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New Apple TV 4K Owners Report Siri Remote Connection Issues
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I have the second gen 4K (the 2021 version) and I have had a similar but different issue on the remote all of a sudden this month, which is it won't adjust the volume on the TV. All the other buttons work as they should. Turning the volume up or down has the light blink on the ATV box, but the volume doesn't change. Rebooting the remote fixes it. But before January 2023, this never happened.
Zero problems of any kind on the 1st Gen ATV4K in our bedroom.
I thought this was just me! It's especially bad in front of the WTC Apple Store. It's like walking through a dead zone for 30 seconds.
Ah, so I'm not going crazy!
Also happening here since I got the new 4K ATV about a month ago. Unpairing/repairing works… until it doesn't anymore 🤔
Also happening here since I got the new 4K ATV about a month ago. Unpairing/repairing works… until it doesn't anymore 🤔
Glad I’m not the only one that’s been having issues. Very annoying to have to re pair remote all the time
An increasing number of third-generation Apple TV 4K owners are reporting connection issues with the Siri Remote that are only temporarily resolved by either restarting the remote or power cycling the set-top box.
Several MacRumors forum and Reddit threads have been created to bring attention to the issue, which seems to relate to the Siri Remote's inconsistent Bluetooth connection with the latest Apple TV 4K, even at close proximity.
Users report the Siri Remote losing connection with the Apple TV 4K intermittently, which can only be remedied by either re-pairing or restarting the remote, or unplugging the set-top box and then plugging it in again to re-establish the connection.
Notably, the problem doesn't occur when the same users try controlling their Apple TV 4K with the Remote app on their iPhone or with their TV remote via HDMI-CEC, suggesting the fault is indeed a Bluetooth issue between the remote and Apple TV 4K.
Whether the issue is down to a software bug or is hardware-related remains unknown, although there is some indication that the problem only began for some users after updating to tvOS 16.2, which could be the reason it has only now become a more widespread issue.
Some users have gone through several Apple TV 4K replacement units from Apple to try to solve the connection problems, with mixed results. Apple is clearly aware of the issue but has yet to respond publicly.
The third-generation Apple TV 4K was released in October 2022, featuring an A15 Bionic processor, 64GB or 128GB of storage, and HDR10+ support. It comes with a USB-C Siri Remote.
Article Link: New Apple TV 4K Owners Report Siri Remote Connection Issues
I just had the same volume issue on my 2nd gen. Never had any issues with it until upgrading to the latest version of TVos.
I’m glad I’m not crazy. I got the new 4K TV as soon as it came out. Never had issue with my last one (previous touch remote). I thought it might be something interfering with my android TV. Restarting the AppleTV will fix it or pairing the remote again. Neither of which are things I’ve ever had to do in the past.
What’s a good path to take with Apple? Submit a bug report?
What’s a good path to take with Apple? Submit a bug report?
Brand new out of the box, the remote only worked for maybe a minute, then lost connection with no way to reconnect. Power cycle worked, then I saw the battery was at 1%…no way that should happen on a brand new device for as briefly as these have been out. After charging it’s been fine, but what a horrible user experience…are they not charging remotes before shipping? 🤦♂️
That and HDMI handshake issues often leading to a blank unsynced screen. Apps not reloading when removed from active ram causing blank screen. Then you have to launch another app then go back to the intended app to get it to load again. I've had these same issues on the last three ATV4Ks I have purchased. I keep buying "the new one" when they come out like a desperate moron.
If anyone out there has a spreadsheet listing all of Apple's f***ups over the past few years, I would love to see it!
I had a different issue the other day, but perhaps it’s related. I control the volume using my Apple TV remote, which is set to auto in the settings but happens over HDMI CEC. However, seemingly at random it started automatically increasing the volume. I could see the little light in the remote flickering, so it somehow switched to IR but it was still correct in the settings (HDMI). I ended up fixing it by rebooting the remote. This never happened to me before on an older Apple TV.
Trust me, I love Apple, but honestly the path that I am taking is to discontinue buying most of Apple's products until they get it together. It is sad, but it is true.
Well, at least the Senior Vice President of Software Engineering has nice hair...
bought a new Siri Remote about a week ago and have no problems with it on an older Apple TV
Waiting for Apple fans defend how quality control has been “better “ let’s see what people on here come up with
It is interesting that you guys just posted that because I am getting hit by this bug. Normally I see a notification in the top right corner stating the remote connection is lost and then it almost immediately comes back. However, today I had to power cycle my Apple TV. I’m just glad it is not in a place that isn’t easily accessible. Hopefully Apple will fix this bug shortly.
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
As we know, modern Apple software QC seems to have faded from the "just works" days. As we also know, whining won't make any difference: they will get to it when they get to it. Maybe that's soon, maybe that's "just one software update away" or maybe that's 2 or 3 tvOS annual updates from now.
So the better solution is to do what most of us do these days: find a workaround until they hopefully get to it. The easiest workaround is to use the tools within AppleTV to "learn" any other remote you already have. Then, use that one for now. As tvOS gets updates, check the Apple remote again. It seems likely they will eventually fix this problem.
Option B: Buy yourself a universal learn remote- some of which come preprogrammed with Apple remote codes- and teach it to manage ALL of your AV devices. This is the best way to get to the "one remote to rule them all" target- something the Apple remote can never reach.
Both options will make AppleTV nearly fully usable until Apple gets around to bug fixes... someday... hopefully.
Personally, I've long been a proponent of Option B, pretty much retiring each new Apple remote soon after getting each new AppleTV. The one loss in this option is SIRI but I've personally never considered that a big loss. Others certainly might.
Tip: a universal, learning remote that can also execute macros can resolve all of the CEC issues we post too, by shifting desired CEC "magic" to macros you can set up yourself. Click one programmable button to execute a macro and it does the things we wish CEC could do correctly every time.
And "one more thing..."
Option C: the iDevice you probably also have has an AppleTV remote readily available within it too. Use that "virtual" remote until Apple gets around to making the reality remote work properly. A bonus to this option is that when you are having to type text in any search field, you can use the iDevice keyboard instead of having to scroll around lines of chars on screen.
So the better solution is to do what most of us do these days: find a workaround until they hopefully get to it. The easiest workaround is to use the tools within AppleTV to "learn" any other remote you already have. Then, use that one for now. As tvOS gets updates, check the Apple remote again. It seems likely they will eventually fix this problem.
Option B: Buy yourself a universal learn remote- some of which come preprogrammed with Apple remote codes- and teach it to manage ALL of your AV devices. This is the best way to get to the "one remote to rule them all" target- something the Apple remote can never reach.
Both options will make AppleTV nearly fully usable until Apple gets around to bug fixes... someday... hopefully.
Personally, I've long been a proponent of Option B, pretty much retiring each new Apple remote soon after getting each new AppleTV. The one loss in this option is SIRI but I've personally never considered that a big loss. Others certainly might.
Tip: a universal, learning remote that can also execute macros can resolve all of the CEC issues we post too, by shifting desired CEC "magic" to macros you can set up yourself. Click one programmable button to execute a macro and it does the things we wish CEC could do correctly every time.
And "one more thing..."
Option C: the iDevice you probably also have has an AppleTV remote readily available within it too. Use that "virtual" remote until Apple gets around to making the reality remote work properly. A bonus to this option is that when you are having to type text in any search field, you can use the iDevice keyboard instead of having to scroll around lines of chars on screen.
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Yep, same for me on my 2022 w/Ethernet. Before I figured out to restart/repair the remote, I legit thought I was going to have to RMA.
Never had any remote disconnection issues in 10+ years of my previous AppleTVs. I didn't even know you could restart the remote, never had to in the past!
Never had any remote disconnection issues in 10+ years of my previous AppleTVs. I didn't even know you could restart the remote, never had to in the past!