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The Sonos instructions to use the Apple TV 4th Generation remote to control volume on the PLAYBAR don't seem to work with the new 4K 5th Generation Apple TV. Has anyone gotten the remote to work to control the volume on the PLAYBAR (without ALSO turning up the volume on the TV itself)??
Similar issues here. Volume on my AppleTV 4k remote works sporadically with my playbase. More often than not it doesn't work at all.
So I have a Apple TV 4k and looking to get the playbar. Is this still an issue? If so its going to be a deal breaker.
Ok, it seems we are abandoned here. Just had to exchange my ATV4 for an ATV4K.



Here is what I was able to configure:



- ATV4K remote controls the ATV4K correctly but SONOS volume goes only UP on both side ( + & - )

- ATV4 remote controls SONOS volume correctly but not the ATV4K



So what? 2 remotes? Seriously?

How the hell is that new remote not working correctly .... ?!
Ok, it seems we are abandoned here. Just had to exchange my ATV4 for an ATV4K.



Here is what I was able to configure:



- ATV4K remote controls the ATV4K correctly but SONOS volume goes only UP on both side ( + & - )

- ATV4 remote controls SONOS volume correctly but not the ATV4K



So what? 2 remotes? Seriously?

How the hell is that new remote not working correctly .... ?!








I have mine working fine.
So I have a Apple TV 4k and looking to get the playbar. Is this still an issue? If so its going to be a deal breaker.



I have mine working with no issues. Remember folks the apple TV take commands via Bluetooth, however the remote is also IR capable. When programing to use the ATV remote with your sonos playbar/base make sure you are actually pointing directly at it or it wont work.


I have mine working fine.




Hi,



Yes, i did that, but the volume goes only in one direction ... so it's useless ...
To any future people having this problem I hope this solution helps!

I had set my AppleTV to play audio though the HDMI cord. My Samsung TV was set up audio out via the optical cable. In the Sonos app, go to Settings > Room Settings > The room with your device > TV > Remote control setup.
I bought an Harmony Elite :D

Working good with my setup.
So I just figured out how to get my Playbar and the 5th generation Apple TV 4K remote to work.



I went to Settings>Remote & Devices>Learn new remote on the Apple TV and choose to set up a new remote. I used a IR remote that had nothing to do with the Apple TV to teach the Apple TV volume up and down via IR. Once it had learned from my universal remote (which had never been set up for Sonos) I went back to the sonos app and went through the process of setting up a new remote with the Apple TV remote that had just learned volume up and down. It immediately recognized the IR it struggled to recongnize every time before. Then everything worked exactly as it should.
Fresh install feedback for this long thread.



Existing Sony XBR-70X850B over Playbar / Sub / Play 1 surrounds bought / set up around 2014. Harmony Ultimate remote. Just added Apple TV 4K. Now, never using any other input source but Apple TV. It’s great.



The Harmony remote adopted the Apple TV just fine but after just a day of playing with the Apple TV remote I knew that was the way I wanted to go. It’s pretty slick.



The Sonos / Apple TV 4K remote set up steps and this forum thread warned that only one remote can control the Playbar. I didn’t really want to give up the Harmony / Playbar volume function for occasional visitors that know how it works and I read a lot about Apple TV 4K (5th gen) remote / Playbar set up challenges.



Anyway.....I went for it. Followed SonosApp>Settings>RoomSettings>TV Room>Remote>RemoteControlSetup>Set Up New Remote.



It was just point the Apple remote at the playbar and press volume. Playbar lit up and responded. So that was no issue. The TV volume graphic appears now and responds along with Playbar volume changes but no sound comes from the TV. Doesn’t bother me. Funny thing is....Harmony remote still controls Playbar too.



So.....all good here.
I have a TCL Roku TV. It's new as of a few months ago. Have my Apple TV 4K connected via HDMI to the ARC supporting HDMI port on TV. But volume controls do nothing via ARC. So I went through Sonos setup to use Apple TV remote IR. The functionality sucks! Very poor reception of the IR signal it seems even though I have line of site to the speaker unobstructed only 8ft away tops. I have to keep pressing volume buttons and it's detected only every few presses. Weird cause my Roku remote setup to control the Sonos worked so much better. I don't know what's going on but it really is not ideal.
So I just figured out how to get my Playbar and the 5th generation Apple TV 4K remote to work.



I went to Settings>Remote & Devices>Learn new remote on the Apple TV and choose to set up a new remote. I used a IR remote that had nothing to do with the Apple TV to teach the Apple TV volume up and down via IR. Once it had learned from my universal remote (which had never been set up for Sonos) I went back to the sonos app and went through the process of setting up a new remote with the Apple TV remote that had just learned volume up and down. It immediately recognized the IR it struggled to recongnize every time before. Then everything worked exactly as it should.




I can confirm that this works!!!



Just to be clear...my specific situation is that I have a TCL 4K TV connected to an Apple TV via HDMI ARC. Then I have an optical cable from the TV to the Sonos Playbase. I programmed my Apple TV 4K remote to emulate my TCL Roku TV remote. Then I programmed the Sonos to receive audio signal from my Apple TV 4K remote...and it works half assed. I had to press the volume button many times for it to be recognized and it takes forever and lots of pressing to get the volume to adjust. I could not just continuously hold the volume up or down for it to work as expected...had to keep pressing the button over and over again many times till eventually the audio level would change. This problem was solved with the instructions below.



Just to reiterate the steps here that worked for me as I think it’s a bit different than you described above...



1. In Apple TV 4K go to “Settings”

2. Go to “Remotes and Devices”

3. Scroll all the way down under “Home Theater Control”

4. Make sure that Control TV and Recievers is set to “On”

5. Go to “Volume Control” under “Home Theater Control”

6. Go to “Learn New Device”

7. Follow the steps to teach your Apple TV a non-roku TCL remote or a different remote that whatever it is your trying but is not working well. In my case I used a Yamaha receiver remote from my living room. I followed the steps of holding the Volume buttons to teach the Apple TV my remote.

8. Give your remote a custome name. Make sure that when your done the under “Select Volume Control” that custom remote is selected (it should have a check mark next to it.)

9. Press “Menu” bottom to back up to the main “Settings” Menu.

10. Select “System”

11. Select “Restart”



Wait for your Apple TV to restart. You will see your remote is detected in a little info pop up. After that your Apple TV remote will be programmed to send the IR signal of the remote you used in the steps above.



Now more steps to follow:



12. Open the Sonos App

13. Click “More” in the bottom right corner

14. Click “Settings”

15. Choose “Room Settings”

16. Click on the appropriate Sonos speaker in question

17. Click on “Remote” near the bottom

18. Make sure “Use IR” is turned on

19. Click on “Remote Control Setup”

20. Follow the setup instructions now using your Apple TV 4K Remote that is now sending out the same IR signals of whatever remote you used in the instructions above.



That’s it!!! You did it!!!



After doing this my Apple TV 4K remote controls my Sonos Playbase brilliantly. It detects every button press and is not finicky. I can hold the volume up or volume down and it will keep going up or down as long as I hold as expected. I also don’t have to be all that careful about where I point the remote like before...it just gets the signal without fuss now.



In conclusion...I think there is obviously some issue with the Apple TV 4K remote outputting some IR signals from certain emulated remotes. The Sonos Beam had no problems detecting the IR signal directly from my TCL Roku TV remote directly...but when I setup the Apple TV 4K remote to emulate those settings...it worked but in the janky way that I described earlier in this post which was ultimately just unaceptable. But when the Apple TV 4K remote was set to emulate my Yamaha receiver remote...it looks like that IR signal output was just as strong and reliable as we would all expect from the Apple TV 4K remote.



Cheers!!


So I just figured out how to get my Playbar and the 5th generation Apple TV 4K remote to work.



I went to Settings>Remote & Devices>Learn new remote on the Apple TV and choose to set up a new remote. I used a IR remote that had nothing to do with the Apple TV to teach the Apple TV volume up and down via IR. Once it had learned from my universal remote (which had never been set up for Sonos) I went back to the sonos app and went through the process of setting up a new remote with the Apple TV remote that had just learned volume up and down. It immediately recognized the IR it struggled to recongnize every time before. Then everything worked exactly as it should.
I can confirm that this works!!!



Just to be clear...my specific situation is that I have a TCL 4K TV connected to an Apple TV via HDMI ARC. Then I have an optical cable from the TV to the Sonos Playbase. I programmed my Apple TV 4K remote to emulate my TCL Roku TV remote. Then I programmed the Sonos to receive audio signal from my Apple TV 4K remote...and it works half assed. I had to press the volume button many times for it to be recognized and it takes forever and lots of pressing to get the volume to adjust. I could not just continuously hold the volume up or down for it to work as expected...had to keep pressing the button over and over again many times till eventually the audio level would change. This problem was solved with the instructions below.



Just to reiterate the steps here that worked for me as I think it’s a bit different than you described above...



1. In Apple TV 4K go to “Settings”

2. Go to “Remotes and Devices”

3. Scroll all the way down under “Home Theater Control”

4. Make sure that Control TV and Recievers is set to “On”

5. Go to “Volume Control” under “Home Theater Control”

6. Go to “Learn New Device”

7. Follow the steps to teach your Apple TV a non-roku TCL remote or a different remote that whatever it is your trying but is not working well. In my case I used a Yamaha receiver remote from my living room. I followed the steps of holding the Volume buttons to teach the Apple TV my remote.

8. Give your remote a custome name. Make sure that when your done the under “Select Volume Control” that custom remote is selected (it should have a check mark next to it.)

9. Press “Menu” bottom to back up to the main “Settings” Menu.

10. Select “System”

11. Select “Restart”



Wait for your Apple TV to restart. You will see your remote is detected in a little info pop up. After that your Apple TV remote will be programmed to send the IR signal of the remote you used in the steps above.



Now more steps to follow:



12. Open the Sonos App

13. Click “More” in the bottom right corner

14. Click “Settings”

15. Choose “Room Settings”

16. Click on the appropriate Sonos speaker in question

17. Click on “Remote” near the bottom

18. Make sure “Use IR” is turned on

19. Click on “Remote Control Setup”

20. Follow the setup instructions now using your Apple TV 4K Remote that is now sending out the same IR signals of whatever remote you used in the instructions above.



That’s it!!! You did it!!!



After doing this my Apple TV 4K remote controls my Sonos Playbase brilliantly. It detects every button press and is not finicky. I can hold the volume up or volume down and it will keep going up or down as long as I hold as expected. I also don’t have to be all that careful about where I point the remote like before...it just gets the signal without fuss now.



In conclusion...I think there is obviously some issue with the Apple TV 4K remote outputting some IR signals from certain emulated remotes. The Sonos Beam had no problems detecting the IR signal directly from my TCL Roku TV remote directly...but when I setup the Apple TV 4K remote to emulate those settings...it worked but in the janky way that I described earlier in this post which was ultimately just unaceptable. But when the Apple TV 4K remote was set to emulate my Yamaha receiver remote...it looks like that IR signal output was just as strong and reliable as we would all expect from the Apple TV 4K remote.



Cheers!!




Hi.



Thanks for your help.



I'm facing the same problem. (Apple TV 4K, Sonos Playbase, Sony Bravia)



When you setup your Apple TV 4K remote with the sonos app ("20. Follow the setup instructions now using your Apple TV 4K Remote that is now sending out the same IR signals of whatever remote you used in the instructions above.), how do you do for the mute button step, since there is no mute button on the Apple TV remote ?



Simon ☺️
Well...it doesn't really matter. Just press your normal mute button on whatever receiver remote your using. It won't translate into anything useful as the Apple TV remote doesn't have a mute button but certainly shouldn't stop you from proceeding by just using that other remote for the mute for that part of the setup.

I have the Beam, and have the same volume control issue.  I have contacted Apple about this many times, and tried most of the suggestions offered here. Apple support made it very clear that the Apple TV is not designed to operate any home theater system, soundbar, etc, and if it does work for you now, it won’t over time.  They indicated that it is designed to only operate your tv speakers.  Period.  I have had intermittent success with mine operating the Beam, but keep in mind that Apple has been very clear about this,.  Feel free to ask them yourselves.  


The Apple TV remote is probably the worst remote in the history of remotes, I will do anything to not use it.

I have no problem with my 4k ATV and Playbar, I just use my TiVo remote to control volume.


I certainly concur, although my remote of choice is a Logitech Harmony System. I’d love to throw Apple’s remote through the window, when I have to use it on trips.