If you’ve ever lost the actual Apple TV remote in the couch cushions (so, everyone), this one’s for you. Your iPhone and iPad can already control an Apple TV when you can’t be bothered to find the physical clicker. And starting with iOS 27, the virtual remote can live on your Home screen again, not just buried in Control Center.
A Quick Bit of History
The virtual Apple TV remote has had a weird little journey. It started life as a standalone App Store app, then Apple folded it into a Control Center tile. The dedicated app version has been gone since 2020. So if you wanted to fire up the remote straight from your Home screen, you basically had to build a Shortcut to do it. Not exactly intuitive.
What’s new in iOS 27
Now with iOS 27 and iPadOS 27, you get a proper built-in Home screen app icon for the remote again. No workarounds, no Shortcuts.
Getting it there is simple. You can either search for “Remote” and drag the icon onto your Home screen, or you’ll find it sitting in your App Library.
Why It Actually Matters
Look, this is a small change. But if you use your iPhone or iPad as an Apple TV remote on the regular, it’s a genuinely nice quality-of-life bump. Sticking it back on the Home screen makes it way more discoverable and a lot quicker to reach. Honestly, just having the option again is the win here.
When You Can Get It
iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 are in developer beta right now. Apple’s lining up the public beta for July, with the official launch coming this fall.
