Programming Universal Remote with ATV4

Channels Apple TV
#1

OK, this is not Channels App related, but I am hoping that an experienced ATV 4 user can help.

My wife hates the Siri remote so I bought a cheap two device ‘universal’ remote on Amazon that claims to work with ATV, but I am finding that some buttons work, some don’t, so I went into the ATV settings and and went to learn the remote, hoping to get the remaining buttons to work. When I go through the learning process the app walks through each button, and when I get toa button that is already working I get a message saying “This button is already being used. Select a different button” and I can’t go on to the next button.

Does anyone know how to either get past that message or how to selectively program buttons and not go through all of them?

#2

You cannot have the same button on the remote perform 2 different functions. You also cannot leave any buttons unassigned. If you get into a pickle it’s best to delete the remote learnt and start afresh.

#3

Thanks, but I’m not trying to have the same button do two things. It is stopping me at the down arrow button, which I am trying to assign to the down arrow button. Also, since I can’t get past that point, the remote doesn’t exist as far as ATV is concerned, so I can’t delete it and start over.

#4

What happens when you press the down arrow exactly?

#5

The only way I can get a “that button is already being used” is if I have already set up a profile and then tried to relearn the profile with a button the was assigned to a different function. Have you got any other custom profiles set up?

#6

Nope. Just the Siri remote. We also use Harmony, and my Samsung TV remote worked with no setup but no profiles at all.

#7

The progress bar fills and then the error message come up, disappears and it is waiting for me to press another button.

#8

Maybe the programmable remote is using the same code for two different keys. Can you program it use a different manufacturer profile? You don’t really need a remote that “supports ATV” because the ATV can learn the codes from any IR remote.

#9

I tried resetting the remote, but it didn’t change anything. I’m at my parents house now, but when I get home I’ll try it again, and I am going to try it with our second ATV as well.

Thanks!

Any other insight is welcome, of course :smiley: