IR Remote

A simple, polished Android IR remote app without any ads.

The app is designed for phones with a built-in infrared blaster. It provides a clean touch interface for controlling the Logitech Z607 5.1 Surround System. Feel free to create a merge request to add support for more devices!

The physical Logitech controller kept getting broken and I got tired of using apps with annoying ads (each time I want to control the volume of my TV!) so I reverse engineer the IR codes with the help of my crustacean friend 🦞.

This project is independent and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any device manufacturer.

Features

• Power, mute, volume up/down
• Bluetooth, FM Radio, AUX, RCA, and SD/USB input controls
• Playback controls: previous, play/pause, next
• 5.1 / 2.1 mode and channel level controls
• Clean dark UI optimized for one-handed use
• Profile-based IR architecture for adding more controllers later

Supported Devices

Device	Type	Profile
Logitech Z607	5.1 speaker system	Z607SpeakerProfile

More devices can be added through the profile system — see Adding a new IR controller.

Requirements

• Android 7.0+ / API 24+
• A device with a built-in IR emitter/blaster
• Android SDK 35 for building
• Java 17

Project structure

app/src/main/java/com/ricardomaltez/irremote/
├── MainActivity.kt
└── ir/
    ├── model/
    │   ├── CommandIds.kt
    │   ├── IrCommand.kt
    │   └── IrControllerProfile.kt
    ├── profiles/
    │   ├── ControllerProfiles.kt
    │   └── Z607SpeakerProfile.kt
    └── protocol/
        ├── IrProtocol.kt
        └── NecProtocol.kt

Architecture

The app separates UI code from IR command data:

• MainActivity owns the Android UI and sends commands.
• IrControllerProfile describes one supported remote/controller.
• IrCommand stores stable command IDs, display labels, and encoded IR payloads.
• IrProtocol converts protocol-specific payloads into Android IR transmit patterns.
• NecProtocol currently handles NEC 38 kHz encoding.
• ControllerProfiles is the registry for bundled controller profiles.

This makes new controllers easier to add without rewriting the activity.

Adding a new IR controller

1. Add command IDs to CommandIds.kt if the new controller needs buttons the app does not already know about.
2. Create a new profile in ir/profiles/, for example:

object MySpeakerProfile : IrControllerProfile {
    override val id = "my_speaker"
    override val displayName = "My Speaker"
    override val protocol = NecProtocol

    override val commands = listOf(
        IrCommand(CommandIds.POWER, "Power", "00000000"),
        IrCommand(CommandIds.VOLUME_UP, "Volume +", "00000000"),
    ).associateBy { it.id }
}

3. Register the profile in ControllerProfiles.kt.
4. Add or update tests under app/src/test/.
5. Run the test/build gate:

./gradlew testDebugUnitTest assembleDebug

Building

From the repository root:

./gradlew assembleDebug

The debug APK will be created at:

app/build/outputs/apk/debug/app-debug.apk

Testing

Run unit tests:

./gradlew testDebugUnitTest

Run tests and build a debug APK:

./gradlew testDebugUnitTest assembleDebug

Current tests cover:

• NEC protocol pattern generation
• Invalid NEC payload validation
• Z607 profile command completeness
• Controller registry sanity checks

Privacy

The app does not need internet access and does not collect user data. It only uses Android's TRANSMIT_IR permission to send infrared commands from supported devices.

License

This project is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0 (GPL-3.0).

Copyright (C) 2026 Ricardo Maltez

The full license text is available in the LICENSE file and at https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.html.

In short, you are free to use, modify, and distribute this software — including commercially — provided that any derivative work is also released under the GPL-3.0 and the source code (including modifications) is made available to users. There is no warranty; see the license for the full terms.