Sky+ transforms iPhone into remote control

Sky has rolled out an update to the Sky+ app that transforms the iPhone and iPod touch into a remote control.
The update means people can now use the app to change channels as they watch live TV, and pause, play and rewind TV via the iPhone touch screen. The app also allows Sky TV customers to browse their existing recordings on their Sky+HD set-top box as well as set up and delete recordings on their planner while watching TV.

Luke Bradley-Jones, Sky’s Brand Director for TV Products, comments: “People use their phones as a one-stop-shop to manage virtually every aspect of their lives—whether organising their diary, checking their bank balance or paying bills—so why not use it to control their TV too? Having received great feedback about these features when we introduced them to the Sky+ app for iPad earlier this year, it’s great to now be making them available on iPhone too, which is obviously the ideal size for use as a remote control.

Other features of the app include being able to browse the week’s TV from a smartphone via a TV Guide, and remote recording of both programmes and series through the app while away from home.
To access the new features Sky customers are required to connect their Sky+HD box to the same Wi-Fi network as their iOS device. The updated app will launch on Android handsets in the coming months.