The infrared port used to be an element highly appreciated by mobile users but it is becoming increasingly difficult to find manufacturers that maintain this sensor in their devices. Do you know if your mobile has it or not?
Knowing if your smartphone has an infrared sensor is quite simple. If you have an iPhone, too bad. Apple does not include these types of sensors in its phones. If you have an Android mobile, it will depend on the manufacturer and model of your phone.
So you can know if you are lucky or not:
Option 1: Look at the mobile
The infrared sensor is generally placed on top of the edges of your phone. It looks like a black or slightly rectangular plastic circle that, as it moves, appears to emit a series of red reflections.
Option 2: Examine the phone’s hardware
If you have access to Google Play Store, you can install this application that gives you access to all the information of the components installed on your smartphone. Just locate the “Communication peripherals” tab, where there will be an infrared section and it will show if the phone is compatible or not.
Okay, it does… but does it work?
Once you have already found out whether or not your mobile has this infrared sensor, essential for, for example, using the smartphone as a remote control, you should check if it works correctly.
To test the infrared emitter of your phone, there is a very simple test since you only need two phones and an app that you can download for free from the Android store.
Install the Peel My Remote app on one of the phones and follow the process below:
- Open the front camera on phone 1 and the app on phone 2.
- Point the infrared emitter on phone 2 at the front camera of phone 1.
- Press any button on the remote control
- If you see a purple light on phone 1’s camera, while testing remote codes on phone 2, it means that your phone’s infrared emitter is working properly.
If not, what you have to do is contact the manufacturer of your phone, as it could be a hardware problem, or have it repaired if the phone is not under warranty. Luckily fixing these types of problems is not too much trouble, and so you can use your smartphone as a remote control again if you lose the TV at any time.