Apple TV update breaks third-party remote integration

The bug reports keep piling up after Apple's last batch of updates — and the Apple TV hardware is suffering from a bug that stops third-party remotes from working.

Earlier, it was learned that macOS Sonoma 14.4 had rendered some USB hubs embedded in monitors useless. A few days later, users discovered that the same update was removing drivers needed to interface with printers.

Apple rolled out tvOS 17.4 in early March, and for the most part was a standard bug-fixing, performance-improving update. The only notable change was improved support for Apple Music SharePlay.

However, it now seems as though tvOS 17.4 also suffers from a new bug that breaks third-party hardware for some.

An AppleInsider reader reported that the latest update has caused issues with the Apple TV's compatibility with third-party remotes, including those from Sony, Samsung, Panasonic, and others. We have also encountered similar reports on X, previously known as Twitter.

@AppleSupport hey guys! Are you aware that since the tvOS update to 17.4 (21L227) my lg magic remote will no longer work with my appletv 4k model A1842. HELP!
— YODAd (@RealSwaggyT) March 23, 2024

The issue has also been noted on the Apple TV subreddit as well as the Apple community forums. It's not clear how widespread the problem is.

Some users have found that they can get their remotes to work with the Apple TV but must re-pair them every single time. Currently, there is no known workaround.

If you haven't updated and haven't enabled automatic updates on your Apple TV, you may want to hold off on updating until Apple releases a fix.