With the new Apple TV 4K now in customers' hands, some users are reporting issues when trying to control video with the redesigned Siri Remote.

Siri Remote 2 how to scrub Feature copy
Specifically, some users are complaining that using the circular gesture on the new clickpad ring to fast-forward or rewind paused video isn't working as expected. Rather than scrubbing through video continually in the direction of the gesture, the video scrubs back and forth in opposite directions.

From what we've been able to work out, the problem seems to relate to a subtle additional gesture that users are missing out, either because it isn't very intuitive or Apple doesn't demonstrate it particularly well in the marketing material.

siri remote clickpad video scrubbing
Try following these steps to get it working. We've italicized the crucial gesture that users appear to be omitting.

  1. First, pause the video by pressing the Play/Pause button, or by pressing the center of the clickpad ring. (A small preview thumbnail will appear above the playback timeline at the bottom of the screen.)
  2. Swipe left or right across the clickpad to scrub backward or forward in time. For more granular control, rest your finger on the outer edge of the clickpad ring until a ring icon appears on-screen, then trace a circle with your finger around the clickpad ring in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction.
  3. To begin playback at the new position, press the center of the clickpad.

You should find this method works with Apple's own apps, but we've found inconsistencies in its functioning with third-party apps, especially those that don't use Apple's native playback UI. For instance, it worked for us in Netflix, but the Disney+ app had persistent issues responding to the circular gesture.


It could be that some third-party apps need updating before they recognize the new clickpad ring on the second-generation ‌Siri‌ Remote, so hopefully any niggles will be smoothed out soon.

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

Top Rated Comments

femike Avatar
31 months ago
Is the Apple TV team so small that they didn't have time or care to test it out? They had 6 years to update this remote.
Score: 47 Votes (Like | Disagree)
omglolbbq Avatar
31 months ago
Apple need to enforce the use of standard UI components the same way they do in CarPlay so that features work consistently across the system and the user doesn’t have to learn ten different interfaces.
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Shasterball Avatar
31 months ago
The redesigned remote is 90% of the reason people are buying this thing. Apple appreciated this as they already sell the 2nd gen remote as a standalone. After all these years, and knowing the main desire to upgrade, why is the design still awkward?
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
srbNYC Avatar
31 months ago

I miss being able to jump forward/back 10 seconds at a time by clicking on the right/left edge of the old remote. With the new remote, the video pauses and waits for me to scrub... scrubbing is less precise and requires more of my focus.
Use the left and right buttons for that; same functionality as the previous remote's touchscreen-edges.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Xak444 Avatar
31 months ago

and everyone was so excited about this new remote ... hmmm ...
People will never be happy no matter what you do
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
joediianni Avatar
31 months ago
Honestly… Third day into all new Apple TV’s in the house. I miss the old remote. The old gesture section was more like an extension of the iPhone and felt natural. This new one is large, clunky, button driven, I don’t know… Feels like it went back in time so far.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)

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