Due to recent technological innovations, smartphones now have many new features that give users tremendous value for their money. One such part is using your device to control electronic devices.
If you’re an iPhone user, you may have seen your friends use their phones to control electronic devices, and you may have even attempted to do likewise. And that leaves you wondering if your iPhone can serve as a remote to control devices.
Using your phone as a tool to control electronic devices is exciting, but for you to enjoy such luxury with your device, your iPhone or smartphone must have an IR blaster or an Infrared blaster.
In previous years, this feature only aided sharing files with other phones and helped establish an internet connection between a computer and a smartphone device. But the invention of Bluetooth and Wifi replaced these tasks.
Now IR blasters serve a more unique and fantastic function in smartphones. It appears like a transparent infrared LED, just like the one on your remote control.
The feature is situated at the top section of your device and helps smartphones work like remote controls. Most iPhone users want to know if their device has an IR blaster that can make it a remote control, and this post is the perfect answer to your question.
Does The iPhone Have an IR Blaster?
Unfortunately for iPhone users, An iPhone does not have an IR blaster. Unlike android devices, iPhones don’t come with any built-in IR Blaster. Apple has not included the infrared blaster in any of its models.
Therefore you shouldn’t expect to find this feature in any iPhone model, including iPhone 6, iPhone 7, iPhone 8, iPhone X, iPhone SE, iPhone 12, iPhone 13, and iPhone 14. Hopefully, Apple will include this feature in its flagship models soon, but as of the time of writing, no iPhone with an IR blaster.
How Do I Know If My Phone Has IR Blaster
If you which to find out if your phone has an IR Blaster, here are a few guides to follow:
1. Try to locate the IR blaster physically
You can try searching for the IR blaster physically on your device. As stated earlier, the IR blaster lies on the top section of your phone. It’s small and rarely glows.
The IR blaster has the form of an IR LED like the one on a remote control. The feature is transparent and can easily be spotted if it’s there. If, in any case, you find the IR LED on your phone, chances are that your device has an IR Blaster.
2. Check it on your phone’s manual
Another way to know if your phone came with an IR blaster is to check it out in your phone’s manual if you have access to your phone manual.
3. Visit your manufacturer’s site
If you’ve tried methods one and two and still can’t find the IR blaster on your device, consider visiting the manufacturer’s site to check if you’ll find the IR. If you find the IR on the manufacturer’s site, then there’s a high chance that your device had this feature.
4. Visit the Google Play Store and then download the IR Test app
After trying three methods, if you still can’t find the IR blaster, you can visit the Google play store and search for the IR Test app. Once you locate it, tap on the install button and launch the app.
Once you’ve successfully launched the app, it will run several tests on your phone, after which you’ll be able to tell whether your device has or supports the IR blaster.
There are also other third-party sites that you can visit to check if the IR blaster is part of your phone’s specification or not.
What Does an IR Blaster Do?
IR Blaster is a feature that allows you to use your phone to command or control home appliances. It turns your phone into a universal remote control.
With this feature, you can use your device to control your TV, air conditioner, music system, and many other devices.
Although you might be able to control your home appliances with your smartphone, these devices need to be compatible with IR remotes.
As far as its functionality is concerned, the IR blaster commands rays to the device you wish to control. So you don’t have to pair it with the Bluetooth feature on your phone.
In a nutshell, an IR blaster can control devices that do not come with Bluetooth connectivity features.
FAQs
Can I Install IR Blaster On My iPhone?
Absolutely No. Unlike other hacks that can be done on an iPhone either through jailbreaking or other methods, it’s impossible to install IR Blaster on an iPhone device because IR is hardware and not software available for installation.
IR Blaster usually comes with phones directly from the manufacturer, so if your device has this feature, it’s impossible to download.
Although the iPhone doesn’t have an IR blaster, it can still serve as a remote to control electronic devices. All you need to do is purchase any available IR adapters in the market, which would aid you in using your device as a universal remote control.
Endeavor to purchase a Universal IR adapter with a lighting port connector to your device.
Although these IR adapters can be a lifesaver if you have an iPhone device, brace yourself to grapple with compatibility issues because some IR adaptors do not work well with other models.
Still, they are portable and affordable, and you’ll see one that suits your iPhone model.
Can I Use An iPhone As A Remote Control?
Absolutely Yes!! Even though iPhones don’t come with an IR blaster, they can still function as area remote control. They’re certain apps that can help you control these devices on the go, but the most effective is to purchase an IR adapter that you can easily connect to your iPhone.
Does The iPhone 13 Have Infrared?
No! iPhone is yet to produce an iPhone model that comes with an IR Blaster
Does The iPhone 14 Have Infrared?
No. iPhone 14 and its predecessor models do not come with an IR Blaster.
Is IR Blaster Safe?
Yes! If your device comes with an IR blaster, you should be glad as you know what it entails and how to use it.
A standard remote control comes with an infrared LED that can’t be seen directly by the naked eye. Its wavelength is beyond the normal range of visible light, which means that rays emitted from using this feature will have zero impact on your body.