How to Fix Apple TV Remote Not Working

You come home from a long day at work, then you head to your living room to watch your favorite series or see the latest movie. However, you find out that your Apple TV remote is not working. 

Apple TV remote particularly the Siri remote gives you full control over your Apple TV with helpful features like its trackpad that lets you navigate through the home screen like you would on touch-screen devices. 

Recently, a number of users from the Apple Support Community have reported that their Apple TV remote is not working properly or not functioning at all. 

Now, there are several reasons as to why this is happening like pairing problems, network issues, or a dead battery that needs to be replaced or charged.

Whatever the case is, we are here to help you out! In this guide, we are going to show you how to fix not only the Apple TV remote but also the remote app for your iOS devices. 

Let’s get started!

Fix Apple TV Remote. 

• 1. Charge/Replace the Battery. 
• 2. Check for Interference.
• 3. Clean the Remote.
• 4. Restart Apple TV.
• 5. Re-Pair Your Apple TV Remote.
• How to Calibrate the Siri Remote.

Fix Apple TV Remote App.

• 1. Connect to the Same Network.
• 2. Restart the App.
• 3. Restart Your iOS Device.
• 4. Restart Your Router.
• 5. Toggle Airplane Mode.
• 6. Update Your iOS Device.
• 7. Re-Pair Your iOS Device.

 

 

1. Charge/Replace the Battery. 

The most common fix for most remotes that are not working is to replace its battery or charge if your remote has rechargeable batteries. If you haven’t replaced your Apple TV’s remote battery for quite some time, it is best that you get a fresh battery and replace the old ones. 

 

 

On the other hand, if the Siri remote is not working on your Apple TV, make sure that it has enough charge to function. To do this, plug in a lightning charger to your remote and allow it to get some juice for at least 30 minutes. 

 

 

Try to use the remote after charging or replacing its battery to see if it is already working properly. 

 

 

2. Check for Interference. 

Since the Apple TV remote still uses IR blasters for transmitting signals, make sure that no objects are blocking the direct line of sight of the remote and the Apple TV. 

Remove any speakers or multimedia systems that could block the IR sensor of the Apple TV, which is located in the front of the device. 

Lastly, be sure that your remote’s IR blasters are free from dust particles and debris. 

 

 

3. Clean the Remote. 

If you are having a hard time getting some of the buttons to work on your Apple TV remote, you can try cleaning it. 

Get some Q-tip and apply some rubbing alcohol to it. Now, gently clean the sides of the buttons and the actual buttons of the Apple TV to clear it from any dirt build-up. Also, be sure to clean the IR blaster on your remote. 

 

 

4. Restart Apple TV. 

There are times where devices like the Apple TV to encounter temporary glitches that can cause some of its functions to not work. In this case, you can try restarting the device to allow its system to reload all of its resources. 

Check out the guide below on how to restart the Apple TV:

1. First, unplug the Power cable from your Apple TV. 
2. After that, wait for 6 – 10 seconds. 
3. Lastly, plug in the Power cable back to your Apple TV and turn it on. 

 

Now, use the Apple TV remote to see if it is already working properly. 

However, if you are still having problems using your Apple TV remote, proceed to the next method below to try and fix the issue. 

 

 

5. Re-Pair Your Apple TV Remote. 

Pairing issues is the main reason as to why your Apple TV’s remote is not working. It is possible that the remote cannot establish a proper connection to your Apple TV, which causes the problem. 

If you are using the Siri remote, you can re-pair the device by doing the following steps: 

1. First, point your remote 3 inches away from the Apple TV.
2. After that, press and hold on the Home + Volume Up button for 5 seconds. 
3. Lastly, put your Siri remote at the top of the Apple TV to complete the pairing process.

 

Now, try to use the Siri remote normally and check if all the buttons are already working. 

For those who are using the Aluminum/White remote, you can reset the connection between your Apple TV and remote by doing the steps below: 

1. First, unlink your Apple TV remote by pressing the Menu + Left button for 6 seconds. 
2. Next, hold down the Menu + Right button to link the Apple TV remote.
3. Lastly, look for a linked icon above a remote logo on the Apple TV to ensure that it is already linked.

 

After pairing your devices, restart the Apple TV once again to see if the remote is already working properly. 

 

How to Fix Apple TV Remote App. 

If you are having problems using the dedicated Apple TV remote app on your iOS devices, be sure to check out the methods below which can possibly help in dealing with this kind of issue on the Apple TV. 

 

 

1. Connect to the Same Network. 

The remote app on your iOS device relies solely on the wireless network that you are connected with. If the Apple TV remote app is not working, be sure to check if you are connected to the same network that your Apple TV is using. 

 

 

2. Restart the App. 

To ensure that the remote app on your iOS device did not encounter any bugs or glitches while running, try to restart it to allow the app to reload all of its resources. 

For iOS devices that utilize an all-screen display, you can restart an app by swiping up from the bottom of your screen until the application switcher appears. Now, find the remote app from the list and swipe it up until it is removed from the app switcher. 

 

 

On the other hand, if you own an iOS device that still has the Home button, you can restart the Apple TV remote app by double-tapping the Home button to open the app switcher. After that, locate the remote app from the list and swipe it up until it is removed from the list. 

 

 

After closing the remote app, go back to the main screen and start the Apple TV app once again to verify if it is already working. 

 

 

3. Restart Your iOS Device. 

If restarting the app did not work in fixing the issue, what you can try doing next is to restart your actual device. Possibly, your iOS device encountered a temporary glitch that causes some applications like the remote app to malfunction. 

To restart your iOS device, follow the step-by-step guide below. 

1. First, locate the Power button on your device. 
2. Next, press and hold the Power button until the ‘Slide to Power Off’ screen appears. 
3. Lastly, drag the slider to the right until your phone’s screen turns black.

 

After that, press the Power button to turn on your iOS device once again. Now, try to use the Apple TV remote app to check if restarting iOS worked in solving the problem.

 

 

4. Restart Your Router. 

Since the connection between your iOS device and Apple TV relies on the network that you are using, it is not a bad idea to try and reset your router. Unstable connections can cause problems with the app, which could be the case.

To rule this out, try to restart your router. First, locate the power cable of your router, which is usually placed at the back. Now, unplug the power cable from your router and wait for at least 5 – 10 seconds before plugging it back into your router. 

 

 

Wait for your router to completely startup, then connect both your iOS device and Apple TV. Try to use the remote app on your iOS device to see if the problem is already resolved. 

However, if you are still having a hard time getting the remote app to work, you can check out the next method below to try and solve the issue. 

 

 

5. Toggle Airplane Mode. 

Airplane mode disables any form of wireless connection on your iOS device, including cellular data. If you recently used Airplane mode on your iOS device, it is possible that some glitch occurred and it still thinks that you are in Airplane mode. 

To fix this, make sure that Airplane mode is disabled on your device:

1. First, tap on the Settings app to launch it. 
2. Inside Settings, tap on the On/Off toggle switch beside Airplane Mode. 

 

3. Lastly, if you see that the Cellular Signal is showing beside your Battery indicator, then that means Airplane Mode is turned off. 

After toggling the Airplane mode switch, go back to the remote app on your iOS device and try to use it to check if it is already working properly. 

 

 

6. Update Your iOS Device. 

Another possible reason for this issue is your iOS version. Possibly, the current version of iOS installed on your device has an issue related to the remote app that causes it to not work properly. In this case, you can try checking for an update to see if Apple already released a patch to fix the issue. 

1. On your device, tap on the Settings app to open it. 
2. After that, tap on the General tab. 

 

3. Finally, tap on Software Update. This will prompt your device to check for any update available for iOS. If available, follow the on-screen prompts to install the update.

After the update, give your iOS device another restart and try to use the remote app once again to see if the problem is already fixed. 

However, if the problem is still present, head to the final method below to try and fix the problem with the Apple TV remote app. 

 

 

7. Re-Pair Your iOS Device. 

For the final method, what you can try doing is to reset the connection between the remote app and the Apple TV. It is possible that a proper connection was not established between your devices which causes the remote to not work. 

Follow the steps below to guide you on how to reset the connection between the remote app and your Apple TV. 

1. On your Apple TV, go to the Settings app. 
2. After that, navigate to General > Remotes and Devices.

 

3. Lastly, tap on Remote App and unpair the remote app from your Apple TV. 

Once done, set up the remote app from your iOS device once again and try to use it normally to see if the issue would still occur. 

If you still can’t get the Apple TV remote or remote app to work, then we suggest that you visit the nearest Apple Store on your location to have your Apple TV and remote checked by a professional. 

 

 

How to Calibrate the Siri Remote. 

If you are having a hard time using the trackpad on your Siri remote, you can try adjusting its scroll speed to make it easier for you to use. While the actual sensitivity of the trackpad is not adjustable, controlling the scroll speed to your preference can help a lot. 

1. First, go to the Settings of your Apple TV. 
2. After that, go to Remotes and Devices. 

 

3. Lastly, tap on Touch Surface Tracking and set it to your preferred speed. 

This sums up our guide on how to fix the Apple TV remote if it is not working. If you know other solutions to this kind of problem, feel free to share it in the comment section below. We would be glad to give you credit for the solution once this article gets updated. 😀

 

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