iOS remote app for controlling a youview box directly?

wil

The current iOS youview app for setting up recordings is like most apps a joy to use.
Is an iOS 'remote' app planned or exist to directly control any one of the youview boxes instead of the using standard remote?
Such remote apps by Panasonic TV/Apple with touch screen graphics are very clear and simple to use and make life so much easier for the elderly who can find the myriad of buttons on standard remotes confusing.
Any suggestions of such products that may help my elderly mother use youview without getting confused, prolonging her independence, would be much appreciated.
  

Roy

Hi wil

It can be done, because there is/was a touch-screen YouView remote as part of Slingbox, but that brings its own complications, and is wildly overkill for your mother.

YouView have talked about using Amazon Alexa to control YouView boxes, though this is, at best, in internal development at the moment, if it is even that far along.

But studies have shown that Alexa is a boon to the elderly, where they can just speak to it to control things, instead of having to use buttons or keyboards; but there is no release date slated for this at present.

I hear very good reports of Harmony controllers, where someone like yourself can set up a series of TV and YouView box (say) keypress combinations, and assign the sequence to a single key; that may be something to explore also.

Other universal remotes also exist.

scott

As Roy says you can get just the harmony hub if you have an iOS device that you like to use and with the harmony app you can easily control your YouView box and tv (plus anything else you want). It also has Alexa control built in so you can already do simple control of the box through Alexa.
i have the Harmony Elite which includes the hub and works very well as I hit one button and this turns on the YouView box (clears the menu ) turns on the TV and Amp and puts them on the right inputs. They can be programmed to be as simple or as complicated as you like. I can also say ‘Alexa turn on YouView’ and it does exactly the same without even touching a remote. Also ‘Alexa turn off YouView’ powers everything down.
You can also just set a graphic button to take you straight to any channel (I posted a picture in this forum quite some time ago).

Bernard Stay

One virtue of the YouView app. is that when selecting an item one's attention is drawn to all options ie when the programme is also available on HD. A facility no longer provided by the BT version. One thing I haven't discovered how to do is cancel an instruction to record a programme. How to, anyone?

Roy

Bernard Stay said:

One virtue of the YouView app. is that when selecting an item one's attention is drawn to all options ie when the programme is also available on HD. A facility no longer provided by the BT version. One thing I haven't discovered how to do is cancel an instruction to record a programme. How to, anyone?

You can’t do this on the app.

You have to do it on the box, where pressing the Record button on a programme (individual or in a series) scheduled to be recorded toggles the scheduling off again.