HiSense Smart TV Remote

Analysis by Reviewed

In a shared living room, a phone can be an unexpectedly useful second way to control a television. I reach for one when the physical remote has slipped between cushions, someone else is using it, or I want to type a title instead of moving letter by letter on screen. HiSense Smart TV Remote is a free House & Home app from Naba for controlling a HiSense Smart TV with a phone. Its appeal is straightforward: it can make a few ordinary TV tasks easier without requiring the whole household to change how it watches.

When the remote is in someone else’s hands

Picture a typical evening: one person is choosing a film, another wants the volume lowered, and the physical remote has disappeared into the sofa. A phone can be a useful backup in that moment, especially for a quick adjustment or a title search. I would treat this as an extra control option, not as a replacement that every person in the home must use. The familiar remote remains easier for someone who would rather not reach for a phone, while the app suits the person already holding one.

That distinction matters in a shared home. A phone is personal, and handing it over just to change the channel may feel less convenient than passing around a remote. On the other hand, keeping the app on one or two household members’ phones can reduce the scramble when the physical controller is misplaced. It works best when people agree on who is using the phone as the TV controller, rather than assuming every device or household member is automatically part of one shared setup.

Setup depends on the home network

The original setup is straightforward when the phone and television can connect as expected, but the practical first check is your home network. If the TV does not appear, I would confirm that both devices are connected to the same Wi-Fi network before trying again. A guest network, a changed router, or a phone using mobile data can make discovery less convenient. This is a useful troubleshooting habit because it addresses the connection environment before you spend time repeatedly tapping through the app.

It is also worth thinking about where the app belongs. Installing it on your own phone keeps control close at hand, but it does not turn a personal phone into a shared household remote. If another person wants to use it, they may need to set it up on their own device as well. For a household with visitors or children, I would keep the physical remote available and decide whether lending a phone is comfortable; the app should not be mistaken for a family account or a system for assigning viewing permissions.

Setting Up: Easy as Pie

The first thing I noticed about the HiSense Smart TV Remote is how easy it is to set up. All you need is a smartphone, a HiSense Smart TV, and a stable Wi-Fi connection. Once you've downloaded the app, connecting it to your TV is as simple as pie. The app automatically detects your TV model, and before you know it, you're ready to go. No more fiddling with codes and settings!

User Interface: Sleek and Intuitive

Let’s talk about the user interface. The app boasts a sleek and intuitive design that even the least tech-savvy among us will appreciate. The buttons are large enough to tap without accidentally pressing the wrong one, and the layout mirrors a traditional remote control, making the transition from physical to digital seamless. It's like it reads your mind—everything is where you’d expect it to be!

Features Galore

What makes the app stand out in a sea of similar controllers are the features it packs. Not only does it allow you to control volume and switch channels, but it also offers voice command features. Just imagine lounging on your couch and commanding your TV to play your favorite show without lifting a finger! The app even lets you use your smartphone's keyboard for easy text input, which is a godsend for searching titles on streaming services.

Another feature worth mentioning is the app’s ability to create custom shortcuts for your favorite channels or apps. If you’re like me and have a few go-to channels, this feature saves a lot of time. No more endless scrolling through menus!

Useful routines, with a little coordination

Those shortcuts can be most valuable when they reflect how your household actually watches TV. I would put the choices people use most often within easy reach, rather than trying to create a shortcut for every service or channel. That keeps the phone controller practical when you only have a minute to start something. It also helps avoid a small but common annoyance: one person’s favorite destination taking over the shortcut space when several people use the same phone.

For text searches, the phone keyboard is a particularly useful alternative to navigating one letter at a time with directional buttons. I’d use it when searching for a specific title, then hand control back to the ordinary remote if someone else wants to browse. Voice control can also be handy when your hands are occupied, but I would not build a whole viewing routine around it; direct button presses are more predictable when you need a quick, precise adjustment.

Performance: Smooth Sailing

In terms of performance, the app is smooth as butter. The connection between the phone and the TV is stable, with no noticeable lag when changing channels or adjusting the volume. It’s like waving a magic wand—your TV responds almost instantly. Plus, the app doesn’t drain your phone’s battery as much as I initially feared, which is always a plus.

How it compares with other ways to control the TV

The main alternative is the physical remote, and for everyday watching it still has real advantages: it is ready to use without unlocking a phone, and it does not depend on someone’s personal device being nearby. A phone controller makes more sense as a backup, for keyboard-based searches, or when the remote is temporarily out of reach. Compared with navigating an on-screen keyboard using the TV remote, typing on a phone can save effort; compared with a dedicated remote, it asks you to keep a phone available and connected.

There is also a practical boundary around compatibility. This app is specifically for HiSense Smart TVs, so I would not choose it as a general controller for a mixed-brand household. If you want one solution for several different television brands, a universal remote or each TV’s own control option may be a better fit. The app is most compelling when the HiSense television is the device you actually need to control and the phone can join the same home network.

A shared-device routine that stays simple

One sensible household routine is to leave the physical remote in its usual place and keep the app ready on the phone of whoever most often searches for programs. That avoids making one person the permanent gatekeeper of the television while still giving the household a quick fallback. If a guest asks to adjust the volume, passing the regular remote is usually simpler than unlocking a personal phone and explaining how it works.

Shortcuts are most useful when they help with a repeated task rather than trying to mirror every household member’s preferences. For instance, a shared phone could keep a commonly used destination easy to reach, while people with different tastes can still browse normally with the physical controller. This is a small trade-off: shortcuts reduce steps for familiar routines, but they are less helpful if several people continually change them to suit their own habits.

Age, trust, and who should choose it

The app is rated for Everyone, and its purpose is household television control rather than a child-focused experience. That age context can make it approachable for a broad range of users, but it does not create household boundaries: it is not a way to manage who can watch what or to separate one person’s viewing from another’s. I would explain that distinction to children and guests and keep whatever viewing rules the household uses separate from the remote itself.

I’d recommend trying it if you own a HiSense Smart TV and often misplace the remote, search for titles, or want a convenient backup on your phone. I’d skip it if you need a controller for several TV brands, prefer not to use a personal phone around shared devices, or want a setup that works independently of Wi-Fi. The app is on version 7.0 and supports Android 4.4 and later, which gives many older Android phones a chance to run it. Its 4.7 average from around 15,000 ratings and more than 100,000 installs suggest broad uptake, though neither figure guarantees a perfect fit for a particular TV and network.

What to check before relying on it

If the television is in a room where Wi-Fi reception is inconsistent, I would test the connection from the sofa before making the app part of the household routine. A controller that works in one spot but struggles in another can be frustrating precisely when someone is trying to make a quick change. Checking the phone and TV’s network connection first is more useful than repeatedly restarting the app without knowing whether the devices can see each other.

It is also worth deciding how the app fits alongside other control options. If a household already has a dependable physical remote and rarely types searches, the phone version may only be needed occasionally. If the remote is often misplaced or text entry is a regular chore, it has a clearer role. That is the practical distinction I would use when deciding whether to install it: it should solve a recurring inconvenience, not add another device everyone feels obliged to manage.

Final Thoughts

So, is the app worth downloading? In my opinion, yes, for the right HiSense household. It offers a convenient way to control the TV when the physical remote is unavailable and makes text searches less fiddly. It is not a universal solution or a substitute for agreeing how personal devices are shared, but it can make specific moments of TV use easier without asking everyone to change their habits.

My household verdict is positive, with one sensible caveat: treat it as a helpful second controller rather than the only way to use the TV. The app is free, and its Everyone rating makes it easy to consider for a shared home, but the useful choice depends on whether your phone, television, and Wi-Fi routine line up. When they do, keyboard searches and quick adjustments are the strongest reasons to keep it around; when they do not, the ordinary remote remains the simpler answer.

HiSense Smart TV Remote Frequently Asked Questions