Apple's Remote: turns your iPhone into a WiFi remote control
By Thomas Ricker 
posted Jul 10th 2008 5:50AM
posted Jul 10th 2008 5:50AM
There it is, the new freebie from Apple which turns your iPhone or iPod touch into a remote control. It works with Apple TV and iTunes over the WiFi network to play, pause, skip and shuffle your songs stored in your iTunes library. You get access to playlists, album art (displayed in the Remote app), control over AirTunes speakers, and the ability to search your entire library. No video support apparently but free is free and 1.0 is 1.0.
Update: Looks like Apple has updated Apple TV to 2.1 with support for the new remote app, along with support for MobileMe. Get it via your Apple TV's Update Software feature.
Update 2: You can control playback of iTunes videos on your PC or Mac well -- a sceenshot of the video appears on the iPhone.
Read [warning: iTunes URL]
Update: Looks like Apple has updated Apple TV to 2.1 with support for the new remote app, along with support for MobileMe. Get it via your Apple TV's Update Software feature.
Update 2: You can control playback of iTunes videos on your PC or Mac well -- a sceenshot of the video appears on the iPhone.
Read [warning: iTunes URL]
Finally I can put my iPhone to good use!
Not an apple fan....but that's REALLY cool.
It is. I've been using is this morning and it works really well.
I have no Mac, no iPhone, no iPod, no Apple TV, and I don't buy anything from iTunes. I have to admit this is a really cool way to use two things that were bought separately. More tech needs to to be made to be used together and this is a great way to do it....Q
Sounds like a copy of Microsofts Sideshow gadget available for all WinMo 5 & 6 phones.
http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/03/microsoft-announces-windows-sideshow-for-windows-mobile-developm/
This is really cool. The blog is incorrect, though. I am using mine to control video right now. You just have to put your videos into a mixed music+movie library and it works great.
Awesome ... Any idea if this can be used/hacked to remotely control a complete mac system .. or does it only work with iTunes ? Would be sweet if we could control the whole computer with it, a 'la vnc for iphone.
well if you want that type of function, I'm sure that Salling Clicker will have something in the works for the iPhone. I purchased the program for my Sony ericcson phone back in the day and I could open programs, control iTunes, even move the mouse on the screen with my phone joystick.
Its cool of apple to release this software for free, but I'm anticipating what Clicker will be able to do.
The remote app comes built-in in Sony Ericssons.. you could control various media players (WMP built-in others available on the net) through it... the desktop and powerpoint presentations
there is an app for a jailbroken iphone/ipod touch that is called touchpad pro - www.touchpadpro.com - which can be used to control the entire system. it uses the screensharing technology built into leopard. if you want to use it with windows you have to install a free vnc server as well. one of the sweetes apps on my ipod touch!
http://img234.imageshack.us/img234/330/29245206do1.jpg
I cant use it because the itunes 7.7 didnt find any 2.0 firmware for touch
Does this mean that I can BOTH control iTunes from my Touch AND listen to remote music on the iPod????
Congrats, Apple, you have just got my first app download
That image isn't from Apple; wouldn't they have something of their own on the website or whatnot? (If there were a mention of it on their website, that is...)
Derp, I haven't checked the App Store for it, so the above is likely wrong. They use Myriad, not Arial or whatever that is, just sayin'.
Derp, I posted before I read earlier articles or checked out the App Store. Bad self, bad! Still, they use Myriad, not Arial or whatever that is, just sayin'.
In closing, please fix/speed up/etc. your damn comment system. I already look like enough of an ass as it is.
The image is from the iTunes store. Pretty sure that's from Apple :)
*dramatic gasp!*
You did NOT just call Helvetica ARIAL! OH, the pain!
I have Remote Buddy web app (that installs on your Mac) which does that same thing - really useful and great to show off when streaming to AirTunes.
I used to use a similar app called Bemused that worked with winamp and my nokia 6600. Welcome to 4 years ago apple fans!
yes, and I am sure it was snappy and with a great interface.... like everything else on Symbian and 6600.... NOT!
i hope there will be an app to directly stream (lossless) music from your ipod touch or iphone to an airport express via wifi.... with no need of a running computer on the network. still great.
FireFly media server for via installer for any hacked iphone/ipod?
I want to control my iPod from my MacBook, since my iPod lives in a home made docking station, and my Stereo doesn't have mute. OH THE DILEMA.
Surely this is going to drain your battery super-fast? Why not do it over Bluetooth instead?
Oh I don't know, maybe because it's for both the iPhone and the Touch? :P
This is really nice! Away with my WM device with salling clicker... Long live the iPhone!
Does this control your Apple TV directly, or do I still need to turn my MBP on? If the former, then this is fantastic (and exactly what I was looking for). I've tried Remote Buddy (and a couple of others) that do the same via the iPhone/Touch's Safari browser, but they're a bit intermittent, and require iTunes to be running on a Mac (or PC) somewhere...
This'll be great for listening to tunes from my ATV in the garden. Now, if it would just stop raining in London...
Why not frontrow?
For some reason, I get this random memory of those old school "wrist watch / TV remote control". Used to switch the classroom TV on when the teacher was talking...used to flip her out.
I had a friend who kept changing the TV channel at a bar with his watch. When the other sports-mad patrons found out, he nearly got killed :P
thats great
if i had one
goldfrapp! woo!
I don't care. They should fix the Front Row / AirTunes issue first. I don't understand why they removed it from Leopard in the first place. Sigh!
Had this for a while now, free app from apple.com called Signal.
But good work for trying apple :)
Tried Signal, found it a little flakey. And I couldn't control my ATV except via iTunes on my MBP.
Nice try Signal...
goldfrapp is so poncey
seems you can't download this app if you're outside of the US.
I'm in Italy, and there's nothing on the italian app store, just a dull gray backdrop...
Well, when is software version 2.0 going to be available. I have the app, and a touch but how do I update my touch?
I was using a php web app [hosted locally on the mac] called zTunes to do this for a while when i first got my iPod touch.
The apple app looks a lot cleaner and much better.
This has just won the first pize for most expensive and less useful remote ever.
Expensive but useful as Apple did away with the included remote after the last MBP update...
this isn't really relevant to this post but mobile me is up and running.
Longcat is long as well.
Why not make it the true long awaited user friendly universal infrared remote as well? I do not want to remote my mac, I want to remote my friggin difficult Onkyo Receiver, cumbersome DVB-T settop box and the TV. Go ask Woz for some nice code for that. Me might have some good ideas for it on a shelf.
maybe because the iPhone doesn't have IR?
Get a Harmony remote.
@ bob
if the iphone could control more useful devices like a receiver or tv, then the douchebag from the NY iphone commercial can take another device out of his little baggie he carries around all the time and the pilot could remote control the airplane and screw the stupid air traffic controllers that obviously dont look at weather.com for their airport scheduling.
You all know what i'm talking about.
Now a remote for my Sonos would be cool
This was the first thing I thought of when the Touch was released, except I wanted it for Windows Media Center :o
Not to get greedy, but I'd like to be able to use the audio output on the iPod touch to play music from a computer upstairs, for example.
The PSP - PS3 remote play thing lets you select which audio output you want to use--remote play is a different thing altogether, I know, but it's a cool feature. Problem there is that the PS3 playlist management isn't great, otherwise I'd be happy just using that.
Does this only work for controlling the iTunes library that is registered with your iPhone / iPod Touch or with any iTunes library on the network? Either way, I'm pretty stoked about the whole thing.
Does this do Coverflow from the remote iTunes library?
How long does you're touch last when using this?
The remote app actually does control video - movies, television music videos - basically anything in your library. You can also control multiple libraries so if your remote is sharing his iTunes as well you can play that. Perhaps the nicest feature is the airtunes support which not only lets you play music through 1 set of airtunes but through all of your airtunes speakers at once! Dope!
Ok, I'm I really the only one wondering if the signal is encrypted/unique? Cuz man, it would be cool to walk by someone's set and suddenly blast their volume. lol
sorry, you have to enter a matching code in iTunes, just like AppleTV. So, no fun for you.
I do that all the time with my apple remote and others' macs in the classroom.
This feature reminds me of Vista's slideshow on bluetooth compatible gadgets.
There are several web based non jailbroken apps such as the paid Remote Buddy and the free Telekinesis that have been doing this better for a long time. What is really needed is iphone as keyboard/trackpad
Finally! No video (maybe not even photos) support yet, but hey, at least they're headed in the right direction, and certainly they'll support the rest at some point.
Video support is there. Just put your videos in a mixed video/music library.
The Apple site implies that Remote can be used to stream from an Apple TV to AirTunes.
Anyone know if that's the case?
I usually drop the my remotes to the floor.
I worry I will drop the "iphone remote", too.....
If so, it costs a lot.......
this sounds like a copy of touchpad pro! everybody stick to the installer community!
Anybody out there using Vista get this working? The iPhone never shows up under Devices for me to pair the iTunes library with the iPhone when I try to add a library to Remote. I've tried even disabling the firewall on Vista completely with no luck. The checkbox in iTunes to look for remotes is checked and they're on the same wifi network... I really want to get this working.
Download it and installed it on my iPhone a couple times, I can't get it to work! When I go on to access it while music is playing in iTunes, it simply says "Add Library" and then a Passcode of 4 digits... I don't know where to enter that pass code... iTunes does not seem to detect my iPhone through wifi. It only shows up under devices when I plug it in to charge it and synchronize it with iTunes, but even plugged in, it still displays the same passcode with 4 digits which I don't know what to do with!... then obviously I am using MS Windows XP... is it only supported on iTunes for MAC? Has someone get it to work on Windows??
ANDREW
It worked fine on MS last nite for me .... but reading other troubles here seems to have jinxedme.
But .. iTunes only tells you the devices connected to it.
***************************************************************
When you see the 4 DIGIT code -- you will also see that the device "iPod" has JUST been added. Click on your iTunes device and you will saee that 4 blank code boxes await your code entry.
Now I'd like to say that you should then see your (e.g.) music list and scroll to alter selection. It worked tonite as I change my "playlist" "media" to a movie and I could control it remotely. Just amazing -- imagine this stuff in 20 years !
WHat I really want to know is whether the iPod's "instructions" leave my house.. or.. whether they get sent to my Linksys router and bcak to my PC without leaving the house. SO much to learn.. so litel time!
i can't mine to pair either!! itunes does not seem to detect my remote.. ive disabled all firewalls.. even tried an adhoc network... nothing