Apple's second-generation redesigned Siri Remote features a touch-sensitive clickpad that can be used to navigate menus as well as fast-forward and rewind video.

siri remote 2 clickpad settings feature
When you first start using the ‌Siri‌ Remote, touch surface tracking is on by default, but if you can't get on with the sensitivity or you're just not comfortable using touch controls on a remote, you can always customize it or turn it off.

apple tv remote settings

Change Siri Remote Clickpad Functionality

  1. Launch the Settings app on your Apple TV.
  2. Select Remotes and Devices.
  3. Select ClickPad.
  4. Select Click and Touch to allow both clicking and touch surface tracking, or Click Only to turn off touch surface tracking.

apple tv siri remote clickpad settings

Change Siri Remote Tracking Sensitivity

  1. Launch the Settings app on your ‌Apple TV‌.
  2. Select Remotes and Devices.
  3. Select Touch Surface Tracking.
  4. Select Fast to make smaller thumb movements move farther on the ‌Apple TV‌ screen, or Slow to reduce tracking sensitivity.

apple tv siri remote tracking settings
If you're having trouble scrubbing through video when playback is paused, check our mini guide to make sure you're using the correct clickpad gesture.

Related Roundup: Apple TV
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Don't Buy)

Top Rated Comments

mikeyteh Avatar
60 months ago
This thread will be full of complaints by people who don’t have the remote, just like the last remote article. I have 3 new ones and they are a huge improvement from the first Siri Remote and work very well. The scrubber feature is fantastic
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CarlJ Avatar
60 months ago

I honestly thought Mac Rumors is/was frequented by readers who are tech savvy.

But after reading complaints on this remote like “can’t skip forward 10 seconds”, when the the new action to do that function seems like the obvious action (click the right arrow); I now feel like it’s just the general public in here. Lol
Yeah, try that in the YouTube app and tell us how well it works. But keep patting yourself on the back for being smarter than everyone else.

(YouTube seems to have swapped out their “smart tv” codebase for their “game console” codebase - it gains a few other features but loses the skip forward/back 10 seconds ability - clicking the left/right arrows will pause the video and move the cursor, and leave it sitting there with the video paused, not at all what someone used to the old function wants. The “skip forward/back 10 seconds while the video continues to run” feature seems to be heavily dependent on the underlying software.)
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
citysnaps Avatar
60 months ago

Is using this remote intuitive? Or does a person need an online class on operating the remote? I don't own one yet but wondering why in the world scrubbing isn't intuitive.
I felt comfortable using it in about a minute. Just a matter of summoning some curiosity.

Still not used to the Mic button being on the side. But that's mice nuts and have pretty much adapted.

Overall it's a huge improvement.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Lounge vibes 05 Avatar
60 months ago
My only complaint with the new remote is just simply that the mute button and play/pause button should be swapped.
That’s it though, everything else is perfect.
I mean, except for the obvious, no find my integration
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
steevn Avatar
60 months ago

Is using this remote intuitive? Or does a person need an online class on operating the remote? I don't own one yet but wondering why in the world scrubbing isn't intuitive.
Until reading previous posts about people losing and not knowing how to use remotes, I thought the remote(as in any remote) was one of the simplest items out there that most can understand relatively easily, and wow was I wrong.

I just got the new Apple TV yesterday and the scrubbing feature was exactly as easy as I expected any remote to be, but maybe that is not the case for everyone.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
steevn Avatar
60 months ago

It’s a good remote, but it continually bugs me that the pause and mute buttons are in their current locations instead of swapped - mute is on the corner of the array in the spot that’s easier to get to without looking, but the ATV is fundamentally a streaming box, and the majority of streaming is on-demand, not live. Generally, no one wants to hurriedly mute a movie while letting it run, they want to pause the movie. Without looking, the pause button requires sliding your finger over the button above it or below it to get to the right place, while the mite button is immediately locatable by sliding your finger up from the bottom, which is a shame. They’ve made the more useful button harder to get to, and the less useful button easier to get to. Oh well, it’s still a good remote.
I would honestly like the play/pause button to be above the volume, the home/tv button to be top left, back button below it, and mute where it is.

I see it similar to how you do that most people pause instead of mute, and when watching stuff I’m really only going to use volume up/down and play/pause during viewing and prefer them stacked so they are near.

I feel the home/tv and back buttons are similar enough to be next to each other and then the mute button to me is fine where it is, mainly because I wont use it much and it’s next to the volume down button, resulting in basically what you are going for if you happen to hit the wrong button.

This is a lot of thought I’ve put into a remote with hardly any buttons lol and I’ll memorize them in the next day or so and never think about it again, but that’s how I would have preferred the remote setup.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

Apple Wallet ID Illinois

Apple Plans to Expand iPhone Driver's Licenses to These 7 U.S. States

Wednesday December 24, 2025 8:40 am PST by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Apple Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, and then use it to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. The feature is currently available in 13 U.S. states and Puerto Rico, and it is expected to launch in at least seven more in the future. To set up the...
iPhone Top Left Hole Punch Face ID Feature Purple

iPhone 18 Pro Launching Next Year With These 12 New Features

Tuesday December 23, 2025 8:36 am PST by
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are not expected to launch for another nine months, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we have recapped 12 features rumored for the iPhone 18 Pro models. The same overall design is expected, with 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch display sizes, and a "plateau" housing three rear cameras Under-screen Face ID Front camera in...
maxresdefault

Where's the New Apple TV?

Monday December 22, 2025 11:30 am PST by
Apple hasn't updated the Apple TV 4K since 2022, and 2025 was supposed to be the year that we got a refresh. There were rumors suggesting Apple would release the new Apple TV before the end of 2025, but it looks like that's not going to happen now. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said several times across 2024 and 2025 that Apple would...
iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Adds These 8 New Features to Your iPhone

Monday December 22, 2025 8:47 am PST by
Earlier this month, Apple released iOS 26.2, following more than a month of beta testing. It is a big update, with many new features and changes for iPhones. iOS 26.2 adds a Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics in Apple Music, and more. Below, we have highlighted a total of eight new features. Liquid Glass Slider on Lock Screen A new slider in the Lock...
iOS 26

iOS 26.3 Brings AirPods-Like Pairing to Third-Party Devices in EU Under DMA

Monday December 22, 2025 3:20 pm PST by
The European Commission today praised the interoperability changes that Apple is introducing in iOS 26.3, once again crediting the Digital Markets Act (DMA) with bringing "new opportunities" to European users and developers. The Digital Markets Act requires Apple to provide third-party accessories with the same capabilities and access to device features that Apple's own products get. In iOS...
maxresdefault

10 Mac Apps Worth Trying in 2026

Wednesday December 24, 2025 9:27 am PST by
2026 is almost upon us, and a new year is a good time to try out some new apps. We've rounded up 10 excellent Mac apps that are worth checking out. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Alt-Tab (Free) - Alt-Tab brings a Windows-style alt + tab thumbnail preview option to the Mac. You can see a full window preview of open apps and app windows. One Thing (Free) -...
iPhone Fold Vertical Feature

Why Apple's Foldable iPhone May Be Smaller Than Expected

Tuesday December 23, 2025 5:21 am PST by
Apple's first foldable iPhone, rumored for release next year, may turn out to be smaller than most people imagine, if a recent report is anything to go by. According to The Information, the outer display on the book-style device will measure just 5.3 inches – that's smaller than the 5.4-inch screen on the ‌iPhone‌ mini, a line Apple discontinued in 2022 due to poor sales. The report has led ...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature Iridescent Search

Samsung Developing 'Wide Fold' With iPhone Fold-Like Design Ahead of Apple's 2026 Launch

Tuesday December 23, 2025 11:55 am PST by
Samsung is working on a new foldable smartphone that's wider and shorter than the models that it's released before, according to Korean news site ETNews. The "Wide Fold" will compete with Apple's iPhone Fold that's set to launch in September 2026. Samsung's existing Galaxy Z Fold7 display is 6.5 inches when closed, and 8 inches when open, with a 21:9 aspect ratio when folded and a 20:18...
iphone fold 3d print

Have a 3D Printer? You Can Make Your Own iPhone Fold Dummy

Tuesday December 23, 2025 1:31 pm PST by
Apple is working on a foldable iPhone that's set to come out in September 2026, and rumors suggest that it will have a display that's around 5.4 inches when closed and 7.6 inches when open. Exact measurements vary based on rumors, but one 3D designer has created a mockup based on what we've heard so far. On MakerWorld, a user named Subsy has uploaded a 1:1 iPhone Fold replica (via Macworld), ...