AppleTV should support pointing devices like mice and trackpads since it already support touch on a Siri remote

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AppleTV should support pointing devices like mice and trackpads since it already support touch on a Siri remote

It seems like it would take very little additional programming to provide at least a base level support for pointing devices like trackpads and mice. The Apple TV is a very good device for streaming PCs using software like Moonlight. It already supports keyboards and controllers as well as Siri remote touchpad. It seems like it would be relatively feasible to support a trackpad or mouse.

Posted on Aug 28, 2023 7:25 AM

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Answer 1

wallander Author

Level 1

8 points

Aug 28, 2023 7:58 AM in response to ekassos

All the sources I see, including the dev site says TVOS does not. Can you cite a source? I have been unable to get any mouse or trackpads working. Keyboards yes.

tvOS supported mice/mouse? | Apple Developer Forums

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Answer 2

ekassos

Level 4

1,340 points

Aug 28, 2023 9:25 AM in response to wallander

See Game Controller | Apple Developer Documentation. It notes:

Use Game Controller to support users interacting with your app using a physical or virtual game controller. Game controllers include third-party products, such as the DualShock 4, DualSense, and Xbox, as well as the mouse, keyboard, Siri Remote, and racing wheels.

As mentioned above, it’s up to the developer to program their apps to accept input from specific controllers. Also see that GCMouse | Apple Developer Documentation is supported on tvOS 14.0 and later. Hope this helps!

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Answer 3

ekassos

Level 4

1,340 points

Aug 28, 2023 7:31 AM in response to wallander

Apple TV already supports mice and keyboards since tvOS 14. It's up to the developers to implement such functionality in their apps. See Game Controller | Apple Developer Documentation.

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Answer 4

wallander Author

Level 1

8 points

Aug 28, 2023 9:30 AM in response to ekassos

Wow! It's shocking how many people are incorrect about this. Thanks for sharing. Mouse is clearly supported. I'm going to contact the developers and/or contribute to a related open source project.

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AppleTV should support pointing devices like mice and trackpads since it already support touch on a Siri remote

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