All recent Android TVs come with a voice-controlled remote needed to turn it on, navigate the interface, and more. But there might be times when the remote is not nearby, or you’re finding it difficult to type with the D-pad on the remote, or the remote may have stopped working altogether. Thankfully, smart as they are, Android TVs can also be controlled by Android smartphones and even iPhones to an extent.

There used to be an official Android TV remote app available in the Google Play Store, but the remote has now been baked into the Google TV app, formerly known as Google Play Movies and TV. You will need to be at least on Android 4.3 or later, with Google TV app version 4.27.8.93 or later installed in your phone. You can download it off the Google Play Store or APK Mirror if it's not already pre-installed.

Once paired, you can use the remote inside Google TV app to control your Android TV. It can be used to raise or lower the volume, mute it altogether, trigger Google Assistant on the TV to search content and launch apps, go back or home, and navigate the interface. You can either use a virtual D-pad or Swipe Controls to move around and select things. All controls are accompanied by haptic feedback.

Now it might sound cumbersome to have to open the Google TV app every time you want to use the remote, but you can also pin the remote to a Quick Settings tile for instant access. This is probably one of the biggest benefits of this new method. You can do this by editing your Quick Settings shortcuts, browsing the options, and holding/dragging to add the TV Remote option where you'd like it to be, though you may have to set it up first in the Google TV app for it to appear. You can also bring up the remote from the Google Home app.

Sadly, the Google TV remote is not baked into the Google TV app for iOS yet — though that should come eventually. You can only control the volume of your Android TV from the Google Home app on an iPhone. But there are a bunch of third-party smart TV remote apps on the App Store that worked for me.

You can also turn the TV on or off using your phone, but not all Android TVs support this feature. The feature only works on TVs that supports HDMI-CEC. It’s often turned off by default, but you can enable it from Settings, which varies from TV to TV.

Once enabled, you can turn your TV on or off with the remote and from the Google Assistant app on your phone. Say, "Hey Google, turn on the TV" to turn it on. If there’s more than one TV, you will need to say its name. For example, "Hey Google, turn on the Living Room TV." You can even do this remotely when you’re not at home.

Worth noting here is that HDMI-CEC, as a feature, is quite messy and inconsistent across the range of Android TVs available from various OEMs. For some TVs, CEC may let you control the external device volume or only the TV's volume. It can take some research or simple trial and error to determine which features work correctly for your TV.

If the Google TV remote app is not working, or if your TV is not showing up on the list of scanned devices, there are a few things you can try to troubleshoot the issue.

You can also try rebooting your phone — you probably don't need steps for that.

The next time you lose your TV remote, if you happen to be using an Android TV, you can simply reach for your Android phone and leave the real thing stuck down in those sofa cushions or on the kitchen counter.

Mike is a freelance writer for Android Police. He has been blogging since high school and has honed expertise in writing tutorials, guides and how-tos for Android and Chrome.