
The drivers for Samsung (Tizen) and Roku are built in, but they have only been tested against scripted exchanges, not a real TV. They may work, but treat them as experimental.
No. The iPhone talks to the TV over your home Wi-Fi. There is no account, no cloud service, and the app has no analytics or tracking.
Yes. The iPhone and iPad app is a full remote with its own buttons and Siri commands. The watch adds the wrist gestures.
Yes. watchOS apps cannot open the network connections these TVs use, so the watch sends each key to the iPhone and the iPhone sends it to the TV. The iPhone only needs to be in range, it does not need to be in your hand.
Often. If the TV is in your Home app, Remote by Hand switches it on through HomeKit. Otherwise it sends a Wake-on-LAN signal, which needs the TV's own setting for turning on over Wi-Fi. A TV that is completely powered down cannot be woken by any network remote.
Say the app name and a key: “Remote by Hand left”, “OK”, “back”, “play”, “volume up”. Add a count to repeat a key, for example “left 5 times”, and say “turn on the living room TV” to switch a named TV on. Menu, mute and power are available through “Remote by Hand button” and in the Shortcuts app.
The watch reads its motion sensors only while the app is on screen, and stops when you lower your wrist or leave the app. To keep the screen on while you use gestures, the app holds a watchOS extended runtime session, and releases it after a minute without a command. You can turn this off in the watch settings.
It collects no data. Motion data is processed on the watch and never stored or sent. The app talks only to your TV on the local network, and the TV credentials stay on your devices.
Remote by Hand is coming to the App Store. The price is announced at launch.
More answers on the support page.