Google releases Android TV remote app for iOS

Nearly two years after the smart TV platform Android TV was introduced, Google has finally taken an important step towards shoring up the ecosystem by giving iOS users the ability to control the devices with their phones and tablets.

Requiring iOS 8.0 or later, the new Android TV app — available as a free download from the App Store — mirrors the Android version’s functionality completely, according to Android Police. That means the ability to control Android TV-powered TVs, set top boxes, or dongles using either the on-screen buttons and keyboard or via voice command.

Android TV has not become the widely used platform that its namesake mobile OS has, powering only a handful of TV sets and client devices, like Nvidia’s Shield TV and Google’s own Nexus Player.