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Can't Stand The Apple TV REMOTE Anymore - Is There An Alternative?

boltjames

boltjames

macrumors 601
Original poster
May 2, 2010
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Let me start by saying I'm no hater, I had the very first Apple TV back in 2007 and have continued to buy them and support the platform. It's a great product.

But...

Last year I got a Sony TV with built-in Android TV and though I tried to resist I just can't and it's because of the damn remote. Having used the TV's remote for YouTube, Netflix, Prime, etc. it's just a better experience, I just can't go back to that touch pad that Apple has fallen in love with. It's slow, its inaccurate, it takes too much patience, I'm done with it.

Are there any alternative remote controls for Apple TV that are small and handy that use traditional buttons and not the trackpad?
 
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boltjames said:
Let me start by saying I'm no hater, I had the very first Apple TV back in 2007 and have continued to buy them and support the platform. It's a great product.

But...

Last year I got a Sony TV with built-in Android TV and though I tried to resist I just can't and it's because of the damn remote. Having used the TV's remote for YouTube, Netflix, Prime, etc. it's just a better experience, I just can't go back to that touch pad that Apple has fallen in love with. It's slow, its inaccurate, it takes too much patience, I'm done with it.

Are there any alternative remote controls for Apple TV that are small and handy that use traditional buttons and not the trackpad?
Click to expand...

I have the TV 4K, and, like you, I despise the remote that come with it... I have several older TVs (gen 2, 3) and continue to use those remotes with the 4K version... it's just tremendously more convenient for me. And they are still available for under $20 at Apple, BestBuy and many other retailers.
 
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I remember you being convinced that your Smart TV would replace the Apple TV some 18+ months ago and you certainly made a big fuss over it.

I personally love the trackpad and hope that it stays, it just needs tweaking.

Try the app on your iPhone or stick to your Android Sony as that makes you far happier.
 
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Some TV remotes can control the Apple TV 4K. I have a Toshiba 4K TV (Amazon Fire TV), and the remote for it controls my Apple TV perfectly. The only thing it no longer does is power on the Apple TV like it used to, and that is due to an Apple TV update. So I just use the app on my iPhone, I tap it and the TV and Apple TV come on, and then I use the Amazon remote for everything else. And when I hit the power button to turn off the TV, it shuts down the Apple TV as well.
 
dwfaust said:
I have the TV 4K, and, like you, I despise the remote that come with it... I have several older TVs (gen 2, 3) and continue to use those remotes with the 4K version... it's just tremendously more convenient for me. And they are still available for under $20 at Apple, BestBuy and many other retailers.
Click to expand...

Wait. The little aluminum gumstick remote will work with the newer Apple TV's? Can't be that easy, can it?
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BODYBUILDERPAUL said:
I remember you being convinced that your Smart TV would replace the Apple TV some 18+ months ago and you certainly made a big fuss over it.

I personally love the trackpad and hope that it stays, it just needs tweaking.

Try the app on your iPhone or stick to your Android Sony as that makes you far happier.
Click to expand...

Yes, my smart TV has replaced Apple TV for me except for when I want to listen to Apple Music, watch a show on TV+, or watch some of my Home Movies. So it's even more jarring to use the crappy ATV remote as I go months at a time without touching the thing. Ones thumb gets out of practice on swipes and taps and all the trackpad nonsense.

The app on the iPhone is worse. I can't just abandon the Apple TV because of Apple Music, TV+, and Home Movies. I pray that Sony/Android gets an Apple TV app like my cheap Samsung has, won't need the hockey puck or its crappy remote that way.
 
Nearly any ”universal“ remote that comes with any recent tv or even a $50 Blu-ray player can be programmed in a few minutes to control the ATV.
 
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I just bought a temporary cheap throw away universal remote at Best Buy called Terk and it works. The packaging usually says if it works with ATV and all the ones at Best Buy seem to work going by the packaging.
 
Alternatives that work in my household
  • iphone via remote app
  • ps4 controller
  • my tv remote
you can maybe get a universal remote to work as well.
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If you have a number of devices to control (Apple TV, TV, receiver, etc.) Harmony remotes are excellent. Lots of options such as the number of devices to control, whether button based or all touch screen. If you get one with a hub you don't even have to point your remote at the device for it to work.
 
HDFan said:
If you have a number of devices to control (Apple TV, TV, receiver, etc.) Harmony remotes are excellent. Lots of options such as the number of devices to control, whether button based or all touch screen. If you get one with a hub you don't even have to point your remote at the device for it to work.
Click to expand...
I’ve had the best Harmony remote you can buy and I’ve since switched to Caavo and it craps all over the Harmony remote.
 
HDFan said:
If you have a number of devices to control (Apple TV, TV, receiver, etc.) Harmony remotes are excellent. Lots of options such as the number of devices to control, whether button based or all touch screen. If you get one with a hub you don't even have to point your remote at the device for it to work.
Click to expand...

No, just need a small remote as a replacement for the annoying Apple TV touchpad one.

The way my Sony soundbar surround system and Sony TV are set up I can use just the remote that came with the Sony TV for that purpose. When watching TV, I just use the Fios remote. When switching to streaming, I just use the Sony remote for all those apps and such.
 
Bandaman said:
I’ve had the best Harmony remote you can buy and I’ve since switched to Caavo and it craps all over the Harmony remote.
Click to expand...

Which Harmony remote? Why is the Caavo better?

boltjames said:
No, just need a small remote as a replacement for the annoying Apple TV touchpad one.

The way my Sony soundbar surround system and Sony TV are set up I can use just the remote that came with the Sony TV for that purpose. When watching TV, I just use the Fios remote. When switching to streaming, I just use the Sony remote for all those apps and such.
Click to expand...

Sounds like 3 separate remotes (FIOS, Sony, Apple TV). Personal preference, I guess, but I prefer to have just one remote.
 
HDFan said:
Which Harmony remote? Why is the Caavo better?
Click to expand...
It’s a UI overlay. You can say watch Game of Thrones on the remote and it’ll turn on your TV, your sound system, your Apple TV, and then open the HBO app, then browse to and open Game of Thrones. It’ll even remember what you’ve been watching. It’s so much better than the Harmony remote that I don’t even know where to begin. Your stuff plugs into the Hub and it instantly recognizes what the devices are. It’s very hassle free.
 
HDFan said:
Sounds like 3 separate remotes (FIOS, Sony, Apple TV). Personal preference, I guess, but I prefer to have just one remote.
Click to expand...

Family of six, not everyone very technically inclined, most just use FiOS and nothing else, tend to settle in with one device for the evening and not jump back-and-forth between inputs very frequently.

I tried for years to get everyone used to a Harmony but it just never happened and I find that the upside to a single remote solution comes with a downside of having a remote that’s not optimized for each experience. The FiOS remote is just too good to give up, and it’s easy to grab the others when needed.
 
boltjames said:
Wait. The little aluminum gumstick remote will work with the newer Apple TV's? Can't be that easy, can it?
Click to expand...

Yes, you can use that remote, but in reality, you can use any IR remote that you want.

Every Apple TV generation has a feature called "Remote Learning", you can "teach" the ATV to learn any IR remote. It is in the remote settings.

So, if you have a spare remote sitting around, maybe to an old TV or VCR that you are no longer using, just teach your ATVs to use it.

In many ways it is better than the Siri Remote, and Apple silver or white remote, as you can teach playback buttons that the Apple remotes do not have, such as skip forward and back, stop, RW, FF, etc.

The biggest downside to this and many other Siri Remote alternatives is that there is no Siri, and there is not a option to teach a "Home/TV" button.
 
The remote for the ATV probably must hit ATV sales. It really is awful. I mean to the point of hate. If I had known about the ATV remote earlier, I wouldn't have bought it.

i bought a Harmony Eite remote which will work with the ATV. But, I also have a Yamaha receiver, a satellite box box and a 4K DVD player. With the Logitech it turns everything on with one remote.

The Logitech was not to hard to set up with its configuration app. You connect it via USB to your mac, build a profile, tell it what's connected to what and it programs the remote. It also has apps for iPhone and iPad to use in place of its remote.

Downside is it costs more, but if you have multiple AV devices the ATV remote is useless. Also, at this time the Logitech remote configuration application won't work with Catalina. Its a 32 bit app and they don't seem in a hurry to update it.

(Note: I'm in the process of dumping DirecTV satellite to just stream YouTube TV through the ATV.)
 
vertical smile said:
The biggest downside to this and many other Siri Remote alternatives is that there is no Siri, and there is not a option to teach a "Home/TV" button.
Click to expand...

So if I use the aluminum remote I can't use Siri at all? Or is there something to click on the search screen that will initiate Siri? That's a dealbreaker. I use Siri constanly with the awful touchpad remote.
 
boltjames said:
So if I use the aluminum remote I can't use Siri at all?
Click to expand...
Well, not with the silver remote, or any IR remotes. There is no Siri button, so... no Siri.

boltjames said:
Or is there something to click on the search screen that will initiate Siri?
Click to expand...
Nope.


boltjames said:
I use Siri constanly with the awful touchpad remote.
Click to expand...

Well, you can still use Siri on the Siri Remote if you use a different remote. You will just need access to both remotes.

Another solution is to use the Remote app for iOS which has everything that the Siri Remote has.

I personally do not like the Remote app because I like physical buttons. IMO, the worse part about the Siri Remote is the touch pad, and using the Remote app doesn't correct this, but makes it worse, because everything is touch and you replace the physical buttons that the Siri Remote has with touch buttons.

I really wished Apple had an alternative Siri Remote with a D-pad instead of the Touch Pad.

boltjames said:
That's a dealbreaker.
Click to expand...
That is pretty much the choices you have at the moment. Maybe there might be some third-party remotes out there that use Bluetooth and has Siri support, but I don't know if any.

You best bet is to try the Remote app and see how that works for you. I personally don't like it.
 
vertical smile said:
Well, not with the silver remote, or any IR remotes. There is no Siri button, so... no Siri.


Nope.




Well, you can still use Siri on the Siri Remote if you use a different remote. You will just need access to both remotes.

Another solution is to use the Remote app for iOS which has everything that the Siri Remote has.

I personally do not like the Remote app because I like physical buttons. IMO, the worse part about the Siri Remote is the touch pad, and using the Remote app doesn't correct this, but makes it worse, because everything is touch and you replace the physical buttons that the Siri Remote has with touch buttons.

I really wished Apple had an alternative Siri Remote with a D-pad instead of the Touch Pad.


That is pretty much the choices you have at the moment. Maybe there might be some third-party remotes out there that use Bluetooth and has Siri support, but I don't know if any.

You best bet is to try the Remote app and see how that works for you. I personally don't like it.
Click to expand...

Great responses, thanks for taking the time.

I can’t lose Siri, so I’m going to have to suffer with the crappy touchpad remote. I’m stuck with the hockey puck due to Apple Music and home movies. Hopefully they’ll release the Apple TV app for all Android TV’s and that’ll be the solve.
 
I’m baffled by the hate for the remote. My wife and I both prefer it to anything else. It’s so easy.
 
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