Apple has rolled out tvOS 16.3.3, a software update for Apple TV that includes a fix for a long-standing issue with the Siri Remote.
For several months, owners of the latest model Apple TV 4K have been complaining that their Siri Remotes regularly disconnect from the device without explanation, often while playing something. This issue persisted until the release of tvOS 16.3, tvOS 16.3.1, and tvOS 16.3.2, but appears to have finally been resolved in this week’s update.
tvOS 16.3.3, as spotted by 9to5Mac, explicitly mentions the issue in the release notes:
“This update fixes an issue where the Siri Remote may become unresponsive on Apple TV 4K (3rd Generation).”
Additionally, the update is only available for the latest Apple TV 4K, which is the model affected by the issue.
9to5Mac’s commenters initially seem unimpressed with the post, though most are focusing their anger on the time taken by Apple to fix the issue, the lack of communication, the update not being available on their devices yet, or other problems that have not been corrected; it is unknown if the fix actually works.
Perhaps we should be grateful that it was finally resolved, although the saga poorly reflects Apple’s responsiveness to bugs. Especially since the 2022 Apple TV is otherwise a great device, as we discuss in our 4.5-star review of the 3rd generation Apple TV 4K.
The update should install automatically, but to check if the update happened, follow these steps to update the software on your Apple TV:
- Go to Settings > System > Software Updates > Update Software.
- Click Download and Install to download the update.
- Click Update Now.
