Why won't my presenter remote work with iPad Air M3?

I believe that you’re running into a nuance with how iPadOS now handles pointer devices and presentation remotes via Bluetooth HID, especially with the M-series iPads and the newer iPadOS versions. The behavior you’re describing — where the remote controls a pointer and highlights UI elements rather than controlling slides — usually happens when the device is being recognized as a generic pointer or accessibility mouse, rather than a proper HID presentation remote.

It appears that newer versions of iPadOS will often default to treating these types of Bluetooth remotes as accessibility pointing devices rather than input devices for Keynote. That’s why you’re seeing the blue focus outline — that’s the VoiceOver-style focus system for pointer accessibility, not Keynote’s input logic.

See if the following will help:

1. Go to Settings > Accessibility > Touch > AssistiveTouch
2. If AssistiveTouch is enabled, turn it off. That’s likely hijacking the input and interpreting your remote as a mouse rather than as a presenter.
3. In the same menu, scroll to "Devices" under AssistiveTouch, if it's still on, and see if your remote is listed. If so, tap it and check if it's being used as a "mouse." You’ll want it not being interpreted that way.
4. Go to Settings > General > Keyboard > Hardware Keyboard This can influence input behavior for some external devices. Ensure there are no odd shortcuts or remaps occurring.
5. In Keynote, make sure you're in presentation mode, not just editing the slides.
6. Finally, try pairing the remote again after disabling AssistiveTouch, and reboot the iPad just for good measure.