· 6 min read
How to automatically skip intros and recaps on your TV
Every episode, the same little ritual: wait for the “Skip intro” button, grab the remote, press it. Search for a way to automate it and almost every guide points you to a browser extension. There's a catch nobody mentions up front — those only work when you watch in a computer browser. On an actual TV (Apple TV, Roku, Fire TV, a smart TV) they do nothing.
Why auto-skip normally fails on a TV
Streaming apps on a TV don't expose a “skip automatically” setting, and a browser extension can't run inside a TV app. So on the big screen you're stuck pressing the button by hand — unless something can watch the screen and press it for you.
The fix: let your iPhone watch the TV
That's exactly what LazyBinger's camera auto-pilot does. Prop your iPhone facing the TV and it reads the screen with on-device text recognition. The moment a “Skip intro”, “Skip recap” or “Next episode” button appears, it sends the press over your network. Because it reads the picture, it doesn't care which streaming app you're in or which brand of TV you own.
How to set it up
- Pair your TV in LazyBinger — it's auto-detected on your Wi-Fi, no setup.
- Prop your iPhone on the nightstand or sofa arm, camera facing the TV.
- Turn on the camera auto-pilot (Premium). The screen dims to a dark night mode.
- Start your show. When a skip or next button shows up, LazyBinger presses it — you don't move.
Which apps and TVs does it work with?
Any streaming service — Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, Max, YouTube and the rest — because the detection is visual, not tied to an app's API. And it works across all 12 platforms LazyBinger supports, from Apple TV to Roku to Samsung. Button wording and positions come from a community “cue pack” updated per service and language.
Frequently asked
Can you auto-skip Netflix intros on a TV? Not inside Netflix's own TV app — there's no setting for it, and browser extensions don't run there. A screen-watching approach like LazyBinger's is the practical way to do it on a real TV.
Does the app need to stay open? Yes — iOS only allows camera access in the foreground, so you prop the phone with the app running. It dims itself so it won't light up the room.
Is it private? The screen is read on your iPhone with Apple's on-device OCR. No photo or video ever leaves the phone.
Want the bigger picture? See how it stacks up in our remote-app comparison, or set up hands-free voice control too.