RelayTV Android Companion App

RelayTV Android is the Android companion app for the self-hosted RelayTV server. It gives you a fast mobile remote, embedded RelayTV web UI access, multi-server management, and Android share targets for queueing or immediately playing links on a RelayTV device.

RelayTV server:
https://github.com/mcgeezy/relaytv

Home Assistant integration:
https://github.com/mcgeezy/relaytv-ha

Support the project:
https://buymeacoffee.com/relaytv

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Features

• Multi-server support
• Health verification before saving a server
• LAN auto-discovery of _relaytv._tcp servers using Android NSD / mDNS
• Embedded RelayTV /ui WebView access
• Reconnect and heartbeat recovery
• Dedicated Android share targets:
  • RelayTV Queue → POST /smart
  • RelayTV Play → POST /play_now
• HTTP and HTTPS support for self-hosted RelayTV servers
• Lightweight remote-friendly workflow for local RelayTV control

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Why Use The Android App

RelayTV Android is designed to make self-hosted TV playback feel easy from your phone.

Use it to:

• Quickly open and control your RelayTV server
• Share links from YouTube and other apps directly to your TV
• Queue media without interrupting what is already playing
• Start playback immediately when needed
• Manage more than one RelayTV server from one app

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Screenshots

Add screenshots here for release.

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Requirements

• Android 8.0+ (minSdk 26)
• A reachable RelayTV server on your LAN or trusted remote URL

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Companion Projects

• RelayTV server: https://github.com/mcgeezy/relaytv
• RelayTV Home Assistant integration: https://github.com/mcgeezy/relaytv-ha

Planned / work in progress

• iPhone companion app
• Continued Android UX polish
• Expanded companion app ecosystem

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Build And Test

Validate host environment:

./scripts/check-android-env.sh all

Install or refresh Android SDK components:

./scripts/bootstrap-android.sh

Debug build, lint, and unit tests:

./scripts/build-debug.sh

Debug APK output:

app/build/outputs/apk/debug/app-debug.apk

Release bundle and release lint:

./scripts/build-release.sh

GitHub release assets are generated automatically when you push a tag like:

git tag v1.2.0
git push origin v1.2.0

Connected tests on a physical device or emulator:

./scripts/test-connected.sh

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Release Notes

• Current Play target: Android 15 / API 35
• Release bundle output: app/build/outputs/bundle/release/app-release.aab
• Release checklist: docs/RELEASE_CHECKLIST.md
• Privacy policy draft: docs/PRIVACY_POLICY.md

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Network Notes

RelayTV Android supports both:

• http://
• https://

HTTP support is intentionally retained because RelayTV is often used as a trusted LAN-first service on private IPs and hostnames. If your RelayTV server is exposed outside your private network, HTTPS is recommended.

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API Surface Used By The App

• GET /health
• GET /ui
• POST /smart
• POST /play_now

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Typical Workflows

Queue from Android share sheet

Share a link from another app and choose RelayTV Queue to send it to RelayTV’s smart play/enqueue behavior.

Play immediately from Android share sheet

Share a link and choose RelayTV Play to start playback right away.

Open your RelayTV UI from your phone

Use the app as a quick launcher and controller for one or more RelayTV servers.

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Support The Project

If RelayTV Android saves you time or improves your setup, consider supporting development across the RelayTV ecosystem.

Buy me a coffee:
https://buymeacoffee.com/relaytv

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Contributing

• Keep Android UX aligned with RelayTV’s self-hosted, local-first model
• Preserve the queue vs play-now share behavior
• Avoid regressions in reconnect and server discovery flows

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License

Same license as the RelayTV core project:
https://github.com/mcgeezy/relaytv