Apple quietly removes the Apple TV Remote app from the App Store

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Apple TV Remote app
Apple TV Remote app (Image credit: iMore)

What you need to know

  • Apple has removed the Apple TV Remote app from the App Store.
  • It has also removed mention of the app from its website.
  • The company is directing users to use the Remote function built into Control Center on iOS and iPadOS.

Reported by 9to5Mac, Apple has quietly removed the Apple TV Remote app from the App Store. The app let users bypass the physical remote and control their Apple TV directly from their iPhone or iPad. This was a predictable move, as Apple has had the remote built into Control Center on the iPhone and iPad since iOS 12.

It appears that the move is definitely intentional, as Apple has removed all mention of the app from its website.

9to5Mac found that Apple has also removed almost all references to the Apple TV Remote app, suggesting that the company has in fact discontinued it. A 9to5Mac reader told us that he contacted Apple support to ask about the app, but not even the support agent could explain what happened.

Even the Apple Support website has been updated to direct users to the remote built into Control Center.

Now, if you visit the Apple Support website, the article about using Apple TV Remote on your iPhone or iPad suggests that you add the Remote option to the iOS Control Center.

If you haven't enabled the Remote in Control Center yet, you can do so by navigating to Settings > Control Center > Drag and drop Apple TV Remote into the Included Controls section. Once you do, open Control Center to show the Remote.

Joe Wituschek
Joe Wituschek
Contributor

Joe Wituschek is a Contributor at iMore. With over ten years in the technology industry, one of them being at Apple, Joe now covers the company for the website. In addition to covering breaking news, Joe also writes editorials and reviews for a range of products. He fell in love with Apple products when he got an iPod nano for Christmas almost twenty years ago. Despite being considered a "heavy" user, he has always preferred the consumer-focused products like the MacBook Air, iPad mini, and iPhone 13 mini. He will fight to the death to keep a mini iPhone in the lineup. In his free time, Joe enjoys video games, movies, photography, running, and basically everything outdoors.