Apple’s fourth-generation Siri Remote adds Precision Finding and a built-in speaker for Find My, but precise tracking only works with recent iPhones. A footnote on Apple’s Siri Remote product page says Precision Finding needs the new remote paired with an iPhone Duo, iPhone Air or iPhone 17 or later (excluding iPhone 17e), so iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 owners miss out.
AppleInsider flagged the catch on 14 October. According to Six Colors, the restriction comes down to hardware: the supported iPhones carry Apple’s N1 networking chip, which uses Bluetooth channel sounding for precision tracking without ultra-wideband. iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 models have the second-generation Ultra Wideband chip and support AirTag 2 Precision Finding, but not the new remote’s version, AppleInsider says.
The remote itself works with Apple TV HD and all Apple TV 4K generations and costs £59 in the UK, $59 in the US and €69 in Germany, as we covered earlier. Apple adds that Precision Finding availability varies by region. The fourth-generation Apple TV 4K went up for pre-order on 13 October and arrives on 13 November. Since iOS 17, Find My has shown only near-or-far proximity indicators for second-generation and newer Siri Remotes; the new remote is the first with a speaker that can play a locating sound.