Is TV Remotely safe and private?

The app looks for compatible TVs on the local network and sends control commands directly to a connected TV. It stores remembered TVs and preferences in the app’s private storage. Pairing credentials are stored in the iOS Keychain or Android EncryptedSharedPreferences. The app does not need a TV Remotely account to do this.

On iPhone, Local Network permission lets the app find and reach devices on your network. You can revoke it in iOS Settings, but remote discovery and control will then stop working. See why iPhone asks for Local Network access. A trusted home network and a TV you are authorized to control are sensible prerequisites.

The current TV Remotely Android manifest requests internet, Wi-Fi state, multicast state and network state access for local discovery and control. It does not request the Android Nearby Devices permission. Android’s Wi-Fi and Nearby Devices permissions are not interchangeable, and a prompt in another remote app does not describe TV Remotely’s permissions. If a future app version changes this, this explanation should be reviewed against that release.

No. The phone-to-TV commands are local, but the app retrieves a small settings file from tvremotely.com for service notices and update requirements. Usage analytics, when enabled, also use an external service. Casting a selected file runs a temporary server on your phone so the TV can fetch that item over the home network. Local remote control and internet-connected support or analytics are separate activities.

Google Analytics for Firebase is on by default and can be turned off in the app under Settings → Privacy & data. It processes an app-instance identifier, basic device and app information, coarse location derived from IP address, usage duration and a limited set of outcomes: for example whether discovery found TVs, pairing succeeded, a cast started, or a command type failed. Events can include the TV make and platform.

According to the current policy, app analytics does not receive TV names, exact model numbers, TV network addresses, Wi-Fi names, watched content, text typed into the remote, names of launched apps or selected media files. The website uses separate Google Analytics cookies to measure page visits; the app’s analytics switch does not control website analytics. The Privacy Policy gives the full list and retention explanation.

A support report is different from passive analytics. Reports and replies are reviewed and then posted on the public support board. The form can include TV make, platform, model, phone OS and app version. In the app, up to 50 recent diagnostic events are attached unless you switch off “Attach diagnostics.” Those events can include the TV name you set and names of apps launched from the remote; network addresses and host names are removed before storage.

Read the event log and the form before sending. Do not put a pairing code, password or private network detail into a public post. An optional email address for a reply is stored separately and is not published. See the support board and full report policy.

Until the app is in the stores, this website offers a “notify me” form. It stores your email address, the phone platform you choose and the page you signed up on, and uses them for one email when the app is available. The list is then deleted. It is not a newsletter and is not linked to support posts. See launch notifications in the policy.

• Turn app analytics off in Settings → Privacy & data if you do not want it collected going forward.
• Review or clear saved TVs and layouts in Settings. On iOS, Keychain entries can survive deleting the app; clear them from Settings first if you want pairing credentials removed.
• Use only a network you trust, and avoid permissive TV control settings unless a specific setup requires them.
• Check the TV’s own paired-device list if you want to revoke a previously approved phone.