How to fix Apple TV Remote not working issue [6 Easy Fixes]

Ever been in a situation where you and your friends or family are nicely enjoying a movie, sports event, or a popular TV show and your TV remote suddenly die? Yes! That is a really frustrating situation. It can be critical when you really want to use the remote but it just refuses to work. No matter the brand or product, remotes are bound to malfunction at some point or the other. Thankfully, there are a number of troubleshooting methods that you can follow to solve this issue.

As a user of the Apple TV, you know that the little remote that comes included with the TV box is quite delicate. Anything could happen to the remote at any given time. However, with a few troubleshooting methods up your arm, you should be able to solve and for that matter fix any issue with your Apple TV remote that is not working.

Let’s get started.

Fix Apple TV Remote Not Working

Since a lot of people own and will also be purchasing an Apple TV in the near future, it’s always best to have a troubleshooting guide made available in case anyone of you wants to look for ways on how to fix the Apple TV remote that isn’t working. So read on to know how you can fix your Apple TV remote easily.

There can be many reasons why your Apple TV remote is not working. It could either be because of a software bug, battery issues, or being damaged at some point internally or externally and maybe it can also simply be due to various devices interfering or blocking the remote from working properly.

Restart Your Apple TV Remote

One of the oldest tricks in the books for everything is to restart the device. This method usually works for a lot of devices, so there is no harm in trying this fix. Here are the steps you need to Re-Pair follow to restart your Apple TV Remote.

how to fix apple tv remote not working
  1. Press and hold the Control Center button on your Apple TV Remote.
  2. While keeping the button pressed, also keep the Volume Down button pressed on the remote.
  3. Keep both buttons pressed for about 5 seconds.
  4. This process should continue until you see the status indicator light turn off and turn on again.
  5. Release all the buttons and wait for 5 to 10 seconds.
  6. You should now see a connection lost message being displayed on your TV.
  7. The Apple TV remote should now restart itself.
  8. You will see a Connected message appear on the screen. This indicates that your Apple TV Remote has been restarted and has also connected itself to your Apple TV.

Re-Pair Apple TV Remote

Sometimes there can be an issue with the remote not functioning well with the Apple TV due to some unknown reason. The best way that you can follow to solve this is by re-pairing the Apple TV remote to your Apple TV. Here are the steps to pair your Apple TV remote to the Apple TV again.

how to fix apple tv remote not working
  1. Point your Apple TV remote to your Apple TV device.
  2. Now, you need to press the back buttons on the Volume Up buttons on the Apple TV remote.
  3. Keep the buttons pressed for about 5 seconds or more.
  4. Soon, your Apple TV device will ask you to place the Apple TV remote on top of the Apple TV unit.
  5. In a few seconds, the Apple TV remote will be paired to your Apple TV.

Restart Your Apple TV

Now, this might seem off, but it can be a possibility that your Apple TV might be glitching out and not detecting your Apple TV remote. In this case, you can restart your Apple TV. What you can do is perform a soft reset. This means you will have to unplug the Apple TV from its power source and wait for a few minutes.

Plug the Apple TV back into its power source and test your remote. Your Apple TV remote should work just fine. In case it doesn’t, you might want to follow the other troubleshooting methods.

Charge Your Apple TV Remote

Remotes with weak or low battery capacities will malfunction. So, check and see if your remote’s battery is below 15%. If it is, you might want to charge the battery for your Apple TV remote to full and then give it a try. Your remote will function properly when its battery is either fully charged or has a good amount of battery juice left in it. You can check the battery percentage for your Apple TV remote by following these steps, or head over to this page for more details.

how to fix apple tv remote not working
  1. Navigate to the Settings app on your Apple TV. You can use your iPhone as a remote to control your Apple TV.
  2. Under the Settings menu, select the Remotes and Devices option.
  3. Select the Remote option.
  4. Next to the battery level option, you should be seeing the percentage for your Apple TV remote.

Check For Interfering Devices

When you use any wireless device, there can be a possibility of it not functioning properly simply because of some interference between the devices and any other device out there. So, if you find your Apple TV remote not working properly, you might want to check for any interfering devices such as Bluetooth speakers or maybe even other wireless remotes. Either move them out of the way or better yet, switch those devices off if they are not in use.

Use the Apple TV Remote App on your iPhone

If you have an iPhone or an iPad with you you can make use of the built-in Apple TV remote app. This is useful when you might have a remote that is not functioning or a emote that has been lost. Either way, here are the steps you need to follow to use the Apple TV remote.

how to fix apple tv remote not working
  1. Open the Control Center on your Apple iPhone or iPad.
  2. Make sure your Apple device is running on iOS 11 and newer.
  3. Your iPhone or iPad will search for Apple TVs around you on the same WiFi network.
  4. Tap on your Apple TV and enter the passcode displayed on your TV.
  5. Once you have entered the passcode, you can easily control your Apple TV with your iOS device.

This concludes the guide on the numerous ways you can follow to fix your Apple TV remote that is not working. If none of the methods have worked or helped solve this issue, you might be better off using your iPhone as a remote for your Apple TV or you can go on looking for a replacement Siri remote that will work for your Apple TV. You can purchase the Siri Remote from the official Apple Store.

If you still have any query, then tell us in the comment section. Also, share this article with your friends.

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AUTHOR.

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Joshua D'souza

Enjoy games, 90's hip-hop, and tech. Loves exploring the infinite world of laptops and food. Every ready to provide assistance in anything that rocks his boat. Will gladly enjoy capturing memories through various lenses. Worked previously at PiunikaWeb as an author and researcher.

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