Why can't my iPhone control my TV or air conditioner remotely?

[QuestHaven]

Why doesn't my iPhone have an infrared remote control?

I think infrared remote controls are quite convenient.

 

[aperfectcircle]

My guess is (a) cost of including the components and (b) the design impact of having to have an ugly piece of plastic somewhere for the IR sensor to shoot out from.

That said, I can control all my TVs from my phone either through the manufacturers smart app or via the Apple TV and CEC. Our AC units are too old but we’ve been looking at replacing them and latest models are all smart with apps, some possibly compatible with HomeKit.

 

[Slartibart]

Why doesn't my iPhone have an infrared remote control?

I think infrared remote controls are quite convenient.

Equally you could ask why do your appliances do not offer bluetooth support for remote control? 🤓 - I understand the convenience in your scenario, but - I might be wrong here - infrared led where used last in the Apple Remote when white plastic unibody Macbooks roamed freely in the wild… and you would not only need a led for emitting light, you would also need a receiver to register the control light pattern from each appliance-specific remote control.
As @aperfectcircle already mentioned, app-controlled via BT or Wifi, or on a higher level Homekit/Matter for orchestrating home appliances are the way to go nowadays.

 

[russell_314]

Why doesn't my iPhone have an infrared remote control?

I think infrared remote controls are quite convenient.

It would cost money…. You’re probably talking at least $2 for components plus cost of R&D needed to accomplish the task.

You might say well I would pay an extra $2 to have it on my phone. No you wouldn’t. That is the cost Apple would have to pay. By the time it got to the price of the phone it might be $20. When you buy an iPhone at retail price, you’re not paying what Apple pays for components.

Companies look at a long list of components they could add that would increase the price and decide with each one is this something that’s going to increase the value of the product they’re selling. I don’t see many people wanting to pay extra for a TV remote built into their phone when you can buy one for $10 at Walmart. An air conditioning remote might cost more but likely used by less people.

 

[QuestHaven]

My guess is (a) cost of including the components and (b) the design impact of having to have an ugly piece of plastic somewhere for the IR sensor to shoot out from.

That said, I can control all my TVs from my phone either through the manufacturers smart app or via the Apple TV and CEC. Our AC units are too old but we’ve been looking at replacing them and latest models are all smart with apps, some possibly compatible with HomeKit.

Not many HomeKit-compatible devices exist.
My colleague can turn off the TV, air conditioner, and lower the temperature using just his phone, which is very convenient.

 

[QuestHaven]

Equally you could ask why do your appliances do not offer bluetooth support for remote control? 🤓 - I understand the convenience in your scenario, but - I might be wrong here - infrared led where used last in the Apple Remote when white plastic unibody Macbooks roamed freely in the wild… and you would not only need a led for emitting light, you would also need a receiver to register the control light pattern from each appliance-specific remote control.
As @aperfectcircle already mentioned, app-controlled via BT or Wifi, or on a higher level Homekit/Matter for orchestrating home appliances are the way to go nowadays.

Nowadays, many mobile phones are equipped with infrared, and infrared + wifi may become the mainstream.

 

[QuestHaven]

It would cost money…. You’re probably talking at least $2 for components plus cost of R&D needed to accomplish the task.

You might say well I would pay an extra $2 to have it on my phone. No you wouldn’t. That is the cost Apple would have to pay. By the time it got to the price of the phone it might be $20. When you buy an iPhone at retail price, you’re not paying what Apple pays for components.

Companies look at a long list of components they could add that would increase the price and decide with each one is this something that’s going to increase the value of the product they’re selling. I don’t see many people wanting to pay extra for a TV remote built into their phone when you can buy one for $10 at Walmart. An air conditioning remote might cost more but likely used by less people.

I don't think the cost would be very high.
I've seen some cheap cell phones have infrared blasters.

 

[Slartibart]

Nowadays, many mobile phones are equipped with infrared, and infrared + wifi may become the mainstream.

»many« …

I don't think the cost would be very high.
I've seen some cheap cell phones have infrared blasters.

»some« …

which is it?

Anything from Samsung, Google, … "brand” models? I am actually curious. 😃
You would still need a light pattern standard for controlling devices, and if there isn’t any, a receiver in the phone to learn these from the remote of a device.

 

[Bichon]

Why doesn't my iPhone have an infrared remote control?

I think infrared remote controls are quite convenient.

Why doesn't your iPhone have a 3.5mm headphone jack? Why, if you live in the US, doesn't your iPhone accept a physical SIM card? Why doesn't it come with a charger? Why won't they sell you a leather case for it? Apple does what Apple wants, some people gripe, and then everyone lines up to buy one.

Dish Network provides remote control functionality for the DVR (including TV volume) that works over the internet from their iPhone app. I never use it because I find the physical remote, which doesn't require unlocking the phone and then running an app to use, way faster and more convenient. For my A/C, I bought a wifi thermostat that I can control from my iPhone, but except when I'm away from home I don't use that either because it's far more convenient to just say "Alexa, set the thermostat to 74"

I'm glad they use the case real estate that would be needed for an IR LED and circuitry for a bigger battery.

But if you really want that IR functionality, you can buy an IR blaster that plugs into the lightning port or USB-C on your iPhone from Amazon for less than $15

 

[erihp]

Mine does, via my WiFi - IR bridging Harmony Hubs.

MightyRC - Apple HomeKit 紅外線控制的首選

透過 MightyRC，你可以輕易的透過 Apple HomeKit 來控制紅外線家電，冷氣、電視、音響、電風扇還有電源插座都沒有問題。同時與 Google Home、Home Assistant 相容。

www.mightyrc.com

is another option and it has some homekit integration as well

 

[QuestHaven]

Thanks for the tip, I’ll give it a try.

Why doesn't your iPhone have a 3.5mm headphone jack? Why, if you live in the US, doesn't your iPhone accept a physical SIM card? Why doesn't it come with a charger? Why won't they sell you a leather case for it? Apple does what Apple wants, some people gripe, and then everyone lines up to buy one.

Dish Network provides remote control functionality for the DVR (including TV volume) that works over the internet from their iPhone app. I never use it because I find the physical remote, which doesn't require unlocking the phone and then running an app to use, way faster and more convenient. For my A/C, I bought a wifi thermostat that I can control from my iPhone, but except when I'm away from home I don't use that either because it's far more convenient to just say "Alexa, set the thermostat to 74"

I'm glad they use the case real estate that would be needed for an IR LED and circuitry for a bigger battery.

But if you really want that IR functionality, you can buy an IR blaster that plugs into the lightning port or USB-C on your iPhone from Amazon for less than $15

 

[QuestHaven]

»many« …



»some« …

which is it?

Anything from Samsung, Google, … "brand” models? I am actually curious. 😃
You would still need a light pattern standard for controlling devices, and if there isn’t any, a receiver in the phone to learn these from the remote of a device.

xiaomi

 

[erihp]

Thanks for the tip, I’ll give it a try.

I would suggest against relying on some random no name product's app. Be careful what you find as far as directly connected IR blasters for iPhone.

example of a review i found for a $10 IR dongle: