How to Pair an Apple TV Remote in 4 Steps (With Photos)

The Apple TV is a great product that allows us to stream movies, television shows, music, and even play games from the comfort of the couch. Naturally, the Apple TV remote is an important part of the user experience. As such, knowing how to pair an Apple TV remote is an essential thing. With this information, you’ll be able to better control the Apple TV’s functions, better navigate the Apple TV interface, and access your content much more easily. Let’s get into the step-by-step process below, following along with the photos included at each step to better understand the actions required.

How to Pair an Apple TV Remote

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11/25/2023 09:20 pm GMT

Whether you’re replacing a broken remote, setting up a new Apple TV, incorporating a universal remote to your entertainment center setup, or simply looking to pair a new Apple TV remote entirely, it’s important to know how to pair an Apple TV remote. Don’t worry about the number of steps below: This process is one of the simplest and easiest imaginable. All you’ll need is your remote, your television, and your Apple TV device. Follow along with the steps and photos below to learn how to pair an Apple TV remote.

Step One: Turn On Your Devices

To begin, let’s make sure your Apple TV and television are turned on and working properly. First, turn on the Apple TV device and the television as you normally would. Then, we can move on to step two.

Step Two: Bring The Remote Close

Next, bring the Apple TV remote close to the Apple TV device. The closer, the better: This close proximity ensures the Apple TV device recognizes the new remote you’re attempting to pair. Any further than this, and the Apple TV might not recognize the signals coming from the new remote you’d like to pair with the device.

Step Three: Pair The Remote

Now, to pair the remote. Begin by pressing and holding the Menu and the Home button together for around six seconds. (The Apple TV’s Menu button is located at the top left, surrounded by a white circle. The Apple TV Home button is located directly adjacent on the other side, sporting a TV icon.)

You will initiate the pairing process by holding both buttons together for six seconds. The remote might not pair correctly if you hold for any less or only hold one button at a time. It’s essential you hit both buttons at the same time.

Step Four: Confirm Pairing

After pressing and holding the Menu and Home buttons for six seconds, you should see a message pop up on your TV screen. This message will confirm that the new remote has been paired with your Apple TV. If you don’t see this message, return to step two and try the process again. If you still don’t see the message, try one of the troubleshooting tips below.

Now, if you saw the message, you have nothing to worry about: Your remote pairing was successful. Still, you can feel free to test the remote out to make sure everything’s working as it should. Press the Menu button or the Home button to see if you get a response from the Apple TV. If you do, then congrats! Your remote is officially paired.

To see these steps in action check out the video below which will walk you through the process.

Troubleshooting Tips For Pairing An Apple TV Remote

Sometimes, technology isn’t always as smart as we think it is. Occasionally, there’s a need to troubleshoot some common issues to get things to work properly. Apple TV devices and remotes are no exception to this. Thankfully, there’s always troubleshooting. Below, we’ve compiled several common troubleshooting techniques to help make pairing an Apple TV remote run more smoothly. From battery issues to pairing issues to remote issues, these tips and tricks below should help take care of whatever’s interrupting your pairing process.

Check Your Battery Level

First and foremost, you can check to make sure your Apple TV remote’s battery level is okay. This process will look different depending on the Apple TV remote you have, so proceed accordingly. If the battery is low, try replacing or charging it and then attempt to pair the remote again using the steps above.

Reset Your Remote

If changing or charging the remote’s batteries doesn’t help, you can try resetting it. Interestingly, this process looks quite similar to step three above. Just press and hold down on the Menu and Left buttons simultaneously for about six seconds. After this, the remote will reset and attempt to pair with the Apple TV again.

Restart Your Apple TV

If neither of these tips has worked yet, you can resort to a restart. Sometimes, it’s not an issue with the Apple TV remote but rather an issue with the Apple TV itself. A restart will hopefully help resolve this issue. To restart an Apple TV, first, go to Settings, then select System, then hit Restart. The Apple TV will immediately shut off and then boot back up automatically.

Use Your Apple TV Remote App

If you still can’t get the remote to pair with your Apple TV, you can always resort to using the Apple TV Remote app on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch. As long as your device’s Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are on and both the device and the Apple TV are connected to the same network, the Remote app should connect to the Apple TV automatically.

The image featured at the top of this post is ©Hadrian/Shutterstock.com.