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How do I pair Apple Remote on my iPhone with my Apple TV?

I have an Apple TV and like the little silver remote that's included, but a buddy told me that I can actually use my iPhone to control the device if I'm in the house and skip the remote gizmo entirely. Cool. How do I do that??


Dave's Answer:

I also have a new Apple TV (aka "ATV2") and the Remote app from the App Store does indeed let you control the device from either your iPhone, IPod Touch or even an iPad, if you have one in the house. I have to warn you that I find it's a bit flakey, however, whereas the little remote control device included with the Apple TV works 100% of the time, sees every single button push, etc.

Still, let me show you how to pair your iPhone 4 with your Apple TV and then you can try it out and see if you like it better than the little silver gadget, which is, I admit, yet another thing to lose in the sofa cushions!

First step is to download the Remote app from the App Store and install it on your iPhone.

Done?

Good. Now the next step is to go to Settings -> General -> Remotes on the Apple TV and choose "Remote App". It'll say "To get started, turn on Home Sharing in Remote App". So let's do that!

On your iPhone, tap on the Remote app to get it started:

pair iphone remote appletv 1

Give it a second and the Remote app will see your wifi network (you need a wifi network and that's what the AppleTV needs to be using too, in case I didn't mention it earlier). Enter your login credentials as needed, then you'll see:

pair iphone remote appletv 2

Tap on "Choose a Library..." and it'll see everything publicly advertised in the wifi network from your computers, including any iTunes libraries where you've enabled Home Sharing (tip: Use the "Turn On Home Sharing" option on the "Advanced" menu in iTunes)...

pair iphone remote appletv 3

Start by tapping on the Home Sharing option here on the iPhone remote and it'll ask you to verify your Home Sharing credentials:

pair iphone remote appletv 4

What isn't clear is that this is exactly the same as your account information for accessing the ITunes Store. At least, I didn't realize that until I experimented for a while.

Once you've enabled sharing, there's lots more available to choose from in the Remote app:

pair iphone remote appletv 5

If your Apple TV isn't showing up, that's because it's not set up with Home Sharing too. To do that go to "Settings" -> "Computers" and choose "Yes" to turn on Home Sharing. If necessary, log in again with your iTunes Store credentials.

I'll choose the "Living Room Apple TV" and it promptly shows me what's playing:

pair iphone remote appletv 6

Now my iPhone is a fully functional remote with gestures to control things. Try it: tap on the screen to pause the music or video, or swipe left to right to advance to the next song / movie. Neat!


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Categorized: Mac OS X Help , iPhone and Cell Phone Help   (Article 9650, Written by )
Tagged: apple iphone 4, apple remote, apple tv, itunes store, remote controls
Previous: How can I make my PC Mouse Left Handed?
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Reader Comments To Date: 4

Jerid Hill said, on November 11, 2010 8:34 AM:

I like the Apple Remote, but just like you, I feel it's small and can easily get lost.

So I purchased a PS3 universal remote. It now controls my TV, PS3 and AppleTV. It's a nice remote and I can stream Netflix and Hulu Plus through my devices and still use only a single remote.

http://www.buy.com/prod/blu-link-universal-remote-control-for-playstation-3/q/sellerid/16881584/loc/111/211579086.html

Jerid Hill said, on November 11, 2010 8:40 AM:

Oh, and as a side note, I still use my iPod Touch and iPad with my AppleTV for ease of searching. So if I need to search a name, I can type it on these devices instead of going letter by letter.

Jada said, on July 7, 2011 7:15 PM:

I have a question. Is there any way to turn on home sharing on your apple tv if you have lost your apple tv remote???

Dave Taylor said, on July 7, 2011 10:20 PM:

Jada, I don't think you can accomplish that without the remote, but I will note that you can buy a replacement remote at the Apple Store for $20, so it's not some crazy expensive replacement...

Starbucks coffee cup I do have a lot to say, and questions of my own for that matter, but first I'd like to say thank you, Dave, for all your helpful information by buying you a cup of coffee!

I do have a comment, now that you mention it!











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