What you need to know
- Apple released tvOS 13.4 to Apple TV users this week.
- Some people noticed their Harmony universal remotes no longer work.
- Harmony has a fix, but it's more of a workaround.
If you installed tvOS 13.4 this week and noticed that your Logitech Harmony universal remote isn't working properly, you're not alone. According to a few Reddit posts, it seems to be a fairly common issue if you own a Harmony Elite controller. Users say that they now have non-functioning buttons, which seems less than ideal!
Thankfully, there's a fix although it involves re-adding your Apple TV as a generic device.
First, the problem:
I updated my Apple TV 4K today to tvOS 13.4. After updating it, my Harmony Elite, which I'm connecting with Bluetooth, the back and menu button longer work. I have the Apple TV 4K set up in Harmony software as Harmony Pro BT Apple TV 4K. I tried re-pairing it but it did nothing. I also tried deleting the activity and re-doing it and that did not work either. Seems it's no longer compatible.
It's worth noting that those who have their Harmony Elite paired over infrared – rather than Bluetooth – don't appear to be having any problems, although the added lag that brings to the table isn't my idea of fun. Thankfully, a Logitech customer service rep chimed in with a fix that should have you up and running again – although it does involve re-adding your Apple TV to your remote entirely.
This fix? Reconfigure your Apple TV in the Harmony software, but as a new device with the Manufacturer ID of "Harmony Pro" and a model number of "BT Apple TV 4".
A couple of Reddit threads suggest that works, although it isn't clear whether it means you'll need to reconfigure any automations that were set up. Hopefully not!
Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too.
Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.
