In Summary
Xiaomi’s Mi TV is known for a very minimalistic remote. But what if you lose it or the battery goes down? You can use your Android phone as a Mi TV remote by just using their app even if your phone doesn’t have an IR blaster. In this guide, we give you step-by-step instructions on how to use the Mi TV remote app. For all things related to Mi TV and Xiaomi, follow our Xiaomi hub.
Use Any Android Phone as a Mi TV Remote Controller
For turning your smartphone into a full-fledged Mi TV remote, you will need to download Xiaomi’s free “Mi Remote Controller” app. Once installed, ensure that both, the Mi TV and your phone are on the same WiFi network. Next, fire up the Mi TV remote app and wait for it to detect the Mi TV. As soon as it does, you will have an online Mi TV device listed on the home screen. Click that and you’re all set. The interface is fairly straightforward. The bottom half section is the trackpad for moving around and tapping it once will trigger the select option. On the top, you’ll find a bunch of quick settings for volume, returning to home, menu, apps, and power down the TV.
If you think the trackpad is a little inconvenient, you can switch to the D-Pad as well just like the one found on the remote. The option is located under the hamburger icon on the top. In addition to that, you can enable the GamePad mode for playing games from the settings. Although we couldn’t find any games to be properly compatible with Mi TV. Let us know if you do. There’s also a setting for adding the Mi TV remote as a shortcut on the home screen.
Capture Screenshots on the Mi TV
There’s also an option for capturing a screenshot of whatever’s currently being shown on the Mi TV. The image will be saved to your local storage. The resolution is limited to Full HD (1920 x 1080), though. The only concern I have with this feature or app is that it doesn’t require any sort of authentication or confirmation. Anyone, like your friend, as long as they are connected to the WiFi, can have access to your Mi TV’s control. It may be considered nitpicking, but that’s there. That’s it for this quick guide, let us know in the comments section if you’re stuck at some step. If you’d like to read more about the Mi TV, you can take a look at our first impressions.
