Connectivity with presentation remotes

I'm wondering if anyone else out there has recently been having problems trying to use their presentation remote with MacBook Pro... Has always worked just fine, but the past month or so has kind of gone south.


Anyone else? Any solutions or suggestions?


MacBook Pro 13", macOS 10.14

Posted on Nov 11, 2019 1:02 PM

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3 replies

Nov 14, 2019 3:57 PM in response to terryfromspokane

Hey there terryfromspokane,


Thanks for reaching out to Apple Support Communities. I understand you’re having an issue with the presentation remote and Mac. I’ll be happy to help.


Does this happen in a new user account as well? Test it out to isolate this issue:


How to test an issue in another user account on your Mac


Does this remote connect using Bluetooth? If so, unpair it from your Mac, restart, and pair them back together again:


Use Bluetooth devices with Mac

How to turn your Mac on or off


Also, check the battery of your remote to make sure it’s completely charged and test with another Mac if possible.


Let me know if these steps help.

Nov 15, 2019 10:40 AM in response to terryfromspokane

Hi terryfromspokane,


Thanks for those details. It sounds like you’ve been able to isolate the issue even more. If it works better is one app, check for updates to the apps:


How to update the software on your Mac


Also, if possible, check for an update to the firmware of the remote itself. 


If the issue continues, reach out to Apple Support at the following link so they can continue to look into this with you:


Contact Apple Support 


Cheers 

Nov 15, 2019 4:43 AM in response to MoonJ.

Here are some answers to your questions:


Does this happen in a new user account as well? Test it out to isolate this issue:

Only one user account on my MacBook Pro


Does this remote connect using Bluetooth? If so, unpair it from your Mac, restart, and pair them back together again:.

Uses either. Have tried only the alternative to Bluetooth, since the remote doesn’t show up when trying to connect with Bluetooth.



Also, check the battery of your remote to make sure it’s completely charged and test with another Mac if possible.

Have installed a brand new battery, and have tried the remote on both my MacBook Pro, and my iMac.


Should mention that two different remotes are not working, though it will work once, then quits. The older remote used to work just fine, but quit working properly after a system update about several weeks ago. AND, just recently discovered that the remotes seem to work OK usually—when using Keynote, but no longer with either PowerPoint or Google Slide. This makes me wonder if there’s an incompatibility problem with the newest MacOS updates and other brands of presentation software. The iMac is running Catalina, the MacBook Pro is running the latest version of Mohave..


Thank you for your assistance.


—Terry Roberts

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Connectivity with presentation remotes

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