New Apple TV 4K remote keeps losing connection

[jtrue28]

Had a weird issue last night on one of my ATV 4K (2022) where the remote worked for everything but TV volume and mute. The remote uses IR to control volume. No amount of restarting the ATV or the TV itself would fix it. Found online how to "reboot" the remote. Did that and everything works again. I've never had this issue with any ATV, and we've had many versions. tvOS 16.3 is due out next week, however it doesn't sound like any sort of fix will be included with that.

 

[Canyda]

Had a weird issue last night on one of my ATV 4K (2022) where the remote worked for everything but TV volume and mute. The remote uses IR to control volume. No amount of restarting the ATV or the TV itself would fix it. Found online how to "reboot" the remote. Did that and everything works again. I've never had this issue with any ATV, and we've had many versions. tvOS 16.3 is due out next week, however it doesn't sound like any sort of fix will be included with that.

This is the issue I have but with my 2021 version: it's only volume that's affected. This problem only began in January 2023.

 

[cmatuk]

Same with game controllers

 

[-Gonzo-]

Not sure if this will help or not but had similar issues with my ATV4K 1st gen where the remote would become unresponsive and occasionally disconnect.
What I found out was it was caused by interference to the Bluetooth signal while under high bandwidth picture settings which in my case was caused by Chroma 4:4:4.
The fix was to set to 4KSDR with Chroma set to 4:2:0, I’ve never had any issues since and haven’t encountered any issues with the ATV4K 3rd gen either.

 

[dantracht]

I’ve had so so so many issues with the remote losing connection. The 2022 atv is the buggiest model ever, and I deeply regret buying it. I literally just paired an older remote I had to it in the hopes that it works better.

Latest beta makes no difference.

 

[-Gonzo-]

I’ve had so so so many issues with the remote losing connection. The 2022 atv is the buggiest model ever, and I deeply regret buying it. I literally just paired an older remote I had to it in the hopes that it works better.

Latest beta makes no difference.

Just out of interest if you set video settings to 4KSDR, YCbCr with Chroma set to 4:2:0 do you still have remote issues?

 

[Marty80]

I have two first gen 4k tvs, and am wanting to add more Apple TVs around the house.

However this issue is now putting me off from buying the 2022 model. Is this issue on earlier released Apple TV’s or on newer Apple TVs also.

Does the older 2021 model suffer from the safe faith.

 

[Smib]

I’m on my 3rd Apple TV (all the latest 128GB model), the first two were absolutely unusable with horrible disconnecting issues. However the latest one is working just perfect for almost a month now.

Here are the things I did differently this time. It might help to someone:
- never updated to TV OS 16.2
- upgraded hdmi cable from 18Gb to 48Gb
- changed video settings to 4K SDR YCbCr Chroma 4:2:0
- moved the wireless phone furthe from the Apple TV (though it didn’t cause any issues with anything before)
- when I replaced the Apple TV the 2nd time I asked the guy to give me one from the latest batch rather than one on the floor already, this one has completely different serial number than my other two faulty Apple TVs

One of thes apparently worked. No clue which one

 

[AndreGB]

I'm sorry, but none of this being a hardware issue makes sense. I use the 4:2:2 output and my box runs for days until the remote disconnects. And I am talking about watching 4K Dolby Vision content in the meantime, even 4K HDR 60fps. This past weekend, for instance, Fox broadcast their 2 NFL playoff games in 4K HDR 60fps and my remote didn't disconnect once. (Yes, I am affected by this pesky problem too - it's just that my remote was stable this past couple of days)

Let alone the fact that it resolves by simply rebooting tvOS, no need to unplug the box. If it were a more decisive interference, the remote would never work, or fail more quickly. Rebooting the software shouldn't fix hardware issues either. And if it were the case where the BT antenna on the box needed to be "refreshed"/"restarted" from time to time, they could do it via software too like a quick reboot of the BT chain, without having to reboot the entire tvOS. The remote would disconnect and reconnect almost instantaneously.

 

[Smib]

I'm sorry, but none of this being a hardware issue makes sense. I use the 4:2:2 output and my box runs for days until the remote disconnects. And I am talking about watching 4K Dolby Vision content in the meantime, even 4K HDR 60fps. This past weekend, for instance, Fox broadcast their 2 NFL playoff games in 4K HDR 60fps and my remote didn't disconnect once. (Yes, I am affected by this pesky problem too - it's just that my remote was stable this past couple of days)

Let alone the fact that it resolves by simply rebooting tvOS, no need to unplug the box. If it were a more decisive interference, the remote would never work, or fail more quickly. Rebooting the software shouldn't fix hardware issues either. And if it were the case where the BT antenna on the box needed to be "refreshed"/"restarted" from time to time, they could do it via software too like a quick reboot of the BT chain, without having to reboot the entire tvOS. The remote would disconnect and reconnect almost instantaneously.

Simple restart never solved the issue for me with the first two Apple tvs. I had to unplug them for 30 seconds almost every time the remote stopped working.

 

[Gator5000e]

I'm sorry, but none of this being a hardware issue makes sense. I use the 4:2:2 output and my box runs for days until the remote disconnects. And I am talking about watching 4K Dolby Vision content in the meantime, even 4K HDR 60fps. This past weekend, for instance, Fox broadcast their 2 NFL playoff games in 4K HDR 60fps and my remote didn't disconnect once. (Yes, I am affected by this pesky problem too - it's just that my remote was stable this past couple of days)

Let alone the fact that it resolves by simply rebooting tvOS, no need to unplug the box. If it were a more decisive interference, the remote would never work, or fail more quickly. Rebooting the software shouldn't fix hardware issues either. And if it were the case where the BT antenna on the box needed to be "refreshed"/"restarted" from time to time, they could do it via software too like a quick reboot of the BT chain, without having to reboot the entire tvOS. The remote would disconnect and reconnect almost instantaneously.

Curious how you got 4K HDR for the Fox game as my ATV doesn’t get the 4K broadcast (at least according to my Sony, anyway). Were you watching through the Fox Sports app or something like YouTube TV? On the ATV section of AVS forums, no one else gets 4K HDR for Fox games on their ATV either Via the Fox Sports app either. Thanks.

 

[-Gonzo-]

I'm sorry, but none of this being a hardware issue makes sense. I use the 4:2:2 output and my box runs for days until the remote disconnects. And I am talking about watching 4K Dolby Vision content in the meantime, even 4K HDR 60fps. This past weekend, for instance, Fox broadcast their 2 NFL playoff games in 4K HDR 60fps and my remote didn't disconnect once. (Yes, I am affected by this pesky problem too - it's just that my remote was stable this past couple of days)

Let alone the fact that it resolves by simply rebooting tvOS, no need to unplug the box. If it were a more decisive interference, the remote would never work, or fail more quickly. Rebooting the software shouldn't fix hardware issues either. And if it were the case where the BT antenna on the box needed to be "refreshed"/"restarted" from time to time, they could do it via software too like a quick reboot of the BT chain, without having to reboot the entire tvOS. The remote would disconnect and reconnect almost instantaneously.

Set to 4KSDR with Chroma at 4:2:0 and then see if your remote disconnects again.

 

[AndreGB]

Simple restart never solved the issue for me with the first two Apple tvs. I had to unplug them for 30 seconds almost every time the remote stopped working.

OK, well, that seems like a different issue then. Most of the people reporting their issues here and on Reddit can get the remote to reconnect after either rebooting tvOS or re-pairing the remote.

Curious how you got 4K HDR for the Fox game as my ATV doesn’t get the 4K broadcast (at least according to my Sony, anyway). Were you watching through the Fox Sports app or something like YouTube TV? On the ATV section of AVS forums, no one else gets 4K HDR for Fox games on their ATV either Via the Fox Sports app either. Thanks.

I got it on both. The Wild Card round I saw on the Fox Sports app because YouTubeTV wasn't passing through HDR properly. This last weekend, on the Divisional Round, I saw on YouTubeTV.
What do you mean by "my ATV doesn't get the 4K broadcast"? Is your ATV either the 2021 or the 2022 model? The first ATV 4K model can't play 4K 60fps HDR, so it will only play the 1080p signal. Plus, I don't think YouTubeTV is compatible with the Matching feature of ATV. I don't use the Matching feature, so I can't tell.

Set to 4KSDR with Chroma at 4:2:0 and then see if your remote disconnects again.

But that doesn't prove it's a hardware interference. It could be that something is spiking the usage of CPU and the Window Manager thread that runs on the CPU is winning on priority, thus crashing the BT kext module. And, yes, I wouldn't argue that 4:2:2 Dolby Vision 60Hz output would use more CPU and GPU than 4K SDR 4:2:0. So lowering it to 4:2:0 could be alleviating that spike.
Electromagnetic interference from the HDMI output to the BT antenna doesn't happen randomly. The HDMI is either always interfering with BT or not. And everything that is wireless these days is designed to take interference and deal with it. If the BT antenna is taking a spurious interference from some other source, it shouldn't just disconnect the remote for good, it must recover from it gracefully. I mean, WiFi does it all the time, and WiFi with DFS especially.

 

[AndreGB]

I see a lot of people reporting that the remote also disconnects when the ATV is sleeping (i.e, LED is off). When ATV is sleeping, my TV reports that input as having "no signal", which it is a pretty good indication that the HDMI is off too. And mine and other people's remote would still disconnect in this condition, so we can't wake our boxes up. We can't blame on the HDMI in this case.

 

[-Gonzo-]

But that doesn't prove it's a hardware interference. It could be that something is spiking the usage of CPU and the Window Manager thread that runs on the CPU is winning on priority, thus crashing the BT kext module. And, yes, I wouldn't argue that 4:2:2 Dolby Vision 60Hz output would use more CPU and GPU than 4K SDR 4:2:0. So lowering it to 4:2:0 could be alleviating that spike.
Electromagnetic interference from the HDMI output to the BT antenna doesn't happen randomly. The HDMI is either always interfering with BT or not. And everything that is wireless these days is designed to take interference and deal with it. If the BT antenna is taking a spurious interference from some other source, it shouldn't just disconnect the remote for good, it must recover from it gracefully. I mean, WiFi does it all the time, and WiFi with DFS especially.

Can only go on my own experience on this one as I used to have issues with my ATV4K 1st gen where the remote would become sluggish and at times unresponsive while using Chroma 4:4:4 or RGB High.
Set to 4:2:0 and the issue went away so put it down to some sort of interference why using this high bandwidth settings.
More recently I wondered what would happen if I clipped a ferrite core to the HDMI cable and all I got told was it was rubbish and wouldn’t do anything.
Around October/November time I was sorting out a cupboard and noticed a HDMI cable that must’ve come with my soundbar which is a High Speed with Ethernet cable which just so happens to a have moulded ferrite core at either end so thought I’d swapped it out and see what happens, tried 4:4:4 again and no remote issues.
I’ve had the ATV4K 3rd gen for a month now and not one issue with the remote at all.
Other than that I really can’t explain why I’m having no more issues when so many others are.

I see a lot of people reporting that the remote also disconnects when the ATV is sleeping (i.e, LED is off). When ATV is sleeping, my TV reports that input as having "no signal", which it is a pretty good indication that the HDMI is off too. And mine and other people's remote would still disconnect in this condition, so we can't wake our boxes up. We can't blame on the HDMI in this case.

Well I guess that’s my theory poo pooed then.
Perhaps we’ll just put it down to me being super lucky then.
Still makes no sense why so many are having issue when I’m not 🤷🏻‍♂️
Oh well as they saying goes ‘I’m Alright Jack’ 🍀

 

[Gator5000e]

I got it on both. The Wild Card round I saw on the Fox Sports app because YouTubeTV wasn't passing through HDR properly. This last weekend, on the Divisional Round, I saw on YouTubeTV.
What do you mean by "my ATV doesn't get the 4K broadcast"? Is your ATV either the 2021 or the 2022 model? The first ATV 4K model can't play 4K 60fps HDR, so it will only play the 1080p signal. Plus, I don't think YouTubeTV is compatible with the Matching feature of ATV. I don't use the Matching feature, so I can't tell.

I have the 2021 version ATV. I watched the game via the Fox Sports app on my ATV. The info card for the game in the Fox Sports app said it was in 4K but my Sony TV will tell me when it’s getting an HDR signal by putting an HDR badge in the settings. I got no HDR badge thru the Fox app. However, if I used the internal Fox Sports app thru the Sony’s Google TV app, I got the HDR badge. So that is why I was wondering how you were getting HDR using the Fox Sports app on the Apple TV. Hope this makes sense.

 

[Wilson1313]

Have this issue with the remote disconnecting on my new Apple TV. Has 16.3 made any difference to people? Think may just have to return.

 

[BBuff]

My remote connection issue isn't fixed with 16.3.

 

[Marty80]

would you guys suggest me getting the 2021 model over the 2022.

 

[-Gonzo-]

would you guys suggest me getting the 2021 model over the 2022.

No, not unless you’re going to benefit from HDR10+ otherwise stick with what you’ve got.

 

[Marty80]

No, not unless you’re going to benefit from HDR10+ otherwise stick with what you’ve got.

I am wanting to buy another Apple TV for another room. I have no need for HDR 10+ and am not fussed about usb c for the remote, nor do I play Apple Arcade games.

My concern with the 2022 Apple TV is the remote not pairing issues. Does it effect the 2nd gen 4k models as my 1st gen 4k has no issues.

 

[-Gonzo-]

I am wanting to buy another Apple TV for another room. I have no need for HDR 10+ and am not fussed about usb c for the remote, nor do I play Apple Arcade games.

My concern with the 2022 Apple TV is the remote not pairing issues. Does it effect the 2nd gen 4k models as my 1st gen 4k has no issues.

Never had a 2nd Gen 4K so cannot comment but I’ve not had a single issue with my 2022 remote myself with the 3rd gen model.

 

[Marty80]

Given I only use my Apple TV for streaming, and not for games. I might go with the 2021.

 

[bozzykid]

Given I only use my Apple TV for streaming, and not for games. I might go with the 2021.

Why? People complained about remote issues with the 2nd gen Apple TV 4K as well. It's a very rare situation that most people don't experience.

 

[Luuthian]

Have this issue with the remote disconnecting on my new Apple TV. Has 16.3 made any difference to people? Think may just have to return.

I returned mine and got a new one and it's been fine. upgraded to 16.3 from 16.1 and also working fine. Doesn't really answer your question, I know, but it seems like one or the other did the trick. Personally I would return it and get a replacement just in case