Siri Remote Will Not Pair with Apple TV (4th Gen)

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Level 1

29 points

Siri Remote Will Not Pair with Apple TV (4th Gen)

I cannot pair my new Siri Remote with my Apple TV (4th Generations). I received this as a developer a month ago and it worked perfectly and it works as designed with the software simulator in Xcode.

I have literally spent hours restoring, shutting down, hold Menu Up-Volume, charged the remote all night, etc. the ATV and the closest I get is " Pairing Remote - Bring it closer to your Apple TV to continue pairing". I point it at the ATV within 3 inches (as recommended) and it never pairs. The limited IR commands work to only bring up the "Pairing Remote" window.

The only way I can use the ATV is with my old silver IR remote control.

Any ideas? (AppleCare could only recommend what I have already done a dozen times).

Posted on Oct 30, 2015 6:32 AM

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Answer 1

Best reply

BillR

Level 1

6 points

Nov 7, 2015 10:09 AM in response to DonnieM51

I had to reset the ATV back to factory settings and then it asked me to rebind the remote... works perfectly now.

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Answer 2

Benno08

Level 1

9 points

Nov 25, 2015 12:20 PM in response to DonnieM51

I have exactly the same issue: Apple TV 4th gen. (Developer Kit) which has been working very well until now does not communicate with the Siri Remote any more.

Charged the Siri Remote all day without success. It will not pair, I cannot even have the "Pairing remote" panel when holding (MENU + Vol+) anymore (had it once then it didn't work). I've tried everything:

• Restoring from iTunes

• Restoring from Apple TV (using old IR remote)

• Resetting settings from Apple TV (with old IR remote)

• The Siri remote does not appear in Settings > Remotes and Devices > Bluetooth

When reset to factory default, having the first screen asking for pairing remote doesn't help at all: it looks like the Bluetooth stopped working in a way (for the Remote and/or the Apple TV).

The only thing that work between Siri Remote and Apple TV is holding MENU + HOME SCREEN buttons for a while, making the led blinking before the device restart...

Please help !

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Answer 3

DonnieM51 Author

Level 1

29 points

Nov 25, 2015 12:58 PM in response to Benno08

My problem was solved when Apple Dev support rep called me (after MANY hours of calls and trying to find the right people) and arranged to have the unit replaced via a Genius Bar appointment at the local Apple Store. They had to pull one off the shelf at the store. There was obviously (now) a hardware problem with one of the units, I don't know which, but both were replaced and it has worked fine since.

Part of my problem was that AppleCare was not even set up to handle the new Apple TV on release date and that's when I discovered the problem. I bet you can call AppleCare now and they will arrange for a replacement to be sent to you at no cost.

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