Yes mine does every time, but you first have to set it up only once in "Settings" under "Controller" , then choose "click to find device" (with the controller switched on).
Then on the main screen of aTelloPilot you click on the "Flypad/Gamesir Connect" icon and the controller will pair with...
After a crash into a wall, Tello won't start or take-off with aTelloPilot app - everything shows connected and ready to fly, but motors don't spin. Then I tried it with the official Tello app and it fly normally, but still not with aTelloPilot.