How to Use Your iPhone to Change Channels on Your Xbox One

Xbox One is more than just a competent video game console. The original vision Microsoft shared with viewers of the Xbox Revealed event puts music and video entertainment on par with gaming. For the most part, this all relies on the Xbox One’s Kinect 2 sensor and the HDMI pass-through port built into the back of the console. Using voice commands makes it easy to change channels on Xbox One, but what if you’re in a room where silence is a must? What if you need to change the sound or return to ESPN without reaching the Xbox One controller on the other side of the room. That’s where Xbox One SmartGlass comes into play. Here’s how to use your iPhone to change channels on your Xbox One.

Before You Begin. You will need a few different things for this to work.

The most important of these is the Xbox One itself. You’ll have the right Xbox One bundle to take advantage of these television features. More specifically, you must have purchased the $499 Xbox One bundle or the $399 Xbox One bundle and a Kinect 2 sensor separately. If you haven’t purchased the $499 Xbox One bundle, that’s fine. Microsoft said it plans to sell the sensor separately at some point in the future. Still, it remains unclear how much it will cost in the end.

You will also need the username and password of the Microsoft Account where you set up your console. Microsoft Accounts are also used on Windows 8 tablets, desktop and laptop computers, Outlook.com and Windows Phone smartphones. Unless you are completely locked out of your Microsoft Account, there is absolutely no need to go and create another account. The Microsoft Account you use in the SmartGlass app on your iPhone must strictly match the Microsoft Account used on your Xbox One.

Finally, you will need SmartGlass on your iPhone. You can download from. iTunes App Store. It’s completely free and made by Microsoft, not by some third-party app maker that you can’t trust. This Xbox One needs to be connected to a network, and just any network won’t do that. Xbox One SmartGlass allows users to control featured games and television shows. Users can check the messages of their Xbox Live account wherever they are. Unfortunately, you must be connected to the same network as your Xbox One for Xbox One SmartGlass to allow you to switch your television set.

Grab your iPhone and . Tap on the magnifying glass to open the search field.

Call .

Tap to have the free app added to your account and installed on your iPhone.

Tap after the installation is complete.

Faucet .

Now enter your Microsoft Account username and password in the app and tap . Again, it’s important that you sign in with the same Microsoft Account that is linked to your Xbox Live Account and Xbox One.

Xbox One SmartGlass will now automatically connect to the Xbox One on your network.

After successfully logging in, you will be greeted by the Home Screen. The Home Screen allows you to quickly enter and exit the applications you are using. Video games appear here too, for example I watched some TV this morning so it’s the largest tile visible on the screen. Tapping any icon here will automatically open that app on your console. Tap the button in the corner of your screen to reveal the Xbox One SmartGlass menu.

Tap from the Xbox One SmartGlass Menu.

Immediately the Xbox One SmartGlass app syncs your TV listings and favorites from your Xbox One. The first screen you will find is the full grid view. It is the total list of all the shows aired in the order of the channels they aired. If you have assigned favorite channels, tap the right-facing arrow to see your favorite channels. Tap the right-facing arrow again to see a list of App Channels created by video apps installed on your console. Press the arrow once more to see the list of recent channels.

At any time you can turn the channel into something you want to watch by tapping on it. A universal remote also pops up here on the Xbox One SmartGlass, allowing you to change the channel or watch DVR content directly on your cable box, depending on whether you’ve entered all your device information correctly.

Have fun changing channels with the Xbox One SmartGlass app. By default the app will stick to any lock screen settings your iPhone may have. For example, your iPhone will continue to crash if you don’t use the Xbox One SmartGlass app for an extended period of time. You can override this and turn an old iPhone into a universal remote by going to Settings from the Xbox One SmartGlass Menu.