Unified Remote

Unified Remote is a mobile application from Unified Intents for

remote controlling programs on a user’s computer from their
smartphone. This application attempts to simplify the task of
controlling many different programs from one app, and includes
support for 70+ applications such as Spotify, YouTube, VLC Media
Player, and Windows Media Player.

Background
Unified Remote is the result of a hobby project of two Swedish
students, Jakob Berglund and Philip Bergqvist, which later turned
into a profitable start-up venture. The app was first launched as a
free app on Android in 2010, with simple features and support for 13
remote controls for Windows applications.

A year later, an improved version was released, as well as a paid

(premium) version including more features and remote controls. The
latest version was launched in 2014, which included an overhauled
user interface and introduced support for iOS, Mac, and Linux.

Features

The application provides many remote controls for various

programs. This includes basic mouse and keyboard input and
support for media applications, presentation software, and even
power functions. The server also provides an open API, which
makes it possible for developers to create their own custom remote
controls.
Competitors

There are several different apps on the various app stores that
provide similar universal remote control functionality. Other
competitors also include official apps for different media
applications, which instead provide dedicated remote control
functionality for specific applications.

In more recent years, software vendors have begun to target

smartphones, tablets, and smart TVs directly, thus making the need
for a computer remote control redundant. This is especially apparent
within the home entertainment space with products such as Apple
TV, AirPlay, and Chromecast.

Growth

Since 2010, the company has gained popularity in online media

within social media, news sites, and blogger communities. Most
notably, the app has been featured on sites such as:

CNET[1]

TheJournal[2]

PC World[3]

Gizmodo UK[4]

Lifehacker[5]

Android Police.[6]

International media coverage includes:

Brazil[7]

Poland[8]
Germany,[9]

Sweden[10]

The app has over 3 million downloads worldwide and is rated among
the top apps for Android on Play Store.