Control a TCL AC from the app: modes, Sleep/Eco, weekly timer and sharing

What the app can do

Once a Wi-Fi TCL air conditioner has been added to the app, TCL’s guides describe one control screen with four buttons along the bottom: Mode, Fan, Function (Sleep or Eco) and Timer. From there you can switch the unit on and off, change the set temperature, and create on and off timers for chosen days of the week. A More menu (top-right corner) lets you rename the unit and share it with other phones, but only from the phone that set it up first.

This page starts with the unit already in the app. If it isn’t yet, follow connecting a TCL air conditioner to Wi-Fi (CF mode and AP mode) first. If the app shows the unit as offline or can’t reach it, see TCL AC app can’t find the unit, goes offline or shows Identification Failed.

Which app these steps come from

The controls below are documented in TCL’s Smart Life guide and in the TCL Home Comfort sections of its through-the-wall and portable quick-start guides. All three use the same instructions and screenshots. TCL’s 2021 window quick-start guides, which name TCL Home+, stop at “Add Device” and show no control screens. TCL’s US support site now names the TCL Home app; we haven’t checked its screens, so buttons may be named or placed differently there. To find out which app your unit’s guide names, see which app your manual names.

The control screen

Tap the air conditioner’s name in the app to open its control screen. TCL’s screenshots show:

• the set temperature in the middle, with − and + below it to lower or raise it;
• the power button in the top-right area, to turn the unit on and off;
• Mode, Fan, Function and Timer along the bottom;
• a ⋯ menu in the top-right corner for More options.

Change the mode and fan speed

1. Tap Mode and choose Cool, Heat, Dry, Fan or Auto.
2. Tap Fan and choose Low, Med, High or Auto.
3. Use − and + to set the temperature, where the mode allows it.

What the set temperature does depends on the mode:

Mode	Set temperature in the app
Cool	Adjustable to the temperature you want.
Heat	Adjustable, but only on units that can heat. On cooling-only units, choosing Heat does nothing.
Dry	Fixed; can’t be raised or lowered. The Smart Life guide gives 61 °F (16 °C).
Fan	Fixed. The Smart Life guide gives 73 °F (23 °C).
Auto	Fixed. The Smart Life guide gives 73 °F (23 °C).

The TCL Home Comfort guides say the same three modes are preset but leave out the values. So if − and + seem to do nothing, check the mode first. The app shows Dry, which the remotes of TCL window and through-the-wall units don’t have a button for.

Turn on Sleep or Eco

Tap Function, then Sleep or ECO.

• Sleep: TCL’s app guides say only that the fan speed is set to low in Sleep mode. On window and through-the-wall units, the remote manuals add that Sleep gradually raises the set temperature during the night (lowers it in Heat). See Timer and Sleep on the TCL remote.
• Eco: the unit switches off once the room reaches the set temperature and back on when it warms up, so the fan stops and starts on its own. The app guides don’t describe Eco; that behaviour comes from the window and through-the-wall manuals (how Eco differs between manuals).

The app section is the same in the portable guide, but TCL’s portable remotes have no Eco button, and the guides don’t say what Eco does on a portable.

Set an on or off timer for chosen days

The app’s timer is clock-based: you pick a time of day and the days it repeats on. That’s different from the remote’s timer, which counts down 0.5 to 24 hours (the remote timer).

1. Tap Timer. The app lists the timers you’ve already set, each with its time and days; in TCL’s screenshots a timer can also have an on/off switch beside it. The screen notes that timer accuracy is ±30 seconds.
2. Tap a timer to edit it, or tap Add Timer to create a new one.
3. Set the hour and minute.
4. Under Select days to use Smart Mode, tap the days you want it to repeat on. This is the weekly timer. In TCL’s screenshots, one timer is listed with weekdays and another as “Once”.
5. Choose Timer On or Timer Off.
6. For an on timer, set the Mode, Fan speed and Temperature the unit should start with.
7. Tap Save (the guides’ text calls it Confirm) to keep the timer, or Cancel to leave without saving.

The guides don’t explain the on/off switch shown beside a saved timer in the list; it appears to let you pause a timer without deleting it. The guides don’t say whether app timers and a timer set on the remote affect each other.

Rename, update or remove the unit

Tap ⋯ in the top-right corner of the control screen for More options:

• Modify Device Name: rename the unit, for example “Bedroom AC”.
• Device Sharing: share the unit with other people (see below).
• Device Info, Feedback and Check for Updates (the screenshot shows “Check for Firmware Update”).
• Remove the Device and Restore Defaults.

TCL doesn’t say what Restore Defaults resets. Our advice: don’t use Remove the Device or Restore Defaults unless you mean to set the unit up again, because after removing it you’d add it back with the Wi-Fi setup steps.

Share the AC with family

The first phone registered with the unit is its main control. Other phones can only get access through that main phone, using Device Sharing in the ⋯ menu. TCL also says shared accounts must be set up for the same country as the main account, so a family member’s app account needs to be set up for the same country. The Share Device entry in the app’s Profile (labelled Device Sharing in the Smart Life screenshot) shows your device-sharing information.

The guides don’t show the screens inside Device Sharing, such as how you choose the person. If you can’t find the option, check that you’re using the phone that added the unit first.

Lock the app with a pattern

In Profile, tap the area at the top where your name is set, then Pattern unlock, and draw a pattern. Once it’s on, the app asks for the pattern each time you open it. Profile also has Scan QR code, Message Center, Feedback and About (the app version).

Common questions

Why does Heat do nothing in the app?

The app offers Heat to every unit, but TCL says it won’t work or change anything on cooling-only air conditioners. Your unit’s own manual says whether it has a Heat mode; the window units in TCL’s guides don’t.

Can I still use the remote?

Yes. Nothing in TCL’s guides says the remote stops working once the unit is in the app. Be careful with the Display button on window and through-the-wall units, though: pressing it six times in a row resets the Wi-Fi setup, and you’d have to connect the unit again.