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Apple TV has no sound: what to check

Based on: Apple's tvOS 26 documentation, plus findings from our speaker-test apptvOS: Apple docs for tvOS 26Checked

Short answer

Check four settings in this order. Audio Output (is sound going to a HomePod or headphones?), Audio Format (try Stereo Only or Convert to Dolby Digital 5.1), Audio Mode (try 16-bit), and Volume Control (an optical soundbar needs IR, not HDMI). One of these fixes most silent Apple TVs.

Step by step

1. Where is the sound going?

SettingsVideo and AudioAudio Output

Apple lets you send audio to TV speakers, headphones or other speakers. If a HomePod or AirPods are selected, the TV is silent.

2. Simplify the audio format

SettingsVideo and AudioAudio Format

Try Stereo Only first. If sound comes back, your TV or receiver did not accept what Auto was sending. For a soundbar or receiver without Atmos or multichannel PCM support, Apple recommends Convert to Dolby Digital 5.1.

3. Try 16-bit audio

SettingsVideo and AudioAudio Mode

Apple’s instruction: “Choose 16-bit if your TV requires 16-bit audio.”

4. Check volume control

SettingsRemotes and DevicesVolume Control

If the picture works but volume buttons do nothing, this is the setting. Options are Auto, HDMI, Receiver via IR, TV via IR, Off and Learn New Device.

Why these steps

  • Apple TV can send audio to TV speakers, headphones or other speakers, selected under Audio Output.Apple doc
  • Convert to Dolby Digital 5.1 is for equipment that “doesn’t support Dolby Atmos or multichannel PCM”. Stereo Only sends two-channel PCM.Apple doc
  • With HomePod as home theater speakers, all audio goes to the HomePod, including navigation clicks.Apple doc
  • HDMI volume control (CEC) does not work over an optical cable. For a soundbar on optical, set volume control to TV via IR.Apple doc

Sound, but from the wrong speakers

Something we ran into

  • A customer with a 5.1.2 Atmos receiver heard our centre test tone from the subwoofer. On an Atmos route Apple TV uses Dolby channel order (L, R, C, LFE) rather than HDMI order (L, R, LFE, C), and apps that assume HDMI order send tones to the wrong speaker. We fixed this in our app from the report; we did not reproduce it on our own receiver.Tested
  • An app that re-requests the output channel count on every play makes the HDMI connection renegotiate, with a brief drop to stereo. If sound cuts out for a second when playback starts, the app is the likely cause, not your settings.Tested

Still silent in one app only?

The file may carry DTS or TrueHD, which Apple TV cannot output. See Does Apple TV support DTS?. To check every speaker channel by channel, a speaker test tells you more than any setting screen.

Questions people ask

Why is my Apple TV not playing sound through my soundbar?

If the soundbar is on an optical cable, HDMI volume control (CEC) does not work over it. Apple says to set Volume Control to TV via IR. Also try Audio Format set to Convert to Dolby Digital 5.1.

Why does only one app have no sound?

The file or stream may use an audio format Apple TV cannot output, such as DTS or TrueHD. Whether you hear anything then depends on the app decoding it. See our DTS guide.

Why do my button clicks play on the HomePod?

When HomePod is set as the home theater speakers, Apple sends all audio there, including navigation sounds.

If you would rather not fiddle with it

Atmos Speaker & Sound Test

Channel-by-channel speaker test and Dolby Atmos, 5.1 and 7.1 format tests on Apple TV, so you can hear what your receiver actually gets.

View on the App Store$6.99 once

We make this app. Everything above is true whether or not you use it.