Tips And Tricks for Apple TV 4 And Siri Remote Shortcuts

Learn tips and tricks for Apple TV 4 (4th Generation) including Siri Remote shortcuts and gestures. Controlling the new Apple TV 4 is much more convenient than that of Apple TV 2 and 3, especially because of its newly designed tvOS and remote controller called Siri Remote. Beside asking Siri about more of your television, the Siri remote swipe gestures add additional great features to the Apple TV 4.

Apple TV 4 settings

General

• Apple TV 4 can be renamed in Settings under AirPlay > Apple TV Name.
• Apple TV 4 network strength is displayed in Settings under General > About.
• Universal remotes can learn the new Apple TV 4 in Settings under Remotes and Devices > Learn Remote. Follow the on-screen instructions.
• Apple TV 4 screenshots and video screen captures are available through a Mac and Quicktime Player.

Siri Remote

• The sensitivity of the Siri Remote’s touch surface can be adjusted in the Settings app under Remotes and Devices > Touch Surface Tracking.
• The triple-press Home button accessibility shortcut can be changed in the Settings app under General > Accessibility > Accessibility Shortcut.
• The Siri Remote’s battery level is listed in Settings > Remotes and Devices > Bluetooth.
• The Siri Remote can power on/off or adjust the volume of your TV and speakers over HDMI-CEC or IR. In some cases, this pairing process is automatic after setup, or manually configurable in Settings > Remotes and Devices > Home Theater Control under the ‘Turn On Your TV with Your Remote‘ and ‘Volume Control‘ menus.

Siri Remote shortcuts

Touch Surface

• To rearrange an app, hover over it and hold down the touch surface until the icon starts to jiggle. Then, swipe left, right, up or down to move the app, and press the touch surface once to finish.
• The touch surface has accelerated swiping, meaning that a faster swipe results in faster on-screen scrolling.
• Hover over any letter on the keyboard and hold down the touch surface to bring up a contextual menu, which includes uppercase letters, accents and a backspace key.
• Hover over a song and hold down the touch surface to bring up a contextual menu, which includes various Apple Music options.

Menu Button

• Press the Menu button once to go back.
• Press the Menu button twice quickly from the Home screen to start the screen saver.
• Press and hold the Menu and Home buttons simultaneously to restart the Apple TV.

Home Button

• Press the Home button once to return to the Home screen from anywhere.
• Press the Home button twice quickly to bring up the App Switcher, which displays all apps open. Swipe up on the Siri Remote’s touch surface to force close an app.
• Press the Home button three times quickly to access VoiceOver.
• Hold down the Home button to place the Apple TV in Sleep mode.

Siri Button

• Hold down the Siri button to use Siri.
• Press the Siri button once and wait to view a list of commands you can ask Siri.

Play/Pause Button

• Press the Play/Pause button once to change the keyboard between uppercase and lowercase.
• Press the Play/Pause button once to delete an app in wiggle mode, which requires hovering over an app and holding down the touch surface until the icon starts to jiggle.
• Hold down the Play/Pause button for 5-7 seconds to return to the Apple Music app.
• Play content
  • To play or pause movies, shows, songs, and more, press the Play/Pause button. You can also fast-forward, rewind, find special features, and more.

How to reset your Siri Remote

• If your remote is merely out of battery, misbehaving or if you want to switch your Siri remote between two Apple TV 4, you can reset it by simultaneously pressing the Menu and Volume Up buttons. This will reset your remote and put it back into pairing mode.

More Siri Gestures

• Move forward
  • Video: Swipe to the right or hold down the right side of the Touch surface.
  • Audio: Hold down the right side of the Touch surface to fast-forward. Press right to skip a selection.
• Move back
  • Video: Swipe to the left or hold down the left side of the Touch surface.
  • Audio: Hold down the left side of the Touch surface to rewind. Press left to restart a selection. To play the previous selection, press left twice.
• Skip through video content
  • During playback, press the right side of the Touch surface to skip ten seconds ahead. Press left to skip back ten seconds.
• See more settings and features
  • Video: Swipe down during playback, then swipe right to browse available options. If available, you’ll see settings like subtitles, closed captioning, video chapters, audio, and speaker settings.
  • Audio: Choose a song and press the Play/Pause button to play it. Then press the Touch surface to see all of the tracks on the album or playlist. From here, swipe up and select the More icon at the top of your screen. The options you see might vary.

Learn more

• Identify your Apple TV remote
• Charge your Siri Remote or Apple TV Remote.
• Use Siri to find content on your Apple TV (4th generation).
• Control your television or receiver with your Siri Remote or Apple TV Remote.
• Move or delete apps.
• Use a third-party remote with your Apple TV
• Use Bluetooth accessories with your Apple TV (4th generation)

Now you learned a lot of tips and tricks for Apple TV 4 and Siri Remote including many swipe gestures. 

Stay tuned! 😉