In the early 2010s some flagship Android phones came with IR blasters built-in. You could turn off any TV anywhere, simply by pulling out your phone.
I miss the days when smartphones were fun.
this post was submitted on 28 May 2025
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I have a 2024 OnePlus 12 that had an IR blaster, just FYI
You can still get Androids with them. My phone has one. Only a year or two old.
I would but I made the mistake of giving a foldable a try (got myself a used Samsung Fold 4 for $400). I got too used to having a tablet in my pocket and now I can't go back.
Problem is that foldables are still niche and a fold with an IR blaster is even more niche. Doubt that any exist but I'd love to be proven wrong.
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I pissed off so many people with this. 14 year old me had a lot of fun.
It was really handy.
I had power, source selection, and volume controls for my TV as a widget on my homescreen.
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The middle school that I went to had a ~14" crt tv hanging from a sturdy ceiling mount in every classroom.
Displayed things like school bulletins and daily morning announcements, there was a couple educational channels, and a vcr input. Every now and again there'd be some sort of presentation instead of hauling everyone into the gym for a school assembly.
Anyway; it didn't take me very long to figure out the universal remote that came with the satellite receiver at home could be programmed to the school TVs. I'd mess with the one in class, or skip classes and mess with the ones in my friends classrooms through the windows; cranking up the volume and blasting Bill Nye or the announcement channels awful elevator music. Weekends, I'd do a lap of the school turning on all the TVs I could reach from outside and maxing the volume for whoever opens on Monday, or just turning them off again so it blares at whoever turns it on next.
You fucking menace. I love the chaotic energy lol. You pull any more stunts like that one?
Pull the tab off of a pop can. Turn off the switch on the power bar that the teachers computer is plugged into. Unplug the computer, slip the pop can tab over the live+neutral prongs, plug it back into the still off power bar and wait.
The teacher goes to use their computer, finds it's not turning on and looks at the power bar.
Switch flips, 'BANG', scream, lights go out (breaker popped).
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This is the second best thing I do with my Flipper Zero after reading pet RFID chips
Yep I keep it in my pocket with just the IR sensor sticking out and use the app on your phone to control it and it keeps people from ever suspecting me as the one who just turned off that annoying noise.
I read about the Flipper Zero and it seems really awesome! I even saw some high power LEDs for it that could in theory change the channel from a long distance.
Me too, I call it a flipper 0. I can also skip songs on the jukebox at the bar, fear me.
I use the kit-built one of these: https://www.tvbgone.com/shop/ -- They gave a bunch of them away at the end of a makefaire I was a part of years ago.
The TV-B-Gone is really cool especially because it's so small but of course it just shuts off the TV. I've seen a few keychain sized universal remotes that have buttons.
I just wrote a comment in reply to someone suggesting unplugging the TV: https://lemm.ee/post/65246982/20771041
Basically it's nice that you get peace and quiet but turning it off is more noticeable.
the tv-b-gone is more universal than a universal remote….
my favorite trick is going to one of those bars with 30 tv sets everywhere… although that’s just kind of neutral-evil
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How do you know if your phone has built in IR?
GSMarena has specs for most smartphones including infrared (listed under connectivity).
Here's a link to a search showing all phones in their database with IR: https://www.gsmarena.com/results.php3?chkInfrared=selected note I haven't checked accuracy or completeness, it might be best to check the specs for your phone or search if your phone supports it.
If you got an old phone or an old PDA it might have IR if your current one doesn't.
Check the specs or look for the blaster with another phone
edit: forgot that it's only visible when on, so just check the specs/apps
This joke is super old...
I rember when airports, hospitals, government building all played Faux.
I haven't seen it out in the wild for like a decade at least tho, what places still actually leave it on in 2025?
Every time I stay at a suburban/rural American hotel they have Fox on in the dining area at breakfast. Last time was ~6 months ago in central California.
Crazy, didn't think it was still happening
Oh man, I worked at a hotel during overnight shift a few years ago, and the head desk lady would go apeshit if I turned the front lobby TV to CNN. She would throw the most childish fit you could imagine, it was so fun to poke at her. Every morning, even after she told me never to change the TV again, I'd change it. She'd hide the remote, I'd bring my own. She tried taping over the IR sensor, so I'd manually change it with the buttons on the side.
She died of cancer a few years after the hotel was turned into a nursing home.
I guess it makes more sense when the low level worker gets to run it.
But I remember when Obama was president, VA hospitals would be playing it, but they stopped pre-trump and I've never seen it since
SC here, last time at the work boots store 2 weeks ago
Easier to just unplug the TV.
With scissors.
There are pros and cons to that.
Advantage is of course you get peace and quiet like that. No TV might feel more relaxing.
Downside is someone might plug the TV in again which will turn it back on to Fox. Changing the channel means you can show unbiased news and maybe if for example you change the station to PBS, people will get educated. People might leave it on the channel you changed it to due to apathy. A TV that's off is more noticeable.
I'd recommend if it's possible especially if you're the only one in the room at the time consider going into the channel editor and removing Fox News and other propaganda stations from the channel list.