How to Set Up CloudGear on Apple TV

CloudGear for Apple TV is a companion app. Your iPhone or iPad does the browsing, signing in, and launching; your Apple TV plays the game. It is not a standalone app, so it needs a paired iOS device to do anything.

It is included with your CloudGear unlock. One subscription or lifetime purchase covers your iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV, so there is nothing extra to buy.

Before you start

CloudGear installed on an iPhone or iPad, signed in to at least one cloud gaming service.
An Apple TV running tvOS 18.6 or later. An Apple TV 4K is required for 4K and HDR output.
Both devices on the same Wi-Fi network. This is the single most common reason an Apple TV doesn’t show up during pairing.

Step 1: Install CloudGear on your Apple TV

Open the App Store on your Apple TV and search for CloudGear. Because CloudGear is a Universal Purchase, if you already own it on iPhone or iPad it is already yours here.

Step 2: Pair the two devices

Open CloudGear on your Apple TV. It displays a six-digit code.
On your iPhone or iPad, open CloudGear and go to Settings.
Find your Apple TV in the device list and select Pair.
Enter the six-digit code shown on the TV.

The two devices stay paired, so this is a one-time step.

Step 3: Connect and hand off

Two settings on your iPhone or iPad, under Settings › Apple TV, make this automatic:

Auto-connect to Apple TV connects to a paired Apple TV whenever it is found.
Hand-off to Apple TV on connection hands a game off to a connected Apple TV as soon as it starts.

With both on, you just start a game on your iPhone as usual and it appears on the TV.

The two ways to play

Handed off (default). The game moves onto the Apple TV and runs there natively, for the lowest possible latency. Once it has handed off, the game is running entirely on your Apple TV, so you can put your iPhone down or lock it. Play with a game controller, the Siri Remote’s touchpad, or a Steam Controller.

Tethered. Your iPhone or iPad stays connected and relays input to the Apple TV. This is the mode to use for a keyboard and mouse: connect them to your iOS device and their input passes straight through to the game on the TV, which suits strategy games and MMORPGs. Keep the device nearby and unlocked while you play.

While a game is tethered, a companion bar on your iOS device lets you Hand-off or Disconnect at any time. You can also disconnect from the in-game menu on the Apple TV.

Two settings that catch most people out

HDR depends on your Apple TV’s output format

HDR is supported, and what matters is that your Apple TV is set to output HDR. If you have an HDR TV, it is almost certainly set up that way already, in which case HDR games play in HDR with nothing more to do, and SDR content is tone-mapped by tvOS.

You can check under Settings › Video and Audio › Format on the Apple TV. If it is on an SDR format, either switch it to an HDR one, or turn on Match Content › Match Dynamic Range so the display can switch into HDR when a game calls for it.

Resolution, HDR, and surround sound are set on your iPhone, not the TV

These are chosen in CloudGear on your iPhone or iPad, and they are applied at the moment the stream begins. Set them before you start a game. If the picture or sound isn’t what you expected, change the setting on your device and start the game again.

If you have more than one Apple TV

An Apple TV only accepts a connection while CloudGear is open on it and showing its waiting screen. Any other Apple TV in the house will simply not answer, because CloudGear is not running on it.

That makes choosing between them straightforward: open CloudGear on the Apple TV you want to play on, and start your game from your iPhone or iPad. That TV is the one that responds.

If a game opens on the wrong TV, it is almost always because CloudGear was left open on that one. Back out of CloudGear there and it will stop offering itself.

Controllers

Pair game controllers to the Apple TV itself, not to your iPhone. On the Apple TV, go to Settings › Remotes and Devices › Bluetooth.

Any PlayStation, Xbox, or MFi controller works, with full rumble. The Valve Steam Controller is supported too, including using its right trackpad as a mouse.

Apple TV cannot connect to a mouse directly. To play with a mouse, use tethered mode: connect the mouse to your iPhone or iPad and its input passes through to the game on the TV.

Troubleshooting

My Apple TV doesn’t appear when pairing. Check that both devices are on the same Wi-Fi network. CloudGear finds your Apple TV over the local network, so a phone on a guest network or on mobile data will not see it.

The controls feel laggy even though the video looks smooth. Turn on Game Mode on your TV. Most TVs apply picture processing that adds noticeable input lag, and Game Mode disables it. Look in your TV’s picture settings, or check whether the HDMI input the Apple TV uses has its own game preset.

The video stutters, or I see a “Wi-Fi Performance Issue” warning. Streaming is sensitive to network quality, and far more sensitive to jitter than video streaming is. For the most reliable results, connect the Apple TV to your router with an Ethernet cable, or move it closer to the router.

The game stopped when I locked my phone. That happens in tethered mode, where the iOS device is relaying the game. Once a game is handed off, the iOS device is no longer needed and can be locked or put away.

More help

If you are still stuck, the community on Discord and Reddit is active, and you can reach us through the Support page.