Find out what to do if the Remote feature on your iPhone or iPad isn’t working with your Apple TV.
Every Apple TV comes with a physical remote called the Siri Remote, but if it isn’t working or you can’t find it, you can use your iPhone or iPad to navigate your way on Apple TV.
If for some reason this is failing to work, follow the tips below to fix it in no time.
Choose the right Apple TV
If you have more than one Apple TV in your house or office, make sure you select the right one by following these steps.
- Open Control Center on your iPhone or iPad and tap the Apple TV Remote icon. If it isn’t there, add it first. If your iPhone or iPad is updated to iOS 27 or iPadOS 27, you can also find the Remote app by searching for it or going to the App Library.
- Tap ‘Choose a TV’ or the current Apple TV name from the top and select the right one, like the Living Room, Bedroom, Conference Room, or whatever you’ve named it.
By default, your Apple TV goes to sleep after a period of inactivity, provided you haven’t set the sleep time to never.
Once the Apple TV is in sleep mode, you won’t see the tiny white status light on its front, but still, your Apple TV should continue to be responsive to the actual Siri Remote, as well as appear inside the TV Remote app on iPhone and iPad.
Simply press and hold the power button to switch on your Apple TV.
Turn on Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on your iPhone
Go to your iPhone or iPad Control Center and make sure both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are enabled. It should work even if your iOS device is not connected to a Wi-Fi network.
However, if you have an old Apple TV, make sure it’s connected to the same Wi-Fi network as your iPhone or iPad.
Note: In my tests, I found that your iPhone or iPad will work as the Apple TV Remote even if both devices are on different bands of the same network. For instance, it works when my iPhone is on the 2.4 GHz band and Apple TV is on the 5 GHz band. Still, it’s better to have them on the same band.
Switch Airplane mode on and off
Minor iOS network issues may prevent your iPhone from communicating with the wireless network and, by extension, your Apple TV. Toggling Airplane mode on and off should help.
Use the iPhone or iPad of a user added to the Apple TV
If you’re the sole Apple TV user, make sure the Apple Account on it is the same as your iPhone or iPad.
You can check via iPhone Settings > Apple Account. And on Apple TV, go to Settings > Profiles and Accounts (formerly Users and Accounts). From here, select the default user (most likely you) and ensure you see your correct Apple ID on the screen.
If you’ve added other users, like your spouse, to your Apple TV, you can also use their iPhone or iPad as the remote. Additional users have their own section under Apple TV Settings > Profiles and Accounts.
Note: Other iPhones on the same Wi-Fi network as your Apple TV can find your Apple TV in the Remote app, but if you tap it, the app gets perpetually stuck on the “Connecting” screen.
Force quit and reopen the Apple TV Remote app
The Apple Remote feature appears like an app card in the App Switcher after you launch it from Control Center or using its dedicated app in iOS 27.
- Open the Apple TV Remote feature.
- Now, enter App Switcher and swipe up over the Remote tile.
- After 5 seconds, reopen the Apple TV Remote.
Restart your devices
This is an important step that you must pay attention to.
Start by turning your iPhone or iPad off and back on again. While your device restarts, switch off the Apple TV from its main power source and switch it back on after 15 seconds. Don’t use the Restart option in Apple TV Settings > System.
Turn your Wi-Fi router off and on
Often, your router may be the culprit behind your network issues, and restarting it using the main wall power switch can certainly help.
Update your iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV
Open Settings on your iPhone or iPad and go to General > Software Update to get the latest version of iOS or iPadOS. Similarly, navigate to your Apple TV Settings > System > Software Update to install the most recent version of tvOS.
Know where you’re in the TV interface
The Remote feature on your iPhone or iPad may be working perfectly, but you’re actually lost in the submenus. Try hitting the back button, and then you can navigate using the touchpad.
Remove extra devices paired with your Apple TV
If the problem still continues, follow these steps to refresh the connection for previously paired remotes and devices.
- Use your Siri Remote to go to Apple TV Settings > Remotes and Devices > Remote App and Devices.
- Select your iPhone or iPad from the list of paired devices and click Forget This Device > Remove.
- You can repeat steps 2 and 3 to get rid of all unnecessary devices. They may include your Mac or older iOS devices where you used the standalone Remote app or Home Sharing.
- Restart your iPhone or iPad and your Apple TV.
- Now, tap the Remote icon in your iPhone or iPad Control Center, and it should automatically connect to your Apple TV, given they are on the same Wi-Fi network.
Toggle off Home Sharing
While there is no apparent correlation, if you use Home Sharing to view your Mac’s photos or media on your Apple TV, then go to your computer’s Home Sharing settings screen and turn it off. You can also turn it off from your Apple TV from Settings > Profiles and Accounts > Home Sharing. Hopefully, this does the trick.
Reset and set up your Apple TV again
It likely won’t come down to this, but if the problem remains unsolved after trying all of the above tips, you can reset your Apple TV from Settings > System > Reset > Reset or Reset and Update. After that, set it up again.
Contact Apple Support
Finally, if nothing else works, chat with Apple Support and get their opinion on this matter.
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