Logitech’s Harmony lets you put down your phone and use your TV for smart home control

By Maria Mora April 29, 2016

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It’s been a little over a year and a half since the Logitech Harmony home remote was introduced. Back then, we dubbed it “the magic wand for your house,” allowing users to control their home devices through the convenience of an app or the handy remote. Now, Logitech launched a new version of the app, specifically designed to work let you do all that from your Android television.

The new Harmony app, which is still in beta, is built to work with a smart television to control devices around your home. While connected to the Logitech Harmony Hub, you can control nearly everything in your smart home. Switch on the lights, adjust the thermostats, turn on the home entertainment system, and also or lower your blinds, right from your TV.

Once you install the app on your Android TV and sign into your Harmony account, the app will then prompt you to a screen displaying your personalized Harmony Activities in an accessible layout. You’ll be able to use the controls without having to pause what you’re watching, according to Logitech.

Users are able to add Harmony Activities to the Discover user interface and can be quickly accessed through the television remote’s Discover button. The app is compatible with any Logitech Harmony hub-based remote, and it is specifically designed for Sony’s Android TV. The app, available at the Play Store, is also compatible with the Nexus Player and ADT-1 but doesn’t support the NVIDIA Shield as of yet.

Since so many people watch TV with their phones out anyway, it might seem unnecessary to add smart home controls to the biggest screen the home, but we wouldn’t be surprised if it becomes more and more common.

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Maria Mora is a creative, media professional fusing a background of audio production with editorial writing. Technology…

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