New Apple TV 4K Owners Report Siri Remote Connection Issues

An increasing number of third-generation Apple TV 4K owners are reporting connection issues with the Siri Remote that are only temporarily resolved by either restarting the remote or power cycling the set-top box.

apple tv 4k yellow bg feature
Several MacRumors forum and Reddit threads have been created to bring attention to the issue, which seems to relate to the Siri Remote's inconsistent Bluetooth connection with the latest Apple TV 4K, even at close proximity.

Users report the Siri Remote losing connection with the Apple TV 4K intermittently, which can only be remedied by either re-pairing or restarting the remote, or unplugging the set-top box and then plugging it in again to re-establish the connection.

Notably, the problem doesn't occur when the same users try controlling their Apple TV 4K with the Remote app on their iPhone or with their TV remote via HDMI-CEC, suggesting the fault is indeed a Bluetooth issue between the remote and Apple TV 4K.

Whether the issue is down to a software bug or is hardware-related remains unknown, although there is some indication that the problem only began for some users after updating to tvOS 16.2, which could be the reason it has only now become a more widespread issue.

Some users have gone through several Apple TV 4K replacement units from Apple to try to solve the connection problems, with mixed results. Apple is clearly aware of the issue but has yet to respond publicly.

The third-generation Apple TV 4K was released in October 2022, featuring an A15 Bionic processor, 64GB or 128GB of storage, and HDR10+ support. It comes with a USB-C Siri Remote.

Related Roundup: Apple TV
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Neutral)

Top Rated Comments

mdatwood Avatar
11 months ago
The old touch AppleTV remote never had to be 'restarted' in the years I used it. The new ATV I recently bought has had to have it restarted twice since buying.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SRQrws Avatar
11 months ago
I definitely have the issue. Happens at random times, although not when first starting up the ATV. Unplugging/replugging in the ATV fixes it reliably, but clearly is not a long-term solution. Never had the issue with the prior gen ATV.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Roy G Biv Avatar
11 months ago
I’ve had this issue twice on mine in the last few weeks. No issue since re-pairing remote a week or more ago.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
robbietop Avatar
11 months ago
16.2 has been nothing but a headache. Siri responding from a HomePod when I have AirPods in my ear, or from my iPad when I am holding my phone, or Siri stating I have no devices in my bedroom one second and then the next everything just magically turns on when I ask, or predictive text keeps wanting to autocorrect Georgia, where I live, to Greg. I don't know a Greg. There is no Greg in my contacts. But Georgia is not a word. Neither is King. It gets autocorrected to kind.

Is Apple even doing QA on their OSes or are they so far up their ass about this "groundbreaking" helmet or Cage Manager that they just don't care?
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
smaffei Avatar
11 months ago
Had this issue on both my Apple TV 2022 models, 64Gb and 128Gb…

To add to this, the 128Gb (which is used for gaming) keeps repeatedly dropping the connection with my Xbox controller also. So, I highly doubt this a problem solely with the Siri Remote. Sounds like a bluetooth problem.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
realeric Avatar
11 months ago
I‘ve experienced not only the remote connectivity issue since 16.2 but also out of sync issue from the beginning (16.0). Samsung 4K tv displays no HDMI signal message several times per day. The TV worked flawlessly with the 1st gen Apple TV 4K.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)

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