I built a free TV remote app because every competitor turned into a subscription trap
I was trying to turn my iPhone into a simple TV remote.
Nothing fancy — just something that could connect over Wi-Fi and let me control my TV quickly when I lose the physical remote or don’t want to deal with it.
But when I searched the App Store, almost every app looked the same:
Weekly or monthly subscriptions
Features locked behind paywalls
Ads before you can even use basic controls
“Free” apps that are basically unusable without paying
Some of them charge $5–$10 per week just to use basic remote functionality.
And that felt a bit strange to me — because this isn’t a “premium productivity tool”. It’s a utility.
A TV remote should feel like something that just works when you need it.
So I built a very simple iOS app called UTV Remote.
The goal was intentionally minimal:
No account required
No subscription traps
Works over local Wi-Fi
Basic controls: navigation, playback, keyboard input
Supports Roku and Samsung TVs
I didn’t try to build a “super app” or add unnecessary features. I just wanted something that actually works for the basic use case.
What surprised me most wasn’t the technical part — it was how normalized subscriptions have become even for simple utilities like this.
It almost feels like every app category eventually gets pushed into a SaaS model, even when the user expectation is just “this should work.”
I’m curious what others think:
Do you think utility apps like this should still be subscription-based, or has the App Store economy gone too far in that direction?
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/utv-remote/id6781496220
The occasional-use part is key. If someone only needs the app when the physical remote is lost or the batteries died, a weekly subscription feels almost hostile. I’d probably lean into “open it, connect, control the TV” as the whole promise and resist adding features that make it feel like another dashboard.
I feel like simple utility apps such as a TV remote shouldn’t be treated like subscription products. Most people only use them occasionally, so paying every week or month just to control a TV feels unnecessary. A one-time payment or even a free app with light ads makes more sense for something like this. Subscriptions are better suited for apps that provide ongoing services, not basic everyday tools.
I think the strongest part isn't that it's free—it's that you respected what people expect a TV remote to be. When someone loses their remote, they want to solve that problem in 30 seconds, not decide whether a weekly subscription is worth it. That's a much better starting point for a utility app.