# My TV remote was bad, so I built one on my phone

> Pilot runs my LG TV and Sonos from my iPhone. I use it a lot now, mostly during games.

- Kind: Build log · Claude Code
- Published: 2026-10-29
- Author: Savi Singh
- Page: https://savi.fyi/notes/built-my-own-tv-remote

My LG remote was painful. I was always changing batteries, the buttons barely worked, and most of them were for things I never use. I always have my phone on me, so that should be the remote.

I knew what I wanted it to do and how it should work with my phone, so I built it with Claude Code. It's an iPhone app called Pilot. Nothing hacky: the TV already lets apps on the same Wi-Fi control it once you press OK on the TV the first time.

That was the surprise. Just from being on my network, the TV lets you do a lot. Open apps, switch inputs, type into search, grab a screenshot of what's on screen, even turn it on. My Sonos is on the same Wi-Fi, so Pilot runs that too.

The design took the most rounds. Early versions put volume and play on rails beside the wheel, or in a dock at the bottom, and they all felt lopsided. I looked at Apple Music's player for a while but didn't want to copy it, and I wanted every control visible. What worked was the Fire TV remote: a wheel on top, a plain grid of buttons under it, app shortcuts at the bottom.

![Four phone layouts side by side: volume on a rail, a playback dock, a remote-shaped body, and a full-screen grid](https://savi.fyi/notes/built-my-own-tv-remote/iterations.jpg)
*Some of what I tried. The grid on the right is close to what I kept.*

It's a phone, not a piece of plastic, so it can use the whole screen. And I pick which six apps sit at the bottom.

![Showing the old LG remote, then pointing my phone at the TV and switching apps](https://savi.fyi/notes/built-my-own-tv-remote/using-it.mp4 "sound")
![A screen recording of Pilot: picking the six apps, switching to light mode, and the TVs sheet](https://savi.fyi/notes/built-my-own-tv-remote/the-app.mp4)
*Using it, and the app itself.*

What I use most: volume goes straight to the Sonos, and there's a sheet for the speaker itself. And when I'm watching NFL games I take screenshots of the TV and they land right on my phone.

![A frame from an NFL game on Prime Video: a Panthers running back with his season stats on screen](https://savi.fyi/notes/built-my-own-tv-remote/game-screenshot.jpg)
*One I took through Pilot while watching a game.*

There's a panel on the Lock Screen too, for volume and play.

![The Sonos sheet with speech enhancement, night sound, sub level, volume and a sleep timer](https://savi.fyi/notes/built-my-own-tv-remote/sonos.jpg)
![Pilot's Lock Screen panel: PlayStation 5 in the living room, volume 31, and buttons for volume and play](https://savi.fyi/notes/built-my-own-tv-remote/lock-screen.jpg)
*The Sonos sheet, and the Lock Screen panel.*

This one is mostly for me. You can build pretty much anything now and shape it around how you actually use it, and this is one I'll be using a lot, especially for games.

The code is on GitHub if you want one for your own LG: [saviii/pilot](https://github.com/saviii/pilot).