I recently found an old Apple TV 3rd generation. I restored it using my Mac and tried setting it up with my iPhone 14 Plus (iOS 26). Unfortunately, I can’t do the bluetooth thing where it asks you to touch the iPhone and the Apple TV device. Does anyone have any suggestions?
Apple TV (3rd generation)
You should be able to choose Set Up Manually instead.
If your Apple TV stops responding during setup, unplug your Apple TV from power, then plug it back in.
You might also try restarting your iPhone. Make sure iPhone is unlocked.
If you can't get past a screen during setup, try connecting your Apple TV to a different Wi-Fi network, like a personal hotspot from your phone. After setup is complete, go to Settings on your Apple TV and connect to your home Wi-Fi network.
Set up your Apple TV - Apple Support
You should be able to choose Set Up Manually instead.
If your Apple TV stops responding during setup, unplug your Apple TV from power, then plug it back in.
You might also try restarting your iPhone. Make sure iPhone is unlocked.
If you can't get past a screen during setup, try connecting your Apple TV to a different Wi-Fi network, like a personal hotspot from your phone. After setup is complete, go to Settings on your Apple TV and connect to your home Wi-Fi network.
Set up your Apple TV - Apple Support
Be aware that the 3rd gen doesn't work like the Apple TV HD or later models. Instead of TVOS it runs a basic operating system and does not use apps, just pre-set server-based channels. Most providers have dropped support for those and it no longer receives any updates. It also doesn't support things like Airplay 2 so that may limit functionality as well.
Apple TV 3rd gen setup with iOS 26
