Function101 Offering Alternative Apple TV Remote Control for $30

Apple unveiled its ‌Siri‌ (or ‌Apple TV‌) Remote with touch surface in 2015 alongside the fourth-generation ‌Apple TV‌, and it's never been a particularly popular accessory.

101 Function Feature
Last year we saw Swiss telco Salt launch an alternative remote control for the Apple TV 4K set-top boxes that it includes in its domestic broadband TV bundle, and yesterday AppleInsider surfaced another potential alternative for anyone frustrated with Apple's native Remote.

Function101's "Button Remote for Apple TV" costs $30 and looks very similar to the Swiss model, but this one will be available in the U.S. later this month, providing another option for anyone watching one of the Salt models on eBay, where they sell at a hefty premium.

The Button Remote includes directional arrows in place of the Siri Remote's glass Touch surface, a power button in addition to a Menu button, along with separate volume and channel rockers and traditional media playback buttons. There's no Siri button included, however.

If that omission is a deal breaker but you can't live with Apple's own remote, you could always control your Apple TV using an iPhone or via your Apple Watch.

Related Roundup: Apple TV
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Don't Buy)

Popular Stories

airpods pro 3 purple

New, Higher End AirPods Pro Coming This Year

Tuesday January 20, 2026 9:05 am PST by
Apple is planning to debut a high-end secondary version of AirPods Pro 3 this year, sitting in the lineup alongside the current model, reports suggest. Back in September 2025, supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that Apple is planning to introduce a successor to the AirPods Pro 3 in 2026. This would be somewhat unusual since Apple normally waits around three years to make major...
smaller dynamic island iphone 18 pro Filip Vabrous%CC%8Cek

iPhone 18 Pro Leak: Smaller Dynamic Island, No Top-Left Camera Cutout

Tuesday January 20, 2026 2:34 am PST by
Over the last few months, rumors around the iPhone 18 Pro's front-panel design have been conflicted, with some supply-chain leaks pointing to under-display Face ID, reports suggesting a top-left hole-punch camera, and debate over whether the familiar Dynamic Island will shrink, shift, or disappear entirely. Today, Weibo-based leaker Instant Digital shared new details that appear to clarify the ...
iOS 27 Mock Quick

iOS 27 Will Add These 8 New Features to Your iPhone

Sunday January 18, 2026 3:51 pm PST by
iOS 27 is still many months away, but there are already plenty of rumors about new features that will be included in the software update. The first beta of iOS 27 will be released during WWDC 2026 in June, and the update should be released to all users with a compatible iPhone in September. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that iOS 27 will be similar to Mac OS X Snow Leopard, in the sense...
14 inch MacBook Pro Keyboard

MacBook Pro Buyers Now Facing Up to a Two-Month Wait Ahead of New Models

Sunday January 18, 2026 6:50 pm PST by
MacBook Pro availability is tightening on Apple's online store, with select configurations facing up to a two-month delivery timeframe in the United States. A few 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro configurations with an M4 Pro chip are not facing any shipping delay, but estimated delivery dates for many configurations with an M4 Max chip range from February 6 to February 24 or even later. At...
Apple Logo Spotlight

Apple Expected to Unveil Five All-New Products This Year

Wednesday January 21, 2026 10:54 am PST by
In addition to updating many of its existing products, Apple is expected to unveil five all-new products this year, including a smart home hub, a Face ID doorbell, a MacBook with an A18 Pro chip, a foldable iPhone, and augmented reality glasses. Below, we have recapped rumored features for each product. Smart Home Hub Apple home hub (concept) Apple's long-rumored smart home hub should...

Top Rated Comments

mozumder Avatar
72 months ago
The Apple TV remote is honestly the worst invention Apple invented. Seriously bad user experience design. Too much overthinking, not enough practicality.

Hey Apple: Buttons were invented for a reason. USE THEM.

Also, the first immediate problem is the lack of any directionality in the ergonomics. You NEVER know if you're holding it upside down or not, until you actually look at it, because physically, it's just a flat rectangle.

A good remote should be able to let you know what you're doing with it without even looking at it.
Score: 40 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mikegoldnj Avatar
72 months ago
Seems like this is only IR control. That’s a deal breaker for me since my AppleTV is hidden behind my television.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
vidjahgamz Avatar
72 months ago
Well folks -- this may be an instant purchase for me. Great alternative for when my Apple TV remote drives me up a wall.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Kornbeef24 Avatar
72 months ago
Useless without a CC button. It'd spend good money on a CC button, wife loves them and I can't stand them. Constantly getting toggled.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Joak1mA Avatar
72 months ago
This seems to be just the right occasion to say that I totally love the Siri Remote... :)
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ChromeAce Avatar
72 months ago
OR you could just do what every power user does... add the TV device control into your existing Logitech Harmony universal remote and customize any button you like.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)