Lots of things are theoretically possible, but not practically possible.
I've never heard of any iOS or Android device that has an IR receiver built in. You can buy external IR receivers with a USB interface and plug them in (maybe with with an OTG cable?), but without OS support or extra device drivers your results are likely to be unsatisfactory.
A quick Google search came up with this, for instance: https://androidcommunity.com/redditor...emote-20151012/
Bottom line: If you're looking for a plug-and-play solution, don't get your hopes up. If you're looking for a project with some technical challenge, then this might be fun.