How to Use Your iPhone or iPad as an Apple TV Remote Khamosh Pathak Have your couch cushions swallowed your Apple TV remote again? Don’t worry, you can easily use your iPhone or iPad as an Apple TV remote instead—right from Control Center. Here’s how to set it up. Control Center Magic Years ago, you had to download a separate Apple TV Remote app to use your iPhone or iPad with your Apple TV. But since iOS 12 and iPadOS 13 came out, Apple has included this feature directly on iPhone and iPad thanks to a button you can add to Control Center.