It seems like a lot of folks can't watch TV without a phone in their hand, which makes the newest update to the DIRECTV app that much more useful. As the changelog points out, remote control functionality has been at the top of everyone's wishlist, and now it's here. 

This update actually adds several ways to manage your DIRECTV receiver from the app. Here's the changelog straight from DIRECTV:

You'll need to be on the same WiFi network as your DVR to get these features to work. The same goes for all the streaming features – they won't work if you're on a different AP or using mobile data. The update is live, so go get it.