literally the ********* remote ever. this whole swiping nonsense for some dumb UI effects is so bad and terrible. the ring around the center button. constantly malfunctions. just a ****** design overall. and annoying. apple has become everything about aestetics and nothing about practicality.
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why is the apple tv remote the worst thing ever designed?
- Thread starter waziazi
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It can be annoying at times for sure. You can turn off the touch feature on the remote in the settings if you want to try that instead.
Maybe not the worst design ever, but certainly not what I would call convenient. I do like the side button and extra functions, and that the newer design is thicker than the previous one which I was constantly dropping (and losing to seat cushions). I’ve purchased cases for these remotes to make them larger and easier to handle, and to reduce the slipperiness in the hand and on rounded objects like chair arms. Apple’s design goals are not perfectly aligned with actual usability, unfortunately.
I would not call it the "worst design ever", but it is a bit quirky. I have multiples of every remote Apple has made over the years lying around the house, and use each of them often. My "go to" is actually the white plastic model from AppleTV gen 1. My wife prefers the aluminum remote from the early Mac minis and the gen 2 and 3 of the Apple TV.
IMO, the worst of the lot was the original ATV 4K remotes - the black ones with the touch pad - both with and without the ridge around the menu button. Those are completely unusable, IMO. Just trying to figure out the top/bottom orientation in a low-light situation is maddening.
I am learning to like the latest Siri Remote. The thickness of it actually helps quite a bit.
IMO, the worst of the lot was the original ATV 4K remotes - the black ones with the touch pad - both with and without the ridge around the menu button. Those are completely unusable, IMO. Just trying to figure out the top/bottom orientation in a low-light situation is maddening.
I am learning to like the latest Siri Remote. The thickness of it actually helps quite a bit.
I still prefer the original touchpad remote for two reasons:
1. For touchpad usage, I could never enjoy it being "on the buttons"
2. I really dislike buttons on the side, especially one I use a fair bit (Siri button for skipping commercials)
I do miss not having a Mute button on it though, so it's all about compromise for me either way.
😕
Without a case on it, I agree.
I solved that with these:
Has magnets in the case which I ended up loving as I have a metal coffee table.
1. For touchpad usage, I could never enjoy it being "on the buttons"
2. I really dislike buttons on the side, especially one I use a fair bit (Siri button for skipping commercials)
I do miss not having a Mute button on it though, so it's all about compromise for me either way.
😕
Without a case on it, I agree.
I solved that with these:
Has magnets in the case which I ended up loving as I have a metal coffee table.
Tell me more about using the Siri button to skip commercials...
With the Siri Remote, I can use the remote to turn on/off the television, as well as the Apple TV. However, in the family room we have a television and a sound bar, and I cannot consistently turn on/off both the tv and the sound bar. I'd love to see more opportunity for device integration.
(Press Siri button) "Fast forward two and half minutes"
(or whatever time interval you like)
This is in streaming TV Apps like YouTubeTV and DirecTV Stream during sports when behind Live or in a recording.
Thanks, I was looking for a magic trick. Yeah, you can talk to Siri. Duh.
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I find it ultimately more enjoyable and precise to skip this way vs using the arrow keys and/or touchpad to do it, especially if you know the general amount of time you're looking to skip.
Well, for me remote is a remote, I don’t know if others are better or worse. I have only two requirements for any remote: long battery life and responsiveness. This aluminum remote is good in both ways, plus it is rechargeable. Sometimes it looses connection or does some weird “button blocks” which are easily fixed by reseting the remote, but otherwise “it just works” ©️
Though I use the ring as the “ok” button only, rarely swipe. Big plus for me is that I don’t need to have two remotes for TV and AppleTV and there is a single master remote
Though I use the ring as the “ok” button only, rarely swipe. Big plus for me is that I don’t need to have two remotes for TV and AppleTV and there is a single master remote
“I HATE THINGS, LET ME TELL YOU WHY!”
That whole narrative of posting on socials has become soooooo boring!
That whole narrative of posting on socials has become soooooo boring!
You've presumably never used an LG TV Magic Remote.
- which I could use to control my ATV via HDMI if the buttons actually worked reliably.ATV isn't brilliant, and I gave up on the iPod-nostalgia "touch wheel" mode, but its a nice-looking object that gets the job done in the minimalist sort of way that you'd expect from Apple. I'd prefer a complete set of "tape/CD-style" transport controls but that's not very Apple.
Is "I LOVE THIS THING, LET ME TELL YOU WHY!" more useful content?
I can never understand what people who complain about posts actually want people to say.
Those cases make such a difference that I'm almost surprised that Apple didn't add them to the package. It totally changes the remote's functionality. This remote, with the case, is my favorite Apple TV remote.
Same -- It's really a great remote when in these cases.
It feels wonderful in hand and is super secure and grippy.
You should keep it! I'm always getting shouted at for not being positive enough about Apple, so hopefully those folks are taking note here. 😀
Apparently there's an audience for these posts. You're here, I'm here and so are others. Just saying.
It's great compared to some of the cheapo remotes today. My ONLY issue is the placement of the Siri/search button and no way to disable, even with Siri disabled. Very easy to hit accidentally. Did it about 5 minutes after griping on another thread last night.
No, it isn't. Posting extremes of opinion used to be edgy. It's gotten a bit stale.
The swiping is not dumb UI nonsense, it’s to enable you to scrub and quickly scroll through playback and long lists of items in seconds rather than minutes. You can turn it off if it bothers you so much, but it’s incredibly useful.
I prefer the previous gen remote with the full touch pad. And still use that with the newer Apple TV’s.
I don’t understand how people can like remotes that have so many buttons and no touch interface. It’s such a pain while scrubbing through video and the number of times you keep pressing to get around. Try typing long passwords on Roku and other devices without having an option of inputting text with an iOS/iPadOS device with those button remotes.
I don’t understand how people can like remotes that have so many buttons and no touch interface. It’s such a pain while scrubbing through video and the number of times you keep pressing to get around. Try typing long passwords on Roku and other devices without having an option of inputting text with an iOS/iPadOS device with those button remotes.
The remote isn’t perfect, but I don’t think it’s healthy to get this worked up about it.
At least it is not designed like the Apple mouse that has a charging port at the bottom.
I only have used the USB-C remote but I disagree. The swiping allows you to get through long lists much easier/faster instead of having to press a button over and over or holding it and waiting.