I use Zwift app on Apple TV. iPhone used as remote control for Apple TV. The photo button is gone missing and does not appear on tool bar (together view camera view and turn). Any ideas?
Photo option is not available on ATV (never has been) because the ATV can’t store the photos. You’ll have to use the Companion app and take photos that way.
OK, thanks. It means I need to have companion on my iPhone at the same time as running Zwift app on ATV. May create some issues maybe.
What issues are you anticipating? I do this all the time with no issues. The just need to be on the same wifi/network.
Feedback from the Zwift support team not to do so. Anyway, I will try. Thanks for prompt feedback.
Hi Knut,
You mention that you use your iPhone as the remote for your ATV. I have noticed that if I try this (selecting the widget from the control centre), the Companion bridge for my Bluetooth devices can sometimes drop.
I wonder if the support team’s recommendation to you not to use Companion on your iPhone is in relation to that aspect.
Personally, I find the Companion app far more useful in providing — not to say essential to — a good Zwift experience on ATV compared to the iPhone remote function. Therefore, I use the dedicated Apple remote, leaving my iPhone free for Companion.
Hi Roule, thanks.
I run the Zwift app on the ATV. Basically I start Zwift and choose route. If I turn on the Companion on my iPhone after starting Zwift on the ATV, will the Companion automatically “brigde” to the Zwift session?
I can not use the Apple remote while cycling. It does not tolerate humidity/sweat. Already ruined one remote control.
There are a couple of different factors involved here.
First of all, the Companion app is an excellent touch-screen interface for use during a ride, which allows us to do things much quicker than with the remote interface, be it on the iPhone widget or with the physical remote. As noted above, it also allows us to take photos, which is impossible with the Apple TV alone.
I’d probably feel frustrated riding with Apple TV if I couldn’t use the Companion App and was limited to just the remote.
The Bluetooth bridging functionality of the Companion app is used to get around Apple TV’s limit of two Bluetooth connections (in addition to the remote). In order to use the Bluetooth bridge, one has to have the Companion app running on the phone before pairing starts.
I use it so that I can have (1) heart rate, (2) steering, and (3) the trainer/cadence/controlled all connected via Bluetooth when using Apple TV.
(This video walks you through it: https://www.zwift.com/uk/video/how-to-cycling/pair-devices-appletv)
If you only have two bluetooth connections to make, you dont need the Companion app Bluetooth bridge. In that situation, you would simply pair your bluetooth devices directly to the Apple TV like you have been up until now. As far as I know, in that situation you can open the Companion app on your phone either before or after starting a ride. Normally, if you select a route and start to ride, the Companion app automatically detects it within a few seconds and opens a map screen that gives you a touch interface that acts as a complement to the main Zwift app (including giving you the photo option in the toolbar).
If you do use Companion Blutetooth bridging, the bridging operates in the background following the pairing and the Companion app then behaves in that situation just as described in the preceding paragraph.
However, as mentioned in my previous post, I have had issues with the iPhone remote widget causing interruptions of the Companion bridge, which then unpairs all the Bluetooth devices (including the trainer), bringing one’s avatar to a complete stop. It’s not guaranteed to be an issue for you, but I suggest that you experiment with it on a quiet free ride to see if it’s an issue on your phone.
Sorry to hear about the Apple remote not lasting long due to sweat. I can imagine that that’s frustrating and would get expensive fast. In case you have the opportunity to use a physical remote again, do you think it would be feasible to protect an Apple remote from corrosion by sealing it inside a sturdy ziploc bag? It’s probably not very comfortable in the hand (and it’s perhaps impossible to use the touch-sensitive pad through the plastic), but worth a try. Maybe special watertight cases already exist, but I imagine that they’d be expensive, too.
Good luck with it all and Ride On 
Worked perfecly. Thanks!
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