Android Authority - A phone with an IR blaster can double as a universal remote, allowing you to control various electronic devices in your home — such as a TV. Unfortunately, phones with IR blasters aren’t as common as they used to be.
The “IR” in IR blaster simply stands for “infrared.” The hardware itself is also equally simple to understand. If your phone has an IR blaster, it allows you to send commands, via infrared rays, to another device, such as a television, set-top box or stereo that is compatible with IR remotes. The main advantage of using an IR blaster-based device is that you don’t have to go through a cumbersome Bluetooth pairing process and that you can use it with older devices that don’t offer Bluetooth or wireless connections.
Samsung introduced the IR Blaster with Galaxy S4 and continued it upto the S6, this piece of hardware was discontinued since Note 5 onwards in favour of smart devices with Bluetooth/WiFi connectivity.
The phones featuring IR Blasters came loaded with Samsung's WatchOn EPG (Electronic Programme Guide) that gave a detailed info about programs along with the option to control various kind of device including but not limited to TV, STB, ACs, Projectors and any device with an IR compatible remote.
Unfortunately, this feature is not present in any new flagships from Samsung although some other manufacturers still provide it in their midrange and premium flaghsip segments.
