The Firestick remote apps let you use your smartphone as a remote control and allows you to type in the search box with your smartphone keypad. They work on Fire TV Cube, Fire TV Stick Lite, Firestick 4K and even on the previous versions of the Firestick.
In this guide, we are going to provide you with a list of the best Firestick remote apps you can download on your phone. And while we’ll be talking about Firestick Remote App – Official and CetusPlay Universal Remote – we will also show you some alternative apps just in case these don’t work for you.
Let’s get started.
Before you start using these Firestick apps we have some suggestions.
There are some Firestick remote apps that will only work after turning on the ADB Debugging. That includes the popular CetusPlay, Kore, Harmony remote, and other third-party apps.
Follow the steps below to do so:
Step 1: Using your Firestick device, head to the home menu.
Step 2: Select Settings. It is the gear icon in your Firestick’s home menu. 
Step 3: Click once on “My Fire TV” and Open it. 
Step 4: Choose “Developer Options.”
Step 5: Now turn it on “ADB Debugging.” 
You’ll need to know your Firestick IP address in order for some of the remote apps to work. Here are the steps to find out:
Steps one, two and three are the same as the previous section.
Step 1: Head to the home menu of your Firestick device.
Step 2: Choose Settings, the gear icon you’ll find on the right section of your Firestick’s home menu.
Step 3: Select “My Fire TV,” and click once on it.
Step 4: Choose “About.”
Step 5: Select “Network.”
Here, on the right, you can see the IP address.
Note: If you are here because your Firestick remote isn’t working, you can also read our guide on how to reset/fix your Firestick remote.
Here are the best Firestick remote apps you can use to navigate your Firestick device.
The Amazon Fire TV app is the official Firestick remote app, it’s developed by Amazon for your smartphones. You can easily control and navigate your Firestick device with the help of this app, just like you would with your Firestick remote.
You can download the Amazon Fire TV Remote app on your Android, iOS, and Kindle too.
This official remote app features the same layout as the Firestick physical remote with some tiny differences, like the absence of the navigation ring around the Okay/Select button. You can tap the touchpad to Swipe or Click to navigate.
If you prefer the Direction and Select button to navigate your Firestick, you can enable the Directional Pad in the app settings.
For that follow these steps:
Step 1: Tap on the gear icon on the upper left corner. 
Step 2: Choose “App Remote Settings”.
Clicking the “App Remote Settings” . It will also open the Settings menu on your Firestick.
Step 3: Turn On the “Directional Pad” option.
Another thing you can do is to use Alexa to open the app’s menu Settings, or any installed app on your Firestick, for that matter.
Step 3A: The remote app will automatically search and show all the Firestick devices connected to your WiFi network. You just need to tap the device you want to pair with.
Step 3B: Towards the bottom, you’ll see “Sign in.”
If you wish to sign in to your Amazon account, you can (that’s optional).
Step 3C: When you initially pair the Amazon Fire TV remote app with your Firestick, the interface will request a 4-digit code. The code is easily accessible from your Firestick.
Step 3D: You can also access previously installed apps. For that, you should tap on the icon on the upper right corner, it should look just like the one highlighted in the image below. 
It will display all the installed apps of your Firestick. To launch any application, tap on it.
Amazon Fire TV Remote is simply among the best Firestick remote apps. It doesn’t require any ADB Debugging or IP address.
Another Firestick remote app worth considering is the CetusPlay Remote.
This app also lets you control and navigate your Firestick, it is free and doesn’t contain ads.
It’s supported on various devices such as Android, iOS, Kindle, amongst other handheld devices. The app not only supports your Firestick, but also can be used to navigate Android TV. Just remember to make sure your Firestick and smartphone are connected to the same WiFi network.
Here’s how to use CetusPlay Remote:
Step 1: Download and Install the CetusRemote app on your Android or iOS mobile device.
Step 2: Launch CetusPlay Remote.
The interface will request some permissions. Select “Allow” by tapping once to grant the app access.
Step 3: Once you’re redirected to the next window tap on “Get Started.”
Step 4: Be patient, CetusPlay now will scan your WiFi network.
The app is going to look for and display any Firestick or Android TV devices connected to the same network. You can choose your Firestick device by its IP address. If you don’t know the IP address of your Firestick just follow the steps on the “IP Address of the Firestick” section above. 
Step 5: At the same time you will get a prompt to allow USB debugging on your Firestick.
Go ahead and choose “Always allow from this computer” and then “OK” by tapping on them once. 
Step 6: For CetusPlay to work, you must install the app both on your Firestick and smartphone.
CetusPlay will transfer the installation files to the Firestick from your smartphone.
How? It’ll use the WiFi network to do that. That will automatically install the app on your Firestick as well.
You’ll see “Installing Cetus Play” on your Firestick screen once the process begins. 
Step 7: CetusPlay Remote will start connecting to your Firestick once the installation process is complete.
Once you see the “Connected” status, CetusPlay has been successfully connected to your Firestick and smartphone.
On the upper left tap on “Remote Panel.”
Step 8: Remember the 4-digit code? Go ahead and enter it. 
Now, there are different modes or layouts. The default is the “Dpad Mode.”
You can choose from Touchpad Mode, Numeric Mode, Gamepad Mode, and Mouse pad.
In order to access these modes, you need to tap on the 4 squares icon, on the upper right corner. 
And then choose a layout. 
Anymote is an all-in-one remote app that supports almost all android devices.
You can conveniently use it on a Firestick, Fire TV Cube, Fire TV Lite, Roku, and Mi TV, among many others.
Anymote Universal Remote comes in two different versions: Paid and Free. With the Free version, there’s a few limitations.
Although it’s a good alternative, it does come with a few setbacks. It does not support some smartphones including Sony, Vizio, Huawei, LG G3 S, and LG G3 A.
This app supports a variety of platforms. Not only Firestick but Windows, Chrome OS, and Linux as well.
With this app you have the convenient choice of using your smartphone as a virtual mouse.
You can also use it to play games that require a touch screen. Just pair your TV to Droid Mode on your smartphone and enjoy playing your games.
It’s an incredibly versatile app, you can use it as a mouse, Media Player, air mouse, keyboard, and obviously a Dpad.
Its only drawback is its incompatibility with Android platforms.
Harmony Remote app must be the only app not to require to be connected to the same WiFi network as your Firestick device, rather, it requires Bluetooth pairing. And before you say it, a Bluetooth connection isn’t necessarily weaker, the range and connection remain strong.
Other than using it as a Firestick remote, you can assign multiple functions to this all-in-one app. You can control lights, blinds, cable/set-top boxes, and even stereos.
If you are looking for something new and convenient, Harmony Remote is a must-try app.
It also offers you security. You can easily password encrypt your smart devices, home, and Firestick.
The app comes with two modes. The first one is the keypad mode, which functions as a normal remote. The second is without the keypad, everything is touchpad like.
You can download it on Android or iOS devices.
Limitless Remote is yet another option for a Firestick remote app.
Regrettably, you won’t be able to find it on Google Play Store, but you can download it from a third-party website.
You need to have a Limitless Remote Server application in your Firestick device in order to use your smartphone as a Firestick remote. Without the servers, you won’t be able to pair your smartphone with the Firestick.
Its interface that’s extremely user-friendly, you can use it as a playback media button or a joystick.
The app even converts into the Dpad mode and supports a mouse cursor and a keyboard.
Kore is an official remote control that’s compatible only with Kodi. You cannot use this app to control and navigate anything other than Kodi on your Firestick.
Kodi is pretty complicated to use when we are using an Amazon Fire TV Remote. Kore enables you to have everything at your hands mercy. You can use it to easily navigate the app and switch between your favorite shows.
No doubt, Amazon Firestick is amongst the best entertainment devices, providing us with great functionality, especially if you only have a normal TV. You can easily navigate and control your Firestick using these versatile remote apps on your smartphone. We hope you can find in this article the app that works best for you.
