Control Center interacts with your devices in a variety of ways, such as controlling them, automatically detecting when they are being used, and keeping track of which devices are still connected to the system. In most cases, we will automatically configure these interactions optimally. However, in some cases, it may be helpful to customize how these interactions take place. This article explains the various device settings that can be configured.
Device Settings are accessed from the Settings > Devices menu. On the Device Settings page, you will find details on the current state of the device, along with some configurable options.
Cable Detect
Control Center can detect when a new device has been connected via HDMI, or when an existing device has been disconnected. When a new device is connected, a message will pop up asking to set up the device. When an existing device is disconnected, you'll be asked whether you want to permanently remove this device (which will delete the settings for this device), or remember it (if you intend to plug it back in).
If you tell Control Center to remove the device, all settings for the device will be removed and Control Center will automatically detect when something new is connected to that HDMI port.
If you tell it to remember the device, all settings for that device will be remembered and we will no longer prompt when a device is connected/disconnected from that HDMI port (Cable Detect is now disabled). If you want to remove the device that was previously connected to a port with cable detect disabled, simply select the device from Settings > Devices and choose "Remove Device".
Keep in mind, when cable detect is disabled, Control Center will also not detect if a new device is plugged in. If you do connect a different device to an input that has cable detect disabled, you need to manually reset the input by selecting the old device from Settings > Devices, and choosing "Change Device".
For most devices, Cable Detect is on by default, but there are a couple of scenarios where you may want to disable it:
- If you've got a device that you will frequently disconnect, like a video camera, you'll likely want to disable this feature to avoid frequently being asked if you want to keep this device connected.
- Some devices will appear to Control Center as being disconnected when they are shut down/put to sleep. If you have simply shut your device down, you should choose the "Remember" option when prompted. Some devices, such as PCs, are already known to exhibit this behavior, so cable detect is disabled by default.
Control Settings
There are two options under Control Settings - "Auto-Switch" and "Control Type".
Auto-Switch:
Control Center will detect when certain activities happen on a source device and automatically switch to that device. For example, if you're watching a movie on your Roku but want to start playing games on your PS4, Control Center will detect when your PS4 turns on and automatically switch to the PS4 input.
Control Center supports a variety of mechanisms for triggering this auto-switch functionality, and each can be individually enabled. If you find that Control Center is unexpectedly switching to an input, try disabling one or more of the auto-switch settings.
Control Type:
There are four ways for Control Center to communicate with your devices. Depending on your device, one or more of these options may be available. These articles will give you a look at each one:
Click here if you'd like an overview of what these protocols are.
In most cases, we will automatically choose which method is best when you first set up your device. The most common reason to change control types is if, during setup, you could not get network control of a device working and later need to come back and fix it.
To change the control type, or re-test the existing control type, simply select the control type you'd like to configure from the list.
Change Device
Change Device will completely reset the current input and step you through setting up the current input as a new device. If you are having trouble controlling a device and are unable to fix the issue via the control type page, you may want to try resetting the input. Change Device would also be used if cable detect is disabled on the input, but a new device has been connected.
Change Device will take you to the new device setup screen, and you can follow the prompts on-screen to re-configure controls for this device.
Please also see the article about Device Settings for Output devices, like TV/AVR/Soundbar
