Remote
Monitor Apple TV Remote input events in real time.
Overview
Remote shows you exactly what happens when you press buttons and touch the surface of your Apple TV Remote. It detects the connected remote model, visualizes button presses and touch events as they happen, and exposes the raw alias and gesture-routing details that the tvOS input frameworks report. This is useful for verifying remote functionality, understanding input behavior, and troubleshooting unresponsive controls.
Table Of Contents
Top Bar
Across the top of the screen, a bar holds three controls:
- Section Selector -- a segmented control that switches between the Events, Inventory, and Limits sections.
- Layout Selector -- a segmented control that chooses the remote layout rendered in the Live Remote: Auto (detected automatically), 1st gen, or 2nd gen.
- Event Count Pill -- a small pill showing the running total of input events recorded since the tool opened.
Events
The Events section shows remote input as it happens, split into two cards:
- Live Remote -- an on-screen representation of the remote that highlights buttons and touch areas as they are activated. Its artwork follows the Layout Selector choice, and the caption shows which generation is currently displayed. A strip below the remote lists the buttons that are pressed right now.
- Recent Activity -- a scrolling feed of button presses, touch-surface movements, and controller connect/disconnect events, newest first.
Inventory
The Inventory section reports the input capabilities the connected remote exposes to the app, split into two cards:
- Button Mappings -- for each button alias reported by the profile, shows the mapped action, the current system-gesture routing state (Enabled, Always Receive, or Disabled), and the live pressed/idle state.
- Input Inventory -- groups the raw input aliases into blocks: D-pad Aliases, Touchpad Aliases, Axis Aliases, Element Aliases, and Unmapped Inputs. A row of summary stats along the bottom counts the available Buttons, Axes, D-pads, Touchpads, and Elements.
Limits
The Limits section lists the tvOS-imposed capture restrictions that affect which presses the app can actually see -- for example, the TV/Home control being system-owned, and buttons bound to system gestures being delayed, transformed, or suppressed before app delivery.
Notes And Limitations
- The detected remote model and available features depend on which Apple TV Remote is paired with your Apple TV.
- First-generation and second-generation remotes have different button layouts and touch surface capabilities.
- Input events are delivered only while this app is frontmost and the tool is active. Events are not recorded in the background.
- Available on Apple TV only.