Remote by Hand Support

It is 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 app holds the connection to the TV and has the same keys.

Android TV and Google TV, and LG webOS. Both have been tested on real TVs. 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. The iPhone and iPad app is a full remote with its own buttons and Siri commands. The watch adds the wrist gestures and a remote on your wrist.

iPhone and iPad on iOS and iPadOS 17 or later, and Apple Watch on watchOS 10 or later. The iPhone and the TV need to be on the same Wi-Fi network.

There is no sign-up and no account of any kind. Remote by Hand is coming to the App Store, and the price is announced at launch.

Open the TVs tab on the iPhone, choose the TV, and enter the code the TV shows. The app finds TVs on your Wi-Fi by itself; if yours is not listed, add it by its address or use Scan network.

Choose the TV in the TVs tab and accept the prompt that appears on the TV screen. Pairing is remembered, so it reconnects by itself next time.

Check that the TV is on and on the same Wi-Fi as the iPhone, and that Remote by Hand is allowed to use the local network in the iPhone’s Settings. If a TV was reset or its remote service was cleared, forget it in the app and pair it again.

On the TV open Settings, Apps, See all apps, show system apps, then Android TV Remote Service. Force stop it, clear its storage and restart the TV. Wait until the TV is fully back on its home screen and try pairing again.

When the TV allows it. If the TV is in your Home app, Remote by Hand can switch 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 (on LG it is called Mobile TV On), and the app needs to have connected to the TV once while it was on.

Yes. Pair as many as you like. The one marked active in the TVs tab is the one the watch controls, and you can switch from the watch’s TVs screen as well.

Tilt your wrist and hold it for a moment: left, right, up or down. Return your wrist to level before the next one. The line under the keys on the watch says Ready when a new lean will be recognised.

Tap Centre on the watch while your arm rests where you want level to be. If a direction is still mirrored, change the direction switches in the watch settings. If leans do nothing, try a smaller lean angle or a shorter hold time there.

Yes. By default one lean is one press. Switch on auto-repeat in the watch settings to keep moving while you hold.

The watch keeps the app on screen for a short time after your last command, then lets the screen sleep. You can turn this off in the watch settings. Touching the screen or turning the Digital Crown also keeps the watch awake.

The app name is part of every phrase, for example “Remote by Hand left”, “Remote by Hand OK”, “Remote by Hand volume up” and “Remote by Hand left 5 times”. You can also switch a TV on by the name you gave it.

Yes. The same commands appear in the Shortcuts app, where you can use them in your own shortcuts and automations.

No. The app has no analytics, advertising or tracking, no account and no network requests to the developer. Read the privacy policy at remotebyhand.278labs.co.uk/privacy/ for details.