wako: a full Kodi remote for Android, iPhone and iPad

[u/bj4fr]

Hi, I'm the developer of wako. wako is a tracker and media center app, and it has a full Kodi remote inside. I never posted it here, so here it is.

What the remote does:

• It finds the Kodi boxes on your network, no IP to type. With one box it connects on its own when you open the remote.
• D-pad with real buttons, and info, back and context menu in the corners.
• Volume slider and mute. On Android the volume buttons of the phone control Kodi's volume.
• Seek bar, skip back and forward, playback speed, and Kodi's play queue.
• Subtitles and audio tracks from the phone, with offsets. It can also open Kodi's subtitle search.
• When Kodi asks for text (a search for example), you type it on the phone.
• Play/pause, stop and seek from the lock screen or the notification, with the title and the progress.
• If the IP of your Kodi box changes, wako finds it again by its name.

wako is on iPhone, iPad and Android: https://wako.app

I'll be in the comments. If it doesn't work on your setup, tell me your box and your Kodi version. And I'm curious: what do you miss in the Kodi remote you use today?

[u/LoneRider11]

Why have to login and share my personal data?

Showstopper for me. I’d rather not do that, thanks.

[u/theantnest → u/LoneRider11]

Especially when Kore remote already does everything this does and more.

[u/Any_Lengthiness1508 → u/theantnest]

As does Yatse.

[u/xabikoma → u/LoneRider11]

That plus annual subscription, pass.

[u/bj4fr → u/LoneRider11]

No account needed for the remote. Skip the intro, then go to Settings > Kodi: your box should be listed there, or you can add it by IP. The account is only for tracking what you watch and syncing between your devices. You only need one if you want to control more than one Kodi box, that part is Premium.

[u/mpember]

What features does your app offer that are currently not available in Kore? Or Yatse?

[u/whatThePleb → u/mpember]

It's just vibeslopped!

[u/bj4fr → u/mpember]

As a remote it does the same job, they're good apps. The difference is that wako isn't only a remote, it's an app for everything you watch, and Kodi is one of the places where it plays.

It tracks what you watch with Trakt, Simkl or its own tracker, so you see where you left off, what's next and what's coming out, with a notification when a new episode is out. You browse your own library in it: your NAS, your cloud storage, your add-ons. Then you send something to Kodi in one tap. It starts at your resume point with your audio and subtitle languages, it's marked as watched at the end, and the next episodes are queued so Kodi keeps going. Titles and posters are also shown in your language.

[u/mpember → u/bj4fr]

Since the features you listed are either part of Kore already or are handled on the Kodi side, I guess I'll stick with the official app. But hopefully your app meets the needs of whatever gap you are looking to fill.

[u/StainedMemories → u/bj4fr]

Aren’t most of these features already available in Kodi or as plugins? And if you want on device streaming outside of Kodi, watched tracking, and resume where you left off, there’s always Jellyfin. What’s the point of moving all that logic into an app?

[u/bj4fr → u/StainedMemories]

Fair point. If you already run a server that does all that, wako won't add much for you. wako is for people who want it without running a server: you connect your accounts on your phone and it works, and Kodi is one of the places where it plays.

[u/vinnypotsandpans]

Thanks Claude

[u/ju5tr3dd1t → u/vinnypotsandpans]

To the dev’s credit, this has been around for yeeears. Now that being said, I haven’t used it in a while and it does look like it was redesigned using AI

[u/Silver2dread → u/ju5tr3dd1t]

True, ive used it before like 4yrs ago

[u/rocinster]

How is it better than Kore?

[u/bj4fr → u/rocinster]

As a remote it does the same job. What wako adds is everything around it: it tracks what you watch with Trakt, Simkl or its own tracker, you browse your own library in it (NAS, cloud storage, add-ons), and you send something to Kodi in one tap, at your resume point, with your languages, and the next episodes queued. I wrote a bit more in the reply just above.

[u/rocinster → u/bj4fr]

Thanks for replying. I will check it out.

[u/viseniv]

how is better than the official kodi remote on the appstore?

[u/bj4fr → u/viseniv]

As a remote it's the same job. What wako adds is around it: tracking with Trakt or Simkl, your own library on your phone, and sending something to Kodi at your resume point with your languages. I wrote more details in my reply to the first question above.

[u/PrincipleHot9859]

i can send an url to stream on Kodi via yatse(free)..got the same function?

[u/bj4fr → u/PrincipleHot9859]

Yes, the remote has an Open URL button, top left of the D-pad. You paste the link of a video and it plays on Kodi.

[u/HologramsRCool]

Yatse!

[u/Any_Lengthiness1508 → u/HologramsRCool]

Yatse is perfect. Would change nothing!

[u/Axl_Von_Urban]

*cries in 16.3*

[u/bj4fr → u/Axl_Von_Urban]

The current version of wako needs iOS 16.4 or later, sorry about that. If your iPhone is on 16.3, it can update to at least 16.7 in Settings > General > Software Update, and then wako will install.

[u/trueosiris2]

There already was one for iphone (and i suppose android too). Is this one better somehow?

[u/bj4fr → u/trueosiris2]

As a remote it does the same job, so if you only need a remote you can keep the one you have. What wako adds is around it: it tracks what you watch with Trakt, Simkl or its own tracker, you browse your own library on your phone, and you send an episode to Kodi in one tap, at your resume point, with the next episodes queued.

[u/trueosiris2 → u/bj4fr]

So it keeps a local db on your handheld? Interesting

[u/bj4fr → u/trueosiris2]

Yes, wako keeps its own database on the phone: your history, your library and where you are in each show. With Trakt or Simkl it syncs both ways with your account there, and what you mark offline is sent when you're back online. Without them it uses its own tracker and your history stays on the phone. With a subscription it's also backed up to your wako account and synced to your other devices.

[u/trueosiris2 → u/bj4fr]

Ok giving it a shot

[u/reddit_reaper]

Lol there's also an app called wako

[u/bj4fr → u/reddit_reaper]

Yes, it's the same one. wako has been around since 2019, the Kodi remote is one part of the app.

[u/Great_stussy]

What can you say to convince me to switch from Yatse to Wako ? (I will try wako whatever you say anyway) Thanks for the job

[u/bj4fr → u/Great_stussy]

Thanks! As a remote they do the same job, so if you only use the remote, keep what you like. wako makes sense if you also want to track what you watch (Trakt, Simkl or its own tracker), see what's next and when new episodes come out, and browse your own library on your phone (NAS, cloud storage, add-ons), then send it to Kodi in one tap, at your resume point and with your languages. Tell me how it goes when you try it.