I have lost, sat on, and buried my TV remote so many times that I gave up looking for it and started using my old phone. It is sitting in the couch cushion graveyard next to the one I lost anyway, and it works better than the original. You probably have the same phone in a drawer right now.

What You Need

• An old smartphone, Android or iPhone.
• WiFi, so the phone and the TV are on the same network.
• A remote app. The universal ones work with almost every smart TV.

The Setup

1. Charge the old phone and connect it to your home WiFi.
2. Install a universal remote app. Pick one with a good rating and no ads that cover the buttons.
3. Open the app and let it scan your network for the TV. It finds most smart TVs automatically.
4. Pair the phone to the TV. Some TVs show a code, some just connect.
5. Test the buttons, then pin the app on the home screen so it opens in one tap.

That is it. Five minutes and you have a remote that never gets lost, because the phone is too big to disappear between the cushions.

When a Remote App Will Not Work

• Old TVs without WiFi. If your TV is not a smart TV, the app has nothing to talk to.
• TVs with no remote app support. Check the app’s supported list before you install.
• If your old phone has an IR blaster, usually an Android thing, you can control almost any TV with IR. That phone is a universal remote for everything.

Bonus Uses for the Old Phone

• Cast videos to the TV from the phone’s browser.
• Use it as a dedicated remote for your streaming stick.
• Keep it plugged in on the coffee table as a TV control station.

My old phone has been my TV remote for six months. I do not even know where the original remote is anymore. It is probably still in the couch. The phone works, never needs new batteries, and cost me nothing.