Apple Remote Codes

A reader alerted me that all Apple Remotes have the same code (I’d mistakenly assumed there were two sets of codes)

There is currently only ONE model of Apple remote. You should look at those codes again.

The codes from all Apple remotes ever made are identical. The small exception is that the silver remote sends TWO codes for the Select and Play/Pause button.

The big “aha” missing from this discussion comes from the assumption that Apple codes are NEC format. They’re not. The next assumption is that the button codes are 8 bits. They’re not.

Apple’s IR format is custom and only “based” on NEC. They have taken the premise and re-used all the command bits in a custom fashion.

7 bits for the button code
1 PARITY bit
8 bits for ID

The parity is a XOR sum of the button and ID bits, and since it flips around between 1 and 0 depending on the other bits, of course you’ll think the codes are different between two remotes with two different IDs.

I’ve corrected the information here: [link]. When I get a chance, I’ll update the code so that it will work with any Apple remote.

 

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