Turn Your Galaxy Tab 4 into a Remote Control Using the Peel Smart Remote App
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- By Eric Butow
You can use your Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 to do more than connect with your computer and smartphone. The Tab 4 includes the Peel Smart Remote app pre-installed on the device so you can use the Tab 4’s infrared emitter to control your television remotely.
Set Up Peel Smart Remote
Start the setup process by tapping the Apps icon on the screen and then swipe to the second page of the Apps screen shown in Figure 1. Tap the Peel Smart Remote icon on the page.
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Figure 1. The Peel Smart Remote icon appears on the second page of the Apps screen.
In the Samsung Disclaimer window that appears, continue setup by tapping the Agree button. The introductory screen appears; continue the setup process by tapping the Choose Your Country or Region button as shown in Figure 2.
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Figure 2. The Choose Your Country or Region button appears in the bottom right area of the screen.
Within the Choose Your Country or Region window that appears on the screen, swipe up and down in the list if necessary to find the country or region you live in. By default, the Peel Smart Remote app recognizes your country you set in the Tab 4 settings and displays that country at the top of the list as shown in Figure 3.
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Figure 3. Your current country appears at the top of the list.
Tap the name of the country in the list to open the Find Your TV Service window and then type your ZIP or postal code in the Find Your TV Service window that appears on the screen (see Figure 4). When you’re finished typing your ZIP or postal code in the keypad, tap the Done button in the keypad or the Search button to the right of the Enter Zip/Postal Code box.
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Figure 4. Type your five-digit postal code in the keypad.
Now you see a list of TV services available in your area underneath the ZIP code you entered (see Figure 5). You can swipe up and down the list to find the TV service you use, and when you find the service tap the service name in the list. For this example, I’ll tap Comcast Corporation XFINITY or Comcast San Andreas Digital because I use the digital Comcast service.
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Figure 5. If you don’t see your TV service in the list, swipe up and down in the list to find it.
Next, you need to choose your TV brand from the list within the Choose Your TV Brand window shown in Figure 6. Swipe up and down in the list if necessary to find your TV brand. If you don’t see your brand in the list, tap the All TV Brands button and then select your brand on the screen.
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Figure 6. If you don’t see your TV brand in the list, swipe up and down in the list to find it.
When you see the TV brand in the list, tap the TV brand name to continue to the next step: Turning your TV on to verify that your Tab 4 can control your TV. First, point the side of the Tab 4 with your infrared (or IR) blaster toward the TV; the blaster is on the same side as the power and volume buttons. Then, in the Your Tablet is Your Remote window shown in Figure 7, tap the Power button.
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Figure 7. Turn on your TV by tapping the Power button on the screen.
If your TV is off then the TV should turn on. The Did It Work? window appears on the Tab 4 screen to confirm that the TV screen turned on. If it did, tap Yes, This Code Works in the window. If you’re not sure, then try turning the TV on again by tapping Send Code Again in the window. Tap No, Try Another Code shown in Figure 8 if the TV didn’t turn on at all.
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Figure 8. If your TV didn’t turn on, tap No, Try Another Code in the window.
Once you confirm that your TV screen turned on and tapped Yes, This Code Works in the window, the Choose Your TV Tuner screen appears as shown in Figure 9. If you use a DVR or TiVo player or if you use a cable box to change channels then tap the Set-Top Box/DVR button. If you change channels using your TV then tap the TV button.
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Figure 9. If you use a cable box, TiVo, or DVR player, tap the Set-Top Box/DVR button.
I use a Comcast cable box so I’ll tap the Set-Top Box/DVR button. The Choose Your Set-Top Box/DVR Brand window appears (see Figure 10) and I’ll tap Comcast in the list. Note that if you don’t find your set-top box or DVR in the list, tap the All Set-Top Box/DVR Brands button and then select your set-top box or DVR company name in the company list.
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Figure 10. If your brand isn’t listed in the list, view all brands by tapping the All Set-Top Box/DVR Brands button.
Now turn on your set-top box and/or your TV if one or both aren’t on already. Next, point the side of your Tab 4 with your IR blaster toward your set-top box (in this example, the cable box) and tap the Next Channel button on the Tab 4 screen. After you tap the button, the Did It Work? window (see Figure 11) asks you if the channel changed. If you’re not sure, tap Send Code Again in the window. If not, tap Try Another Code as often as needed to see when the channel changes. When you see the channel has changed successfully, tap Yes.
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Figure 11. If the channel didn’t change, tap No, Try Another Code in the window.
Now setup is complete and the Setup Complete window shown in Figure 12 asks you if you want to personalize your top picks, which are suggestions for TV shows that you’ll see in the app screen. If you want to personalize your top picks, tap the Personalize Top Picks button; the app will ask you a few questions about the shows you like. For now, tap the No Thanks button.
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Figure 12. You can personalize your top TV picks by tapping the Personalize Top Picks button and then answering a few questions on the screen.