TV Remote for Android TV

A fast, privacy-focused, and completely free Android TV remote control app that lets users control Android TV and compatible Smart TVs over the same Wi-Fi network.

No ads. No subscriptions. No premium locks. Just a simple and reliable TV remote experience.

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Why I Built This

I built TV Remote for Android TV to make everyday TV control simpler when a physical remote is missing, out of battery, or inconvenient to use. My goal is to provide a fast, clean, and reliable remote experience without advertisements, subscriptions, or feature restrictions.

This project is designed for people who want a practical TV remote that respects their time and privacy.

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Feel the Remote

TV Remote for Android TV is designed to feel familiar from the first tap. The interface focuses on the controls people use most: navigation, select, back, home, volume, power, and keyboard input.

The goal is simple: pick up your phone, connect to your TV, and control it naturally.

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Features

• Local Network Auto-Discovery: Automatic discovery of compatible Android TVs on the same local Wi-Fi network using ConnectSDK (Chromecast, Cast services).
• Smooth Navigation: D-pad control and gesture touchpad controls.
• Universal Input controls: Select, Back, Home, and TV Menu buttons.
• Volume and Power Controls: Control your TV volume and trigger power-off/standby (on supported TVs).
• IME Keyboard Sync: Sync typing from your mobile device directly to your Android TV search fields and text boxes.
• Customizable App Strip: Reorder quick-launch applications shown at the top strip of the remote (fully unlocked for all users).
• Appearance Customization: Dynamically extract wallpaper colors (Material You) and customize basic color themes.
• Zero Monetization: Free of AdMob SDK, billing client integrations, tracking libraries, and paywalls.

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Screenshots

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Technology Stack

• Kotlin: Language of choice for clean, modern Android development.
• Jetpack Compose: Modern declarative toolkit for building high-performance UIs.
• Material Design 3: Google's latest design system for fluid, responsive components and colors.
• Coroutines & Flow: Async programming and reactive data streams.
• Jetpack DataStore: Safe, async preference storage.
• ConnectSDK: Service discovery library supporting Chromecast/Cast protocol.
• Protobuf: Android TV pairing and messaging protocol parsing.
• BouncyCastle: Encryption provider for SSL/TLS pairing certificates.
• Java-WebSocket: Communication layer for remote commands.
• Retrofit & OkHttp: Rest client for APIs and backend configurations.
• NanoHTTPD: Lightweight embedded HTTP server to support media casting.

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Architecture Overview

The project uses clean architectural design patterns with structured separation of concerns:

• UI & Presentation: Jetpack Compose screens and themes. State management is driven by a single unified TvRemoteViewModel exposed as StateFlow.
• Navigation: Structured graph defined in AppNavGraph.kt.
• Low-Level Android TV Lib: Lower-level pairing, certificate generation, connection handshake, and protocol message delivery are managed cleanly in androidLib/.
• Services: CastService and KeepAliveService ensure background connection stability and notifications are handled cleanly without memory leaks.

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Requirements

• Android SDK version 24 (Android 7.0) or higher.
• Java Development Kit (JDK) 17.
• A physical Android TV or Android TV emulator.
• Both devices (Phone and TV) must be connected to the exact same Wi-Fi subnet.

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Installation and Build Instructions

To build the project yourself:

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/harimoradiya/TV-Remote-for-Android-TV.git
   cd TV-Remote-for-Android-TV

2. Open the project in Android Studio.
3. Generate a mock google-services.json or place your own inside the app/ directory (required by the Firebase plugin). A dummy format:

   {
     "project_info": { "project_number": "123", "project_id": "mock-id", "storage_bucket": "mock.appspot.com" },
     "client": [{ "client_info": { "mobilesdk_app_id": "1:123:android:123", "android_client_info": { "package_name": "com.hari.androidtvremote" } }, "api_key": [{ "current_key": "mock" }], "services": {} }],
     "configuration_version": "1"
   }

4. Build the debug APK via Gradle:

   ./gradlew assembleDebug

5. Deploy to your connected device/emulator.

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How to Connect to an Android TV

1. Ensure your phone's Wi-Fi is enabled and connected to the same network as your TV.
2. Open TV Remote for Android TV.
3. Tap on the Cast/Discover icon in the top right.
4. Select your Android TV from the discovered device list.
5. If pairing for the first time, a pairing code will appear on the TV screen. Enter it in the app's pairing dialog to establish a secure SSL/TLS connection.
6. Once connected, use the remote pad, touchpad, volume keys, and keyboard!

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Project Structure

app/
  src/main/java/com/hari/androidtvremote/
    androidLib/       # Lower-level TV pairing protocol & SSL handshakes
    navigation/       # AppNavGraph and screen routing definitions
    preference/       # Material You theme preference DataStore
    services/         # Foreground Services (CastService, KeepAliveService)
    ui/               # UI Layer (Screens, Theme, ViewModel)
    utils/            # Logging, Analytics, Web Server, and constants
  src/main/res/       # Vector drawables, strings, and app configurations
docs/
  images/             # App screenshots
.github/
  workflows/
    android.yml       # GitHub Actions Continuous Integration (CI)
README.md
LICENSE
CONTRIBUTING.md
CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md
SECURITY.md
CHANGELOG.md
.gitignore

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Privacy and Security

• No Data Harvesting: The app operates locally. No private data, IP addresses, TV identifiers, or keystores are uploaded to external servers.
• No Monetization Identifiers: We have removed all ad-tracking tags and identifiers.
• Secure Transport: Pairing and remote messaging occur over encrypted SSL sockets.

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Open-Source Contributions

We welcome forks and pull requests! Please read our CONTRIBUTING.md and respect the CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md.

Do not commit credentials, signing assets, or production configuration variables in pull requests.

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Roadmap

• Support gesture swipe zones in the touchpad mode.
• Add quick-settings tile support to lock/unlock TV from the notification drawer.
• Enhance TV auto-reconnect flow after network wake events.

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Support / Optional Donations

Optional donations to the developer, Hari Moradiya, help support ongoing maintenance and new features. Donations are fully voluntary and never unlock extra functionality. Every feature in this application remains 100% free and open to everyone.

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Disclaimer

This application is an independent project and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Google LLC, Android TV, Google TV, or any television manufacturer.

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License

This project is licensed under the Apache License 2.0. See the LICENSE file for details.

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Author and Contact

Hari Moradiya
Email: harimoradiya123@gmail.com
GitHub: harimoradiya