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
56 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
56 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
56 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
56 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
56 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
56 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

iOS 26 on iPhone Feature

Here's When iOS 26 Rolls Out Today in Every Time Zone [Update: Out Now!]

Monday September 15, 2025 12:00 am PDT by
Update 10:06 a.m.: iOS 26 is rolling out now, though it may take a bit for all users to see it, so keep checking! Today's the day! Apple is about to release iOS 26, which will deliver the biggest redesign since iOS 7 and bring a range of new features and improvements to iPhones worldwide. It's Apple's biggest software update of the year, and Apple announced at last week's iPhone event that...
iOS 26 Battery Glass Feature

Apple Says Installing iOS 26 Might Impact Battery Life

Monday September 15, 2025 10:56 am PDT by
In the iOS 26 release notes, Apple is warning iPhone users that installing the new software might have a temporary impact on battery life, which is normal. A new support document explains that major iOS updates require background setup like indexing data and files for search, downloading new assets, and updating apps. Further, Apple says that new features could require more resources,...
Tim Cook Rainbow

Apple Reportedly Plans to Launch These 10 Products in 'Coming Months'

Sunday September 14, 2025 8:45 am PDT by
Apple's annual September event is now in the rearview mirror, with the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, iPhone Air, Apple Watch Series 11, Apple Watch Ultra 3, Apple Watch SE 3, and AirPods Pro 3 set to launch this Friday, September 19. As always, there is more to come. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple plans to release many products in the...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 Get iOS 26 Features With New Firmware Update

Monday September 15, 2025 10:50 am PDT by
Apple today released updated firmware for the AirPods Pro 2 and the AirPods 4, introducing support for the new AirPods features that are included in iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and macOS Tahoe. The firmware has a build number of 8A356, and it replaces the current 7E93 firmware. With Apple's new software updates, the AirPods Pro 2 and the AirPods 4 support better audio quality for phone calls and...
iphone 17 lineup

iPhone 17 Models Launch on September 19 With These New Features

Friday September 12, 2025 7:58 am PDT by
Apple will launch its new iPhone 17 lineup and ultra-thin iPhone Air in stores on Friday, September 19, and the company has already shown off the new devices at its fall event, which ran with the the tagline "Awe dropping." The iPhone 17 series brings a host of new features and enhancements. Here's a rundown of the biggest upgrades and changes: iPhone 17 Display Changes The iPhone...
iOS 26 Feature

iOS 26 Available Now With These 8 New Features

Monday September 15, 2025 5:45 am PDT by
Following three months of beta testing, iOS 26 was released today, September 15. The update is compatible with the iPhone 11 series and newer, and it is available to install via the Settings app, under General → Software Update. Below, we have highlighted eight new features included in iOS 26. Even more new features and changes are outlined in Apple's release notes for the update. Some of ...
iPhone 17 Pro Air Boxes

iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro Boxes Revealed

Sunday September 14, 2025 1:36 pm PDT by
T-Mobile President Jon Freier today shared real-world photos of Apple's boxes for the iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 models, which launch on Friday. Image Credit: Jon Freier Apple has typically included iPhone box renders in its product environmental reports, but it did not do so for the latest models. However, Apple's iPhone Upgrade Program page does offer some images of the boxes, ...