Can’t control ATV volume from iOS devices

Question

Level 1

6 points

Can’t control ATV volume from iOS devices

As soon as I AirPlay my music to the ATV, I lose the ability to control the volume from my iPad / iPhone.

Example - in the kitchen with my iPad. Airplay my music to my ATV 4K in the other room. Music now plays through my ATV (hooked up to my surround sound). If I want to adjust the volume, the only way for me to do it is with the actual ATV remote. I can change songs, fast forward, pause, play radio, playlists etc....all from my iPad without a problem. But for some reason, I can’t control the volume. The volume buttons on my iPad / iPhone don’t do anything and the volume slider bar on the actual song is grayed out and can’t be moved up or down.

this has been working fine for years but just recently this started happening. I’ve always been able to control the volume from my iPad / iPhone. All my devices are current software versions. Any suggestions? Thank you.

Apple TV 4K, tvOS 13

Posted on Dec 4, 2019 12:56 PM

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Answer 1

Joseph_S.

Community Specialist

Dec 12, 2019 9:14 AM in response to CA39

Hi CA39,

Thanks for getting back to us with those great details. Since it sounds like you've isolated this to the Music app on your device, I'd suggest using the steps below to remove the Music app and reinstall the Music app. I'd also recommend restarting the device you use these steps on between removing and reinstalling the app.

Please keep in mind that removing the Music app will also remove any content that you've downloaded for offline listening and will need to be downloaded again.

"Delete a built-in app from your device

1. On your iOS or iPadOS device, touch and hold the app.
2. Tap Rearrange Apps.
3. Tap in the upper-left corner to delete the app.
4. Tap Delete. Then on an iPhone X or later, tap Done. Or on an iPhone 8 or earlier, press the Home button.

If you have an Apple Watch, deleting an app from your iPhone also deletes that app from your Apple Watch.

Restore a built-in app that you deleted

1. On your iOS or iPadOS device, go to the App Store.
2. Search for the app. Make sure that you use the exact name of the app. Find the correct name of built-in apps.
3. Tap to restore the app.
4. Wait for the app to restore, then open it from your Home screen.

If you have an Apple Watch, restoring an app to your iPhone also restores that app to your Apple Watch."

Delete built-in Apple apps on your iOS 12, iOS 13, or iPadOS device or Apple Watch

If the behavior seems resolved after using these steps on one device, try them on the other as well. Let me know if you continue to have trouble controlling AirPlay volume from your iOS devices using the Music app.

Best Regards.

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Answer 2

CA39 Author

Level 1

6 points

Dec 9, 2019 5:32 PM in response to sterling r

I tried a few scenarios

1 - When I AirPlay from the Apple Music on my iPad to my ATV I continue to have the same problem.

2 - When I AirPlay from Apple Music on my iPhone to my ATV, I have ‘sporadic’ problems. Sometimes I am able to control the volume from my iPhone and sometimes I can’t. I’d say it works 60% or the time (rough estimate).

3 - When I AirPlay from Amazon music it works fine. I can control the volume from both my iOS devices.

4 - Also tried using Pandora and Spotify and those also seemed to work fine.

Based on this, it looks like this issue is specific to Apple Music and my ATV. All my devices are on current software versions. As I mentioned earlier, this issue only started a month or so ago. I’ve been using this for years without a problem - not sure what changed.

thank you

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Answer 3

sterling r

Community Specialist

Dec 7, 2019 6:05 PM in response to CA39

Hi CA39,

Thanks for reaching out in Apple Support Communities. I understand that when you're streaming music from your iPad to your Apple TV you're unable to adjust the volume from the device and you have to use the Apple TV remote. I can see why you'd reach out about this behavior, I'd like to help. I'd recommend using the steps below to troubleshoot this behavior:

Close the Music app or other apps you're using to AirPlay music: How to force an app to close on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch
Restart your iPad: Restart iPad
Test for the behavior again.

If you continue to have trouble, please provide the following details:

What app are you using to AirPlay music?

Are you able to test for the behavior using a different app with AirPlay?

Are you still able to control the volume of the content being played if you AirPlay from your iPhone?

Best Regards.

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Can’t control ATV volume from iOS devices

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