Example embodiments provide a system and method for configuring remote control devices to display application dependent control frames of a remote control user interface. A digital receiver runs a plurality of applications at the receiver device. The digital receiver detects a switch command. The switch command causes a background application to become a primary application, whereby the primary application is the application in focus on a display device. The digital receiver switches the background application into the primary application, the switching causing a previous primary application to become a new background application. The digital receiver retrieves, from a settings datastore, configuration information for remote control settings corresponding to the primary application, and causes, based on the configuration information for the remote control settings, a remote control frame corresponding to the primary application to replace, on a display of the remote control device, a remote control frame corresponding to the previous primary application.