Tripods with Remotes

A tripod and a button to press

A tripod holds the phone, but something still has to take the picture. Tapping the screen moves the phone and can blur a night shot, and it is no use when you are in the picture yourself. The tripods in this range come with a small wireless remote that takes the photo or starts the video from where you are standing, so the phone is never touched. They suit group photos, family pictures, filming yourself and anyone travelling alone.

The tripods here

The tripods in this range are selfie stick tripods: a stick that extends, with legs that fold out of the handle so it stands on its own.

• Pocket ones fold small, extend to around 74cm and have a fill light on the head that brightens faces indoors and on video calls.
• Long ones extend to about 1.7m, as a stick for a wide view or a taller tripod for full-length shots.

Several other tripods are sold with a remote as an option. You will find them under tall tripods and flexible tripods, and a remote on its own is under remote shutters.

How the remote works

The remote pairs with the phone by Bluetooth, once, like headphones. Many remotes send the same signal as the phone's volume button, which the camera app treats as the shutter, so they work with the phone's own camera with no extra app. The camera app has to be open on the screen; in other apps the button may change the volume instead. Some remotes have two buttons, one for iPhones and one for Android phones; if one does nothing, try the other.

Questions people ask about tripods with remotes

How far away does the remote work?

The makers give the range on each product page. Indoors and across a room is easy; walls and people between you and the phone shorten it.

The remote has stopped working. What do I try?

Check Bluetooth is on and the remote shows as connected, not just seen nearby. If it still does nothing, the cell may be flat, or it may be paired to another phone: forget it in Bluetooth settings and pair it again.

What powers the remote?

Most of these remotes run on a small coin cell. The government's product safety office warns that button and coin cells can badly injure or kill a child if swallowed, so keep the remote and any spare or used cells out of reach of young children, and go straight to A&E if you think one has been swallowed.

More to look at

• Selfie sticks
• Remote shutters
• Tall tripods
• Mini tripods
• Flexible tripods
• Guide: Phone tripods, gimbals and selfie sticks
• Guide: Ring lights and video lights for phone filming