Apple TV Remote still not working for volume down eARC

Similar problem. I'm using a Hisense 4K TV from 2020. The Siri remote works with the Apple TV itself, but cannot control my actual TV – it can't control the volume or TV power. My Chromecast with Google TV has no such problem, so clearly the issue is the Apple TV, not my TV.

Very frustrating, may have to return this for a refund. No point in it if it can't even control volume and power.

EDIT: I have found the solution! God this was so unclear and ambiguous in Apple's instructions.

If your Siri Remote is currently not able to control your TV's volume or turn the TV on and off with the power button, do this.

Settings > Remotes and Devices > Volume Control > Learn New Device.

When it asks you to press the volume up/down/mute, DO THIS ON YOUR TV REMOTE, NOT THE SIRI REMOTE. I REPEAT: DO NOT USE THE SIRI REMOTE TO HOLD VOLUME UP/DOWN/MUTE. USE THE ONE THAT CAME WITH YOUR TV.

As it picks up what the TV remote is doing, the Apple TV logs the appropriate codes for the Siri remote.

Voila, you now have a working Siri Remote totally in control of your TV.

Apple's instructions could hardly have been more confusing if they'd tried.

Hey guys. I have found the solution. Go to settings on the Apple TV, then click on remotes and devices (one of the options in settings). Then go to home theatre control. Click on volume control, under home theatre control. Switch from auto to receive via IR, or to TV Via IR. This should fix it and the soundbar volume up or down should work just fine. This worked for me. It was originally on auto. The volume down wasn’t working. I hope this helps. Enjoy.

I've been having the same issue since around tvOS 15.3. Apple TV connected to a Samsung Q900A soundbar, which is connected to a Samsung TV. When the Apple Remote is configured to control the volume via HDMI, volume up works but volume down does not.

Volume down did start working again for me last fall around tvOS 16, but it stopped working again last week. The only recent change had been connecting a PS5 to my TV a few weeks ago. So I disconnected the PS5, power cycled all devices a few times, and volume down now works again! Definitely surprising considering that volume down was definitely working for a while after plugging in the PS5.

mikereed36, if you have any devices other than the Apple TV connected to your setup, it could be worth trying something similar to see if it recovers for you as well.

(To everyone suggesting to switch to IR volume control, this is only a partial workaround. When the volume control is set to IR, attempting to change the volume using the Apple TV Remote app on iPhone will simply not work.)

I am very happy to say that it worked for me too! Thank you!! Apple must have tweaked something in the tvOS. FOrm me I had to select "add new remote," teach it the soundbar remote's volume and mute controls, save it as "Soundbar" and then select "Soundbar via IR," and the Apple remote can now once again turn down the volume on the soundbar. Crazy that they waited so long to fix it, and slightly disappointed that they did not find this thread and let us know! Thanks again besinfe. Hopefully this works for everyone who was having the problem.

Exact same problem for me — volume down worked for a while, then stopped, worked for a while, then stopped working with tvos 16. Tried unplugging my ps5 as recommended, but to no avail.

For me, the culprit was my Sony UBP-700 blu-ray player. No idea why, but when that’s unplugged, volume works as intended. Super annoying, especially since volume used to work fine with the blu-ray player plugged in.

Apple TV 2nd Gen

LG OLED C1

Samsung Q800A

Xbox XSeries

PS5

Same problem, the volume down wasn't working. It started on the Xbox when I couldn't control the volume. Rebooted and turned on and off the settings and it worked. Then, later in the evening while on the Apple TV, the volume down didn't work. Read through this thread and unplugged the HDMI cable from the Xbox and power cycled LG, Samsung, and Apple TV. Volume down through on the Apple Remote works again. Must be a bug with the LG TV swapping inputs for volume control.

By the way, I plugged the Xbox back in and the volume down on the Xbox does not work again. Pretty sure it is a bug with the LG TV.

Thanks, mikereed36 for starting this new thread. I have an LG C9 and Samsung Q900A and have exactly the same problem (volume down not working, but mute and volume up working fine). At least I now know it is a specific Apple tvOS issue and can stop troubleshooting. I see from the earlier thread that Apple Support was not able to suggest a fix. Very frustrating to have to use a different remote or two remotes, when the latest Apple remove is so much better than the old ones! I suppose with each tvOS update we will have to try all the resets to see if Apple has fixed it. Hopefully they can troubleshoot with Samsung, if that is what is necessary.

I suddenly lost all volume controls, after I had been able to get them working using the IR volume control. I reset everything but still had no volume control. I came back here to see if others had the same issue, and saw the above posts.

I unplugged my Fios One box and DVD player and sure enough now the volume controls all worked! Then I tried plugging the other devices back in and it stopped working again. It occurred to me to try turning the soundbar and TV off with only the AppleTV connected, then plug in the Fios One box and turn the AppleTV and TV (and therefore the soundbar) back on. The volume controls were all working again. So perhaps it has something to do with plugging/unplugging devices to the TV while things are powered on? I have not plugged the blu-ray player back in (a Samsung), just in case that's the problem, since we rarely watch DVDs these days, but everything seemed to keep working probably through a few power cycles, using the Fios One box, and switching between the two while all powered on. So fingers crossed that it keeps working.

Thanks ianolito and Condulambula for posting.

Hi there mikereed36,

Thanks for reaching out to the Apple Support Communities. To get started, you've gone through some great steps to help with troubleshooting issues with your Apple TV remote not working as expected.

Just to confirm, have you gone through all the steps listed below from the following resource: If your Apple TV remote isn't working - Apple Support

Try these steps first

1. If you have a Siri Remote or Apple TV Remote, charge it for 30 minutes using a Lightning to USB cable and a USB wall charger. If you have an Apple Remote, replace the battery. 

2. Unplug your Apple TV from the wall power outlet. Wait at least six seconds, then plug it back in.

If your remote still isn't working as expected, follow the steps for your type of remote. After each step, see if you still need help.

Siri Remote or Apple TV Remote

1. Press and hold the TV/Control Center button  and the Volume Down button  at the same time. Hold the buttons down for about 5 seconds, or until the status light on Apple TV turns off then turns on again.  

2. Release the buttons, then wait 5–10 seconds. A Connection Lost notification will appear on your TV screen. 

3. After your remote restarts, a Connected notification will appear on your TV screen. 

If your remote still isn't working as expected, try these steps: 

1. Point your remote at your Apple TV. Make sure that the remote is about three inches from the Apple TV. 

2. Press and hold Back  (or Menu) and Volume Up  for five seconds.

3. If asked, place your remote on top of Apple TV to complete pairing.

If you can't pair your Siri Remote (2nd generation) or Apple TV Remote (2nd generation), make sure that your Apple TV is updated to tvOS 14.5 or later. You can use the Apple TV Remote on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to navigate your Apple TV to check which version of tvOS you have. 

If you still need help, contact Apple Support.

If still running into issues after going through the steps above, based on the information you've provided and steps you've gone through, we'd recommend reaching out to Apple Support directly from this link here: Get Support - Apple

Take care!

I also just recently started having the issues after a recent update on my AppleTV running OS 16.0 on both my 4K and 2022 4K models. They’re both connected to the eARC (Sonos and Vizio) and were working up to a couple weeks ago. I believe this may be a software issue on Apples side.

I am having somewhat similar issues with earc on my new Apple TV 4K 2022.

Apple care sent me a replacement and I had same issue.

What I’ve been able to figure out is my problem is related to also having an Xbox plugged into my tv.

When it is turned on the Apple TV remote stops working most functions when I go from Xbox to Apple TV input and Xbox is still turned on.

A full unplug of all inputs and reboots fixes it until I turn the Xbox on again.

My older Apple TV 4K does not have this issue.

Hope this helps!

I got a new apple tv 4k 2022 and the volume control via cec was working fine. Then I updated to TVOS 16 and it stopped working.

LG C1 48’

Samsung Q700A

Apple TV 4K 2 gen

TV OS 16.2

Same issue here.

Volume down didn’t work suddenly with remote and iPhone.

Hi mikereed36,

It may be best in this case to reach out to Apple Support since this sounds unexpected and there may be more in-depth troubleshooting available. You'll be in great hands.

All the best.