Can I Control My Sharp Smart TV With My Phone?

Sharp is a major brand in Japan—in both the cell phone and television market—and has been a leading innovator in 8k resolution and large HD TVs. With that said, you may be wondering whether you can control your Sharp smart TV with your phone.  

You can control your Sharp smart TV with your phone by downloading the Sharp Remote app, using an infrared blaster, or through Roku—since Sharp has partnered with Roku on most of its smart TVs. If you have Apple TV 4k or HD, Amazon’s Fire Stick, or Google Chromecast, you can do the same thing under a different OS.

In this article, we’ll cover the many ways you can control Sharp’s smart TVs through your smartphone.

Controlling Sharp Smart TVs with the Mobile App

Roku TVs are very user-friendly, especially when it comes to controlling your TV with your phone. Like TCL, Insignia, Hisense, and numerous others, Sharp Roku TVs operate the same. You will find the Roku app on the Google Play Store for Android devices and the App Store for iOS.

You won’t need an infrared blaster on a Sharp Roku TV. The app’s remote layout is similar to the Roku remote that comes with your smart TV—even down to the same color scheme. The control layout is simple and intuitive. Oftentimes, it even works faster and more accurately than the Roku remote that comes with the smart TV. It’s a very popular app, with a 4.7 review score on the App Store and a 4.5 on Google Play.

Also, it comes with an optional, virtual keyboard, voice command, the ability to miracast from your phone to your TV. It also comes with the Roku Channel. When you open the app, you’ll see the options for Roku Channel, Remote, and Devices at the bottom.

The Roku channel is a free addition to the Roku – Official Remote Control app. Like Hulu’s bottom-tier subscription service, you’ll have to endure commercials. But, it’s not a bad addition to a remote control app for your Sharp Roku smart TV.

Controlling Sharp Smart TVs with Infrared Blaster

If you own one of Sharp’s Aquos or Q-series smart TVs, your best option is to purchase an infrared blaster accessory add-on for your smartphone. This is assuming your smartphone doesn’t come with IR built-in. You can find a list of Android devices that support IR here. Apple iPhones don’t come with built-in infrared blasters, and you’ll have to purchase a separate dongle or IR hub:

• Broadlink RM4 Mini IR: Broadlink is a popular brand when it comes to IR, and they offer a large array of different devices.
• Fosa Mini Smart IR Remote: For Android phones that lack built-in support, this device is small and easy to use.
• R09 iOS Lightning Mini Smartphone IR Remote: For owners of the iPhone, this IR blaster is very similar to the Fosa and functions the same.
• Zopsc Wireless Smart IR Remote Control Adapter: As smartphones turn to use USB-C ports, this IR blaster is great for Android devices, as well as Apple. The newest generation Apple iPad Air tossed the lightning input in favor of the USB-C.

It can be irritating knowing that you have to purchase a separate accessory to use your phone as a remote, but Sharp isn’t alone in this. Unless your smart TV comes with Roku built-in, or you purchase Roku, Fire Stick, Apple TV, or Google Chromecast devices, then an IR blaster is generally the best option.

Final Thoughts

Sharp has a remote control app available in both Google Play and the App Store. However, the reviews are so terrible that you should only consider it as a last resort. Currently, the Sharp Smart Remote app has a 1.4-star rating on the App Store and a 2.1 on the Google Play Store.

There are other apps available on the Google Play Store for smart remote control. However, they all require the IR blaster accessory or built-in software.

Outside of Roku, Sharp went through a difficult struggle outside of Japan. While there aren’t many Sharp smart TVs to choose from, they are available and no more difficult to integrate with a smartphone remote than any other smart TV.