By Klaus Jakobsen, developer of A Decent Remote 
Your Apple TV is on the home screen and nothing you press does anything. It is nearly always a flat battery, a lost Bluetooth link or a frozen box, and each takes minutes to rule out. Meanwhile your iPhone can already steer the Apple TV.
Is the Apple TV remote broken, or is it the Apple TV?
Start by working out which remote you hold, because the fix depends on it:
| Remote | Comes with | Link and power |
|---|---|---|
| Apple Remote, thin aluminium, no touch area | Apple TV 2 and 3 | Infrared, CR2032 coin battery |
| Siri Remote, black, glass touch surface, Menu button | Apple TV HD, Apple TV 4K (1st generation) | Bluetooth, Lightning cable |
| Siri Remote or Apple TV Remote, silver clickpad, Back button | Apple TV 4K (2nd and 3rd generation) | Bluetooth, Lightning (2nd) or USB-C (3rd) |
Then three quick checks, in this order:
- Camera test. Point the remote at your iPhone’s front camera and press a button. A flicker means an infrared remote is alive; none on an aluminium Apple Remote points to a dead battery. The Siri Remote uses Bluetooth, so the camera shows nothing for it.
- Wake it and check the input. Press any button and confirm the TV is on the Apple TV’s HDMI input. A sleeping box or the wrong input mimics a dead remote.
- Unplug the Apple TV for six seconds. A frozen box ignores every remote, and Apple suggests the same reset when pairing fails.
How do I re-pair or reset a Siri Remote?
- Charge it for 30 minutes with its USB-C or Lightning cable and a wall charger.
- Hold the remote about 3 inches (8 cm) from the Apple TV, pointing at it. Press and hold Back (Menu on the black one) and Volume Up for five seconds. If the Apple TV asks, rest the remote on top of it.
- Still nothing? Hold TV/Control Center and Volume Down for about five seconds, until the Apple TV’s status light turns off and on. Release, wait 5 to 10 seconds and press any button. Remote Connected appears when it works.
- Unplug the Apple TV for six seconds, then repeat step 2.
On tvOS 18 or later, Settings → Remotes and Devices → Remote shows a Bluetooth signal indicator: stay within 20 feet (6 m).
Why is the Apple TV remote touchpad not working?
If clicks work but swipes do nothing on a silver remote, open Settings → Remotes and Devices → Clickpad. Click and Touch allows swiping, Click Only switches it off. Without swipes, press the edges of the ring to move and click the centre to select. Touch Surface Tracking sets the speed to Fast, Medium or Slow. Still dead? Restart and charge the remote as above.
Why is my Apple TV 2 remote not working?
“Apple TV 2” can mean two boxes. With the thin aluminium remote, you have a 2nd or 3rd generation Apple TV:
- Put in a new CR2032 battery.
- Unplug the Apple TV for at least six seconds.
- Hold Menu and Left for six seconds. The Apple TV shows an Unlink icon above a remote icon.
- Hold Menu and Right for six seconds. A Link icon above a remote icon means it is linked again.
A silver clickpad remote means an Apple TV 4K (2nd generation): use the Siri Remote steps above.
How do I control my Apple TV from my iPhone while the remote is down?
Try Apple’s own remote first: it is free and built in. It works with Apple TV 4K, Apple TV HD and AirPlay-compatible TVs, not with the Apple TV 2 or 3. Swipe down from the top-right corner, tap Add Controls, then Add a Control and search for Remote (iOS 17 or earlier: Settings → Control Center → Apple TV Remote). Tap it, pick your Apple TV and enter the four-digit passcode if asked.
A Decent Remote is the second route, with one app for every TV in the house, a keyboard and one-tap app launching:
- Put the iPhone on the Apple TV’s Wi-Fi. If the screen is black, unplug the box for six seconds so it starts up awake.
- Open the app and tap your Apple TV in the list.
- The Apple TV shows a 4-digit code. Type it into the app. The pairing is saved, with no press on the broken remote.
If the Apple TV refuses before any code appears, set Settings → AirPlay and HomeKit → Allow Access → Anyone on the Same Network. You can reach it with a family member’s Control Center remote, or with your TV remote over HDMI-CEC (a TV setting whose name ends in “Link” or “Sync”, like SimpLink or Anynet+). More in the Apple TV pairing guide.
On tvOS 15 or later the app also types into text fields (if the prompt itself fails, see why the keyboard does not show) and launches apps. tvOS 14 or older gets navigation and playback only. There is no sleep button, and volume works only when the Apple TV drives your TV or soundbar.
The Apple TV 2 and 3 pair the other way round, and it is the least proven part of the app. The app shows a 4-digit code, and on the Apple TV you open Settings → General → Remotes, select A Decent Remote and type the code with the Apple Remote. That needs a working remote once, so fix the battery first and treat the app as plan B. If it was paired earlier, it should connect without the remote. Apple TV missing from the list? Try this checklist.
Is a replacement Apple TV remote worth buying?
Often you do not need one: a charge, a pairing or a battery fixes most of these. A new Siri Remote costs $59 at Apple in the US. On an Apple TV HD or 4K, an infrared universal remote can learn the buttons under Settings → Remotes and Devices → Learn Remote. For an Apple TV 3, Apple’s advice is an Apple Remote.