Apple TV tips and tricks: The ultimate guide

(Pocket-lint) - The Apple TV is pitched arsenic a hub for everything successful your surviving room. Whether that's movies, games, Netflix, BBC iPlayer oregon astute location control, you tin bash it each from this elemental small rounded quadrate integrative box. 

Despite being truly elemental to use, there's inactive plentifulness to observe successful Apple's surviving country acceptable apical box. Whether it's uncovering retired wherever those unrecorded wallpapers were filmed, organising and deleting apps oregon conscionable enabling acheronian mode. You tin find it successful this list. 

Take a look beneath to get the astir retired of your caller Apple TV.

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Basic controls

There a mates of antithetic Apple TV remotes, depending connected which exemplary you have. The 2021 instrumentality has a caller distant that ditches the touchpad astatine the apical of the erstwhile distant and replaces it with a circular carnal interaction fastener d-pad. It besides has somewhat antithetic buttons, offering a mute fastener and a backmost fastener successful spot of the Siri fastener and Menu fastener connected the older remote.

For the older remote, deliberation of the trackpad astatine the apical arsenic the aforesaid arsenic a trackpad connected a MacBook. You tin swipe crossed it; up, down, near oregon right. You tin click it by pressing firmly, oregon conscionable pat mildly connected it. Clicking it is however you prime to motorboat apps, shows, movies etc. Tapping mildly is seldom used, but tin beryllium utile astatine times. 

For the newer remote, you person much power with the carnal interaction fastener d-pad. 

Remote buttons

The carnal buttons connected the distant - whichever 1 you person - are casual to use. On the older remote, up apical are the Menu and Apple TV buttons. Below those, you person the measurement rocker, the play/pause fastener and the Siri/voice power button. The Apple TV 4K distant is simply a tiny spot different, but the halfway conception is the same. 

For the 2021 model, the Siri fastener is connected the broadside of the remote. The paper fastener is replaced with a backmost fastener and determination is simply a mute fastener arsenic good arsenic the measurement rocker, play/pause fastener and Apple TV button.

Get backmost to the location screen...quickly

Have you ever recovered yourself clicking done worldly to ticker and realised you were 30 menus deep? Well, you're not alone, but alternatively of clicking the paper fastener oregon backmost fastener connected the distant a clump of times to get backmost to the Apple TV location surface (like astir radical do), conscionable long-press a azygous button. The paper fastener oregon backmost button, actually.

It's truthful obvious; it's brilliant. Now you tin debar getting the dreaded thumb-cramp.

Switch betwixt apps quickly, oregon termination inheritance apps

We're utilized to spell to our multitasking oregon caller apps views connected our smartphones, but astir apt not connected our TVs. With Apple TV, the bundle is loosely based connected iOS, and truthful you tin really load up the caller apps view, which shows you stacked thumbnails/cards of erstwhile oregon caller apps you've used. 

All you request to bash is treble pat the TV fastener and you'll motorboat this view. To take the app you privation to power to, conscionable swipe crossed the interaction delicate power pad astatine the apical of the remote, oregon if you person the 2021 Apple TV, usage the arrows astatine the apical of the remote. 

If an app becomes unresponsive oregon problematic, this is simply a truly useful mode to termination it, earlier re-launching it. Just unfastened the caller apps view, swipe until you get to the app, past swipe upwards connected the power propulsion it disconnected the surface and - successful doing truthful - dismissing it. 

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Find thing with your voice

Siri is integrated into Apple TV connected the much caller generations to marque it imaginable to petition movies oregon TV shows utilizing your voice. All you request to bash is property the small fastener connected the distant that looks similar a microphone, oregon the broadside fastener connected the 2021 remote. Hold it down portion you marque your petition and fto it go, and you should spot the substance look connected surface successful existent time, followed by applicable results. 

You tin accidental thing similar "Play Spider-man Homecoming" or, portion watching a peculiar movie oregon amusement you tin inquire who's successful that scene, oregon who directed the movie, and it'll bring up the results successful a pop-up graphic astatine the bottommost of the screen. 

It doesn't conscionable use to contented from Apple's ain iTunes services either. There are a fig of different contented providers that tin beryllium searched utilizing Siri, truthful adjacent if you don't ain it, you tin ticker it (providing it's disposable to watercourse determination else). 

Move, delete oregon benignant apps 

Choose the app icon you privation to move, past clasp down the prime fastener connected the remote, and you'll abruptly spot the icon vibrate (similar to however app icons vibrate successful iOS), meaning you tin determination it left, right, up, oregon down with your remote. Just usage the touchpad oregon the dpad connected the 2021 model, and past property the prime fastener again to acceptable things successful place. Simples.

Like iPhone, if you privation make a folder of galore apps oregon folders to declutter your location screen, you tin bash that too. Just hover 1 icon implicit the apical of different and ticker it make a folder automatically. 

If you conscionable privation to get escaped of an app altogether, you tin delete it. Choose the 1 you privation to get escaped of, past clasp down the prime button/touchpad connected the distant until the icon starts vibrating, and property Play/Pause to entree a caller menu. From there, click "delete". 

Grab the distant (no - the app)

One of the astir annoying things astir immoderate location amusement instrumentality is the remote, particularly if you request to usage it for inputing substance queries. If you're 1 of the fewer - if not lone - radical successful this satellite to ne'er suffer a remote, you inactive person to endure done the acquisition of manually clicking each missive erstwhile searching.

But, similar with astir things successful life, there's an app for that.

Should you ever suffer your Apple TV distant oregon simply privation to usage a keyboard to benignant a query, download the escaped Remote app connected your iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad oregon adjacent - would you judge it - connected your Apple Watch. It's a beautiful, casual happening (and astir intolerable to lose).

When you archetypal acceptable it up, it'll look for Apple TV boxes connected your network, and past erstwhile you've selected the 1 you privation to usage it with, you enactment successful a codification that it displays connected your surface and boom, you're done. 

Scrubbing (find that scene) 

If you're looking for a circumstantial portion of a movie oregon missed immoderate erstwhile you near the country to get that happening (you forgot what it was), you tin scrub backmost done the video timeline by hitting the intermission fastener and past conscionable swiping near connected the touchpad oregon dpad until you find the country you're looking for. As you scrub, it'll amusement a preview thumbnail supra the timeline updating successful existent time, truthful it's ace accurate. 

If you'd alternatively spell a small much old-school, you tin conscionable click the near oregon thrust broadside of the touchpad oregon dpad to spell backmost oregon forwards successful 10 2nd increments. 

Subtitles, please.

This 1 is useful for those of you who person occupation proceeding oregon simply privation to ticker a overseas movie but inactive recognize what's happening: Apple TV lets you alteration subtitles. There are a fewer ways to bash this, but the easiest mode by acold is to swipe downwards portion you're watching a show. 

You'll past spot options to alteration subtitles travel down from the apical of the screen, if they're available. Daredevil connected Netflix, for instance, lets you take from English, French, German, and Spanish. Awesome.

Dark mode, baby

Like each different operating strategy successful the satellite now, you tin person a acheronian taxable connected your Apple TV. By default it's acceptable to the airy theme, truthful spell to Settings > General > Appearance and past take either the "Dark" option, oregon you tin person it power automatically erstwhile it's evening by selecting "Automatic". 

Find retired wherever that awesome unrecorded wallpaper was filmed

One of the coolest things astir owning an Apple TV is the dilatory question scenery videography successful the unrecorded wallpapers/screensavers that travel connected aft a fewer minutes of activity. To find retired wherever it is (if you're not sure), conscionable lightly interaction the touchpad connected the distant and substance appears connected surface telling you wherever it is. 

Manually motorboat the unrecorded wallpaper screensaver

Usually you'll lone spot those awesome unrecorded wallpaper scenes erstwhile the TV has been inactive for a fewer minutes. But, you tin activate it manually. Go to the location surface and past property the Menu fastener again, and it'll spell into screensaver mode. 

Rename your Apple TV

You tin rename your Apple TV. Yeah - who knew? This is utile if you person much than 1 Apple TV successful your location and privation to cognize astatine each times which 1 is which connected your network. To sanction your Apple TV, navigate to Settings > General > About > Name. At that point, you tin take from Apple's default database of names.

Apple lets you sanction your Apple TV based connected the country it mightiness beryllium in, specified arsenic the surviving room, but if you privation to get adjacent much creative, you tin designate a customized name. We named ours Bob. Hi, Bob!

Adjust the video quality

If you privation to set the video and audio quality, conscionable caput to Settings > Video and Audio, and present you'll find a full big of options. You tin alteration the resolution, oregon lucifer the framework complaint of the TV to the content. 

You tin adjacent prime to person those navigation "clicks" switched off, truthful it doesn't bash that weird blipping each clip you swipe implicit the touchpad oregon dpad portion scrolling done lists and app icons. 

PIN support worldly you don't privation your kids watching

One of the astir utile options successful the Apple TV strategy is the quality to adhd a PIN codification to contented with a circumstantial standing (or higher) truthful that your kids can't accidentally ticker thing you deem inappropriate. The lone downside to this autochthonal enactment is that it lone applies to iTunes content: truthful movies and TV shows you've bought oregon rented done the Apple. 

To acceptable a PIN code, caput to Settings > General > Restrictions. It'll inquire for you to acceptable a PIN codification erstwhile you've switched it on. If you scroll down the database you'll spot "Allowed Content", and present is wherever you tin take which euphony oregon podcasts are allowed, arsenic good arsenic mounting ratings for movies and TV shows. 

If your kids are good watching 12-rated content, you tin take that arsenic your minimum, and past each clip you effort and ticker a movie that's rated 15 oregon 18, it'll inquire you to input your PIN codification that you acceptable earlier. For different services - similar Amazon Prime - you'll request to spell done that provider's ain parental power options. 

Pair your headphones, crippled controller, oregon a Bluetooth keyboard

If you'd similar to ticker your favourite shows without disturbing the remainder of the house, you tin brace immoderate headphones with your Apple TV. Open the Settings menu, spell to "Remotes and Devices" and scroll down to "Bluetooth". Now you'll spot a database of disposable devices. 

If you already ain AirPods oregon Beats headphones with the Apple H1 spot successful them, your headphones volition already beryllium paired with the TV done the magic of iCloud. For immoderate others, spot them successful pairing mode and hold until they amusement up successful the "Other Devices". 

This aforesaid method applies to Bluetooth keyboards and crippled controllers too. Each controller volition person its ain method of placing it into pairing mode. For instance, with the Xbox Wireless Controller, you conscionable property and clasp the Connect fastener for a fewer seconds. With the PlayStation DualShock 4 you property and clasp the PS and Share buttons unneurotic until the airy starts flashing. 

Send it to sleep

There's some a agelong mode and a abbreviated mode to nonstop your Apple TV to sleep. You tin - of people - spell done the settings paper by navigating Settings > Sleep Now. The easiest way, however, is to property and clasp the Home/Apple TV fastener until you spot a constrictive broadside paper descent into the surface from the right. 

Here you'll spot a large fastener that says "Sleep". When pressed, the Apple TV volition power disconnected and your TV (and immoderate different connected devices) volition spell into standby mode.

Writing by Cam Bunton and Britta O'Boyle. Editing by Chris Hall. Originally published connected 5 May 2015.