Clicker Beta

A free remote for Apple TV and Roku. It runs on your Mac and opens on your phone.

Navigation, playback, volume, typing, a sleep timer, and a grid of favourites that jump straight to an app or a show. No account, nothing to subscribe to, and nothing leaves your Wi-Fi except an optional daily update check.

What you need

1. A Mac with Apple Silicon (M1 or later), awake and on the same Wi-Fi as the TV.
2. An Apple TV or a Roku.
3. An iPhone, if you want the remote in your pocket. The Mac works on its own too.

On the Mac

About 25 MB. Signed and notarized by Apple, so it opens like any other app.

1. Unzip it, drag Clicker into Applications, and open it. It runs quietly with no window; keep it in the Dock to bring the remote back up.
2. The device list opens the first time. Roku needs nothing, just Connect. Apple TV shows a PIN on screen twice, once for the remote and once for apps.

On the iPhone

1. In Clicker on the Mac, click the QR button at the top right and switch Party mode on.
2. Scan the code with the iPhone camera and open the link.
3. Share, then Add to Home Screen. It opens full screen and remembers its access. Turning Party mode off locks every phone out again.

If buttons do nothing

Roku: Settings › System › Advanced system settings › Control by mobile apps › Network access › Permissive

Apple TV, no PIN appears: Settings › AirPlay and HomeKit › Allow Access › Anyone on the Same Network

No TVs found usually means the Mac and TV are on different networks (a guest network counts). If the phone can't reach it, the Mac went to sleep or Clicker isn't running.

Beta

Clicker is a public beta. It updates itself when a new version is out. The optional "about what's playing" facts come from a small hosted service with a monthly cap, so they can run out before the month does.