[Insydedan]

I had this issue resolved for a long time. I think something got changed after I updated to either iTunes 12.3.1or the OS X to 12.11.1. Now when I press play /pause on the apple remote when using kodi iTunes opens and takes focus. Also the up down on the remote tries to control the volume on my Mac mini. It comes up when scrolling through my media and if it gets pressed during playback. All searches are bringing up outdated fixes, like having iTunes forget remotes (my option is already greyed out). I might have ran a script before or some thing similar. This just started in the last day or two and I know kodi was not updated on my computer in that timeframe just iTunes and OS X. Any help is appreciated.

[Insydedan]

Ok not sure why this worked but by going into system preferences --> security & privacy --> advanced and unpairing the remote fixed it. Now my mini has no paired remotes but it still controls kodi.

Maybe this will help someone else.