Remote Control for Roku TV

About Remote Control for Roku TV

I saw this app mentioned on a forum last Tuesday night and downloaded it purely out of curiosity. My first thought was, “Great, another free app that’ll probably beg for a subscription after a week.” I already have the official Roku app, but it feels bloated. I figured I’d test this SoulApps Studio one, fully prepared to delete it in five minutes. To my surprise, it didn’t ask for money, weird permissions, or even an account. It just opened up and immediately showed my living room TV. That immediate, no-nonsense start got my attention.

Features & Highlights

The remote layout is right there, mirroring the physical one. It has the directional pad, playback buttons, and even those shortcut buttons for Netflix and Hulu. The real star, though, is the keyboard. Typing with the actual Roku remote to search for a show is my personal nightmare. With this, I just tap the keyboard icon on my iPhone and type. When my friend Mark was over on Wednesday trying to find a documentary, I typed the whole title in two seconds from my couch. He just stared at the TV and said, “Okay, that’s way better.” I also love that the power and volume buttons for my TV are on the main screen. I didn’t have to program anything or dig through settings; it controlled my TV’s power right away, which even the official app sometimes struggles with.

User Experience

Setup took about ten seconds. I opened the app, it scanned, and “Living Room Roku TV” popped up. One tap and I was connected. The connection has been solid. I’ve used it from my kitchen while making coffee to skip YouTube ads, and there was no lag. The interface is clean and simple. Everything is where you’d expect it to be. It doesn’t try to be a smart home hub or a movie guide; it’s just a remote. That focus is what makes it good. It feels like a tool, not an advertisement for other services. Using my iPhone 15 Pro, the buttons are responsive and the haptic feedback is a nice, subtle touch that makes it feel less like a screen and more like a button.

Pricing

This is where my skeptic’s mind was blown. It’s free. Totally free. There’s a small banner ad at the very bottom of the screen, below all the controls. It’s just a static image ad. It doesn’t play sound, doesn’t pop up, and doesn’t get in the way. I’ve used it for three days and I honestly forget the ad is there most of the time. I’ve scoured the settings and there is no “Go Premium” button, no “Remove Ads” purchase, no subscription in sight. For the sheer convenience of the keyboard alone, the trade-off of that tiny banner is more than fair. It feels like a genuine free utility, not a free trial.

Updates & Support

I did have one small hiccup. The app initially didn’t see my older Roku stick in the bedroom. I figured, “Here’s the catch,” and sent a message to support through the app’s contact form. I didn’t hear back for two days, which was longer than I’d hoped. But when they replied, the person was helpful and asked for my Roku model number. They suggested making sure the stick was on the same Wi-Fi network, which was a basic step I thought I’d checked. Turns out, my phone had jumped to the 5GHz band and the stick was on 2.4GHz. Once I sorted that, the app found it. The app itself has had a few updates recently according to the App Store, which is a good sign they’re not abandoning it.

Security & Privacy

This was a big one for me. I don’t like apps that ask for a bunch of permissions they don’t need. This app only asks for access to your local network, which makes sense because it needs to find your Roku devices. That’s it. No request for contacts, location, or camera. The privacy policy on their website is straightforward and says they don’t collect personal data. The connection is direct between your phone and the TV on your home network; nothing seems to be routed through some external server. It feels private and local, which is exactly what you want from a remote control.