iPad Keynote (14.4) remote won’t connect to Mac Sequoia

After updating to Sequoia, my iPad Keynote (14.4) remote will not link to the MacBook Pro. I followed every tip and instruction I can find —multiple times. I even reset my iPad back to factory settings. (1) I have the remote enabled in my Mac Keynote, but the iPad never shows up in the list. (2) When I click the remote icon in iPad Keynote, it doesn’t do anything. I’ve been trying everything for a month.


Is there a compatibility problem with Sequoia and the Keynote remote function on the iPad? Is there anything else I can try other than following the standard instructions for connecting?




iPad Pro, iPadOS 17

Posted on Jun 5, 2025 4:40 PM

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Jun 22, 2025 3:35 PM in response to Phil Prof

I have the exact same issue. I have two iPad’s. The first works fine - it is the latest M4 iPad Pro fully updated. Keynote versions are exactly the same on both iPads. The Keynote version is 14.4 (7372.0.92). The difference is that the other iPad that doesn’t work is the iPad Pro 10.5 inch version. I’ve updated it to the latest OS it can use (iPadOS 17.7.8) and updated Keynote (again the same version of keynote as my newer iPad Pro and the remote button is completely non-functional. I just got a brand new M4 Macbook Air that is the host and is updated to the latest in everything. The issue appears to be the version of the iPad or iPadOS. This is a real problem because many people use an older iPad to do the remote control in our organization. This worked on the older iPad until Keynote version 14.4 (7372.0.92). It worked fine before the update, so I know the iPad is “capable”. If it is no longer available, it should have been noted and the remote icon should be removed instead of just being a “dead icon” that does nothing.

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Jun 22, 2025 3:47 PM in response to kaixendog

One other thing I noticed. The Keynote version history for the latest two versions of Keynote states “requires Apple Intelligence,” so I don’t know if, even though Keynote 14.4 installs on the older iPad if it is actually “compatible.” Very, very frustrating. Multiple people have iPads in my organization and need to be able to remote control the host presentations. We’ve used this for years and it’s completely broken for several people with this update. If I had known the Keynote update was going to break this functionality, none of us would have installed it on these older iPads.

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Jun 23, 2025 7:43 AM in response to kaixendog

Thanks for the reply and additional info. Certainly Apple knows about this and should have prevented it or at least prepared people for it. I ended up buying a new iPad mini just to use the Keynote remote. Maybe that was Apple‘s intent all along—to force people to buy new equipment to make things work. But that’s not the Apple ecosystem I committed to decades ago. :-(

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iPad Keynote (14.4) remote won’t connect to Mac Sequoia

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