Have to click remote 100s of times for it to work

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Level 1

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Have to click remote 100s of times for it to work

I use my apple tv to watch Netflix & youtube on my tv wirelessly. Warning: I'm not tech savy. For about a month, my remote would not work. I would keep my tv on and occasionally click the remote like crazy. Eventually it would work, sometimes taking up to an hour of trying. Today my apple tv will not turn on unless I disconnect then reconnect it. It flashes then I get a steady light. The remote worked this morning if I clicked it several hundred times (I counted). Now it's not working at all. I have put a new battery in the remote even though I did not get a "low battery" warning. That did not help.

Any suggestions or do you think I need a new apple tv. Mine is about three years old. I do not know any other technical info to give. If it helps, I have a Samsung high definition tv. Also, once I get apple tv to wake up, I do see the regular menu with all the choices I can click on (Netflix, youtube, etc.). Right now my screensaver pictures are on and I can't get back to that main window/menu.

Thanks!

Apple TV, wireless

Posted on Jun 29, 2015 7:52 AM

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Answer 1

Rudegar

Level 10

170,706 points

Jun 29, 2015 8:06 AM in response to Reddheddz

likely a periodic defect in the microswitches in the remote

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Answer 2

Reddheddz Author

Level 1

0 points

Jun 29, 2015 8:19 AM in response to Rudegar

Normally the apple tv turns on automatically. Do you think I need a whole new apple tv & remote, or just a new remote? I'll wait for opinions, since I don't want to spend if I do not have to. Thanks for taking the time to respond (and so quickly!), Rudegar!

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Answer 3

Alley_Cat

Level 7

20,548 points

Jun 29, 2015 11:46 AM in response to Reddheddz

Many of my older AppleTV remotes are failing - but it generally affects single buttons rather than all when switches fail, but no reason a different fault couldn't affect all.

Try holding menu and left arrow(rewind) keys together for 6 seconds in case you've accidentally set the remote as paired and also subsequently changed the pairing code the remote sends out. If this is the case the AppleTV light will flicker but the command is ignored when you press a key.

It's unlikely to be the battery if you've changed it, but if you have a mobile or digital camera try using the cameras (front and back) to see if the light is detected by the camera sensor - some are IR sensitive and this can be a way of determining if a remote is sending out an IR signal (try with a good different IR remote say for the TV to see if a phone etc detects IR).

As for replacement, AppleTVs have dropped in price in the last 12-18 months - you could just get a new remote fairly cheaply - see if a store would exchange and upgrade to a full AppleTV package if that didn't work, but if say you could use 2 AppleTVs in different rooms the new AppleTV with remote might be appealing. If you have an Apple store maybe take the existing unit there and ask them to test? Do you have a friend with an AppleTV/remote to test with yours?

If the IR sensor on AppleTv has a problem then you may need a new one - or replacement if under warranty.

Also don't forget there is an iOS Remote app but unless you have a fairly new iPhone and latest revision AppleTV 3 you'd potentially need a remote to set the app up.

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