Jonsworld

Q: Apple tv remote app for my ipad 2 can't awaken the Apple TV

My remote that came with the Apple TV 4th generation bought a few months ago discharges very quickly. So I installed the remote app on my ipad 2. Works very neatly, but only after I turn on the Apple TV with the remote. Once the Apple TV has gone to sleep there is no way I can boot it from the ipad because the Apple TV icon is greyed out. Any ideas? The ipad is all updated to the latest version and so is the Apple TV.

Posted on Aug 23, 2016 7:43 AM

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Q: Apple tv remote app for my ipad 2 can't awaken the Apple TV

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  • by Diana.McCall,

    Diana.McCall Diana.McCall Aug 23, 2016 10:26 AM in response to Jonsworld
    Level 4 (2,925 points)
    Apple TV
    Aug 23, 2016 10:26 AM in response to Jonsworld

    Hi. If your Siri remote discharges very quickly, it may be defective. You should be able to return the whole system for refund or exchange. The remote battery should last for months.

  • by Jonsworld,

    Jonsworld Jonsworld Aug 23, 2016 10:34 AM in response to Diana.McCall
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Apple TV
    Aug 23, 2016 10:34 AM in response to Diana.McCall

    ...and thank you for that. I will go to the Apple store to (hopefully) get it fixed.

     

    However, my problem with the remote app persists. It would be convenient to use the ipad, especially if the real remote is in for a fix. So, how to boot the Apple TV from sleep? Hm.

  • by Diana.McCall,

    Diana.McCall Diana.McCall Aug 23, 2016 11:21 AM in response to Jonsworld
    Level 4 (2,925 points)
    Apple TV
    Aug 23, 2016 11:21 AM in response to Jonsworld

    Right. This normally works; I just tried it with both the old and new (phone only) remote apps and they both wake ATV with no problem. Have to press the Home button on the new one. This is a network problem, similar to those affecting AirPlay and Home Sharing. Is your ATV on ethernet or WiFi? Does your network include any extra components, like switches, wireless access points, WiFi extenders, etc.?

  • by Jonsworld,

    Jonsworld Jonsworld Aug 23, 2016 12:55 PM in response to Diana.McCall
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Apple TV
    Aug 23, 2016 12:55 PM in response to Diana.McCall

    Thank you for responding.

     

    No, no extra components and yes Apple TV is connected via wifi. I've tried re-pairing a few times, as well, to no avail. The thing is everything works seamlessly once the ATV is fired up. Perhaps I should put the blame on the ipad's old age? But still, it is running on the latest ios 9.3.4, which should do the job.

  • by Diana.McCall,Helpful

    Diana.McCall Diana.McCall Aug 24, 2016 7:05 AM in response to Jonsworld
    Level 4 (2,925 points)
    Apple TV
    Aug 24, 2016 7:05 AM in response to Jonsworld

    It sounds as if your ATV is dropping off the network when it sleeps. Two things you might try. These are pure magic suggestions, but they might make a difference. First, if ATV is using a static IP address, try changing it to DHCP. Use an IP reservation if a particular address is important. Second, make sure your WiFi network is using WPA2-AES (CCMP) encryption, with no dual-mode or TKIP. If you can access your router logs, you may be able to tell if ATV is dropping off, since it should get a new IP assignment when it wakes up.

  • by Jonsworld,

    Jonsworld Jonsworld Aug 24, 2016 7:07 AM in response to Diana.McCall
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Apple TV
    Aug 24, 2016 7:07 AM in response to Diana.McCall

    Thank you, Diana, for all your suggestions. Most of them were already implemented, so I tried to experiment a bit and I think I found an easy solution. Sort of.

     

    The thing is, using the ATV remote I could fire up the ATV even when my Samsung Smart TV was turned off. Clicking the remote would magically turn on both the ATV and the TV. Unfortunately this is what I was doing all the time using the ipad. Which didn't work. All I have to do now is to turn the TV on before I use the ipad and voila! ATV kicks in beautifully. Embarrassing.

     

    Again, thank you very much for following me.

  • by Jonsworld,

    Jonsworld Jonsworld Aug 24, 2016 9:38 AM in response to Diana.McCall
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Apple TV
    Aug 24, 2016 9:38 AM in response to Diana.McCall

    Oh well, seems I was a bit optimistic there. Problem persists.

     

    Back to the drawing board, then.

  • by Winston Churchill,

    Winston Churchill Winston Churchill Aug 24, 2016 9:46 AM in response to Jonsworld
    Level 10 (103,368 points)
    Apple TV
    Aug 24, 2016 9:46 AM in response to Jonsworld

    So just to clarify, does the problem occur when the TV is already switched on or not and if so, is it possible the Apple TV does wake but you don't think it does because the TV is off. (You should be able to tell because the light on the front of the Apple TV should light up).

  • by Diana.McCall,Solvedanswer

    Diana.McCall Diana.McCall Aug 24, 2016 9:49 AM in response to Jonsworld
    Level 4 (2,925 points)
    Apple TV
    Aug 24, 2016 9:49 AM in response to Jonsworld

    Yes, I was surprised when you said it made a difference. Try restarting the router, then restarting ATV, hold Menu and Down until the LED flashes. See if that puts them in a better frame of mind.

  • by Jonsworld,

    Jonsworld Jonsworld Aug 24, 2016 10:43 AM in response to Winston Churchill
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Apple TV
    Aug 24, 2016 10:43 AM in response to Winston Churchill

    Winston, the led light didn't turn on in neither cases, so the ATV did not turn on at all, but anyway I think the problem is solved. See my feedback to Diana.

     

    Diana, behold! Restarting the router seems to have done the trick. So far. For certain, I will be back with an update if things go haywire again. I suppose your "Hold Menu and Down" is a shorcut to restart, but where/what is "Down" in that quotation? Normally I just go to Settings and Sleep.

     

    Thank you both.

  • by Diana.McCall,

    Diana.McCall Diana.McCall Aug 24, 2016 11:04 AM in response to Jonsworld
    Level 4 (2,925 points)
    Apple TV
    Aug 24, 2016 11:04 AM in response to Jonsworld

    Good. Yes it's a shortcut to restart. I've seen it claimed that it's somewhat stronger than the menu restart. Down is the down arrow on the remote, see How to restart your Apple TV - Apple Support. This is a reboot, not just a wake from sleep.

  • by Winston Churchill,

    Winston Churchill Winston Churchill Aug 24, 2016 11:22 AM in response to Diana.McCall
    Level 10 (103,368 points)
    Apple TV
    Aug 24, 2016 11:22 AM in response to Diana.McCall

    The only difference so far as I'm aware is how it is shut down rather than how it restarts, so it's benefit arises when one can't get to the menu option or it otherwise doesn't work or as a shortcut of course.

     

    There is no down arrow on the siri remote or the remote app, the down arrow is the silver and white remotes, if you mean the volume down button that cycles the resolution, the correct buttons for a restart on the Apple TV 4 are menu and home.

  • by Diana.McCall,

    Diana.McCall Diana.McCall Aug 24, 2016 12:16 PM in response to Diana.McCall
    Level 4 (2,925 points)
    Apple TV
    Aug 24, 2016 12:16 PM in response to Diana.McCall

    I'm sorry. I misremembered that you had ATV 3 and was trying to be specific. I should have said Menu and Home buttons, as Winston has said.