Send TVRCSessionStart so tvOS 26.5 will return the apps list

tvOS 26.5 silently drops FetchLaunchableApplicationsEvent unless the client first registers a TV remote control session via TVRCSessionStart with ProtocolVersionKey 1.2. Older tvOS replies harmlessly or ignores it; a 2-second timeout in the connect path keeps reconnects fast on legacy firmware in the latter case.

Discovered by pyatv: postlund/pyatv#2847

Author: nickustinov

Sources/ItsytvCore/Protocol/AppleTVManager.swift

@@ -786,11 +786,24 @@ public final class AppleTVManager {
                     self?.textInputSessionUUID = result.sessionUUID
                 }
             }
-            DispatchQueue.main.async {
-                self?.connectionStatus = .connected
-                self?.discovery.pause()
-                self?.flushPendingCompanionCommands()
-                self?.fetchApps()
+            // tvOS 26.5+ silently drops FetchLaunchableApplicationsEvent
+            // unless we register a TV-remote-control session first. On older
+            // tvOS the device replies harmlessly or ignores it — the 2 s
+            // timeout below makes sure we still proceed in either case.
+            var didProceed = false
+            let proceed: () -> Void = { [weak self] in
+                DispatchQueue.main.async {
+                    guard !didProceed else { return }
+                    didProceed = true
+                    self?.connectionStatus = .connected
+                    self?.discovery.pause()
+                    self?.flushPendingCompanionCommands()
+                    self?.fetchApps()
+                }
+            }
+            self?.connection?.startTVRCSession { proceed() }
+            DispatchQueue.global(qos: .userInitiated).asyncAfter(deadline: .now() + 2) {
+                proceed()
             }
         }
     }

Sources/ItsytvCore/Protocol/CompanionCommands.swift

@@ -147,6 +147,23 @@ extension CompanionConnection {
         )
     }
 
+    /// Register a TV Remote Control session. Required precondition for
+    /// tvOS 26.5+ to serve `FetchLaunchableApplicationsEvent` and
+    /// `FetchAttentionState`; without this call the launcher daemon
+    /// silently drops those requests. Older tvOS either responds with empty
+    /// content or ignores it — either way the rest of the flow keeps working.
+    ///
+    /// Discovered by pyatv: https://github.com/postlund/pyatv/pull/2847
+    func startTVRCSession(completion: @escaping () -> Void) {
+        sendRequest(
+            eventName: "TVRCSessionStart",
+            content: .dictionary([
+                ("ProtocolVersionKey", .string("1.2")),
+            ]),
+            responseHandler: { _ in completion() }
+        )
+    }
+
     /// Fetch the list of launchable applications.
     func fetchApps(completion: @escaping ([(bundleID: String, name: String)]) -> Void) {
         sendRequest(eventName: "FetchLaunchableApplicationsEvent", content: .dict([]), responseHandler: { response in