Since my Mac Mini 2011 upgraded to OSX El Capitan', Kodi 15.2 sporadically loses control of the Apple Remote. Never once had an issue prior to the OSX upgrade. One way to get the remote working again is to exit Kodi, toggling the “Disable remote control infrared receiver” in OSX off and back on again, and re-starting Kodi. By doing this, the Apple Remote works again for a bit. BTW, Pairing is completely turned off in OSX. Pairing the Apple Remote made no difference so I just shut it off completely. Changing input devices in Kodi from "Apple remote" to "Universal" didn't seem to make any difference either. Using a different Apple Remote and changing the batteries also didn't fix it. Delay starting and manually starting Kodi after rebooting OSX doesn't fix it as it seems to just sporadically stop working after using Kodi for a little while.
I've tried to search online for a solution, but haven't seen anything posted that works. I have a hard time believing no one else is using a Mac Mini for Kodi and having this problem. Does anyone know of a solution for this as it makes Kodi difficult to use for the family if the Apple Remote quits responding all the time.
I have the same problem. I'm using a Mid-2011 Mac Mini running OS X Yosemite and Kodi 15.2 (Compiled October 19th, 2015). The problem started sometime after the update to Yosemite, though I can't say definitively the upgrade was the cause. The lost connection seems fairly sporadic. I can't seem to trace it to any one activity, meaning it might lose connection when I try to pause a movie, or when I'm clicking through a list of TV episodes, etc.
Troubleshooting steps I've taken include:
Replace Apple remote battery.
Use another Apple remote.
Pair the remote(s).
Change the login account to an admin account.
Create a brand new login account and re-install/configure Kodi.
Logging out of OS X and logging back in re-establishes the connection, as does a reboot of the computer.
Interesting. I didn't see this problem under Yosemite. In my case, rebooting the computer doesn't necessarily restore the connection either.
Whoops! I meant to say that I'm on El Capitan.
There doesn't seem to be much information available. I'm not completely convinced that it's a Kodi-related issue, but this is the only thread I've managed to find that matches what I'm experiencing.
I have a Mid-2011 MacBook Pro that I could install in place of the Mac Mini on a temporary basis, but it's not a very good troubleshooting measure.
Wow! Thanks for the link.. Good read. Due to the lack of response on this site, I was beginning to think my problem was isolated. This seems to be more common than I thought. I'm surprised no one is talking about it over here. Hopefully, someone will come up with a solution soon.
I did the NVRAM reset that someone pointed out on that thread. It's too soon to tell if it worked.
The hard thing about troubleshooting this issue is it's so hard to replicate. It can take days before the remote stops working.
Keep me posted on what you find out.
I haven't had a problem since I did the NVRAM reset. It's only been 4 days, but it's an improvement over my prior experience.
Drat! Spoke too soon...
Back to the drawing board.
Okay, thanks for the update.
I see the same issue. El capitan and 2012 mac mini.
I've also tried a lot of things including candelair which makes no difference. Restarting Kodi is the usual fix. Issue appears with all Kodi 16 betas and 16 beta 5 for me.
I notice VLC has native apple remote support - one idea is to leave VLC running, but minimised, for a few days (with kodi running) to see if it VLC impacted when Kodi is ..
I haven't tried VLC, but I've noticed that when the remote stops working with Kodi, it won't work with iTunes either. This suggests to me that it's a problem with El Capitan and/or the hardware.
I don't think El Cap or hardware is the cause:
1) as this behavior is new with kodi 16 (for me)
2) restarting kodi fixes it (in most cases)
Also remember that Kodi takes the remote exclusively
As an aside, I doubt the remote will actually work with iTunes when kodi is running (i.e immediately before kodi stops responding to the remote)
I have found candelair and RC2 to be better but too early to be sure
I found the remote connection was failing with greater frequency, so I tried the steps that were posted on the Plex forum:
1) As suggested above repair the remote:
Preferences > Security & Privacy > Advanced and disable / re-enable the IR port
2) Perform a NVRAM/PRAM reset per apple instructions:
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204063
3) Perform a SMC reset per apple instructions:
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201295
4) Enjoy plex and harmony remote again!!
I'll let you know how long it lasts before I have to restart the machine again.
You're right about the remote not working on iTunes while Kodi is active. I did a Command+Tab to get back to Finder and then launched iTunes. The remote was still focused on Kodi.