Apple is far from a perfect company, but the one thing users can always count on is that the brand’s family of high-end electronics can work in sync. If you own more than one Apple product, you probably regularly use Apple’s Continuity feature to connect them so you can send files, back up data, or even make phone calls. One device that you might think isn’t considered in this ecosystem is your Apple TV. Since it doesn’t have the functionality of your iPhone or Mac computer, it’s hard to imagine how you can connect your other Apple devices to it.

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But don’t let appearances fool you. Your Apple TV can actually be paired with your iPhone or iPad, allowing your mobile device to act as a remote control. And in most cases, you don’t have to do much to make the connection. Most iPhones and iPads running a current iOS system have built-in remote capabilities in the highly customizable Control Center once connected to your Apple TV.

From there, you can select items, adjust volume, turn on subtitles, scroll through menus, skip forward or backward, and more. Additionally, you can even enable settings that allow you to locate a lost Apple TV remote using your iPhone. And if for some reason your device is having trouble connecting to your Apple TV, getting started is easy.

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Before we dive into troubleshooting potential problems, let’s go over the standard method for setting up your Apple Remote in your iPhone or iPad’s Control Center. While it’s built into most newer Apple devices, you still need to follow a few steps to connect your device to your Apple TV remote and make it a working part of your Apple ecosystem. However, this is pretty simple, although it may vary depending on the type of device you have.

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To set up your Apple Remote in your device’s Control Center:

1. On an iPad or iPhone X or later, swipe down from the top right corner of your screen.
2. If you’re using an iPhone 8 or earlier, or your device is running iOS 11 or earlier, swipe up from the bottom of the screen.
3. Select the Apple TV Remote icon. (If it doesn’t appear, you’ll need to add it; see below.)
4. Select your Apple TV or Smart TV from the list.

You may then be asked to enter a four-digit passcode, which can also be entered using your Siri or Apple TV remote on your Apple TV. From then on, you should be able to have your iPhone or iPad perform all of the functions that your Apple remote would normally do. However, if your experience is more problematic, read on.

While most newer iPhones and iPads should have the ability to set up an Apple Remote out of the box, this may not be possible on your device. In this case, you will need to add your remote manually before setting it up. Again, the procedure may vary depending on the device used and its age, but the overall process is not particularly difficult.

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To add your Apple TV Remote to your iPhone or iPad:

1. Open Control Center as described above.
2. Select the Add icon in the upper left corner.
3. Select the Add a Control icon at the bottom of the screen.
4. You can either scroll down or use the search controls to find Remote.
5. Once you find it, select Remote.

For devices with iOS 17 or earlier, the process is slightly different. In this case, after entering Control Center, simply tap the Add button next to Apple TV Remote. Even if you use a non-Apple smart TV, things are different. If you’re using an AirPlay-compatible smart TV, you’ll first need to add it to your Home app and then assign it to the room you want.

Ultimately, technology will do what technology wants to do. If you’ve followed the steps above to try to connect your iPhone or iPad to your Apple TV remote and still haven’t had any success, there may be something stopping your tech from connecting and this needs to be fixed. Most of the time, all you need to do is check your settings and allow your devices to restart properly.

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Here are some easy ways to check for Apple TV Remote connection issues:

1. On your iPhone or iPad, go to Settings and open Wi-Fi. You can check this on your Apple TV by going to Settings and selecting Network. Make sure your Apple device and your TV are on the same Wi-Fi network.
2. Check if there are any pending updates on your devices. On your iPhone or iPad, open Settings, go to “General” and select “Software Update.” On your Apple TV, go to Settings, select System, and go to Software Updates.
3. Give your mobile devices and TV a restart.

In most cases, performing one or more of these steps should be enough to resolve the issue. However, if your problem persists, you should contact Apple Support for further professional help.