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Apple TV blinking, but not responding to remote

I've had my Apple tv for about 2 months now, and suddenly it has stopped responding to the remote....sort of. The apple tv will turn on when I push the play/pause button, but once it boots up to the main options page the remote no longer works. The cursor stays in the same place on the main options menu. The strange thing is that the apple tv blinks (white light) at me when I push buttons, as it usually does when it is functioning normally.

I've tried unpairing and repairing the remote, and while the apple tv flashes quite a bit after holding the buttons down, nothing happens on the screen! I've also tried the basics of unplugging the entire system and letting it reboot. Has anyone ever dealt with this situation?

Macbook, Mac OS X (10.5.8)

Posted on Feb 22, 2011 7:02 PM

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33 replies

Sep 28, 2017 10:14 AM in response to kennes

Omg, you won't believe this. Thought I was faced with buying new Apple TV after I did the reset & update because would not pair with any device. I read about holding the Menu and Back Button but I don't have a back button. I experimented with the holding the Menu button and other buttons with no luck until I got to the + button. Holding it with the Menu button and the dang Setup option appeared on the screen. Whew, thought I was in a mess. Took me hours to find this and ultimately "guess" at the right button combination. Wonder why that "fix" isn't prominently displayed by Apple in their documentation for "trouble shooting".

Mar 3, 2012 6:07 PM in response to kennes

The unpairing worked for me too. When ever I pushed a button on the remote the Apple TV would not respond, the front light would blink but it would not make a confirmation sound. After holding the Menu and Back button on the remote the Apple TV has started responding to the remote. It scared me at first I thought I was going to have to buy a new apple tv or something.


Thanks for the help.

Apple TV blinking, but not responding to remote

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