5 things to try right away on the new Apple TV 4K

Apple TV is a box that brings some of Apple’s greatest services (Music, Fitness +, TV+, Arcade, and Photos) to the largest screen in your house; your TV.

The new Apple TV 4K may look identical to the old one, but inside the new Apple TV 4K has a lot of cool features to make your TV look it’s best and expand the way you use it. A powerful new chip and some cool upgrades to tvOS, the Apple TV software, will turn your TV into a family hub for all kinds of entertainment and activities.

Here are five things you should try right away with your new Apple TV 4K.

New Siri Remote

The Siri Remote has been totally redesigned. The previous generation’s touchpad has been transformed into a circular clickpad with touch surface. It’s the best of both worlds since you now have five clickable areas plus a touch surface in the middle. Together you get really smooth and precise navigation.

Pro tip: When watching Apple TV+, hit pause during the show. Then gently swipe your thumb around the outer edge of the clickpad. This lets you “jog” forward or back through your show. 

Voice Controls

The New Siri Remote gives you great precision, but sometimes voice controls may be even faster. There’s a dedicated Siri button on the side of the new remote (just like on iPhone), and you can use it to control all kinds of functions on your Apple TV 4K.

Pro tip: If you miss an important part in a movie or show you’re watching, hold down the Siri button and ask “What did she say?” The video you’re watching will jump back a few seconds so you can catch what you missed.

Colour Calibration

Ever wonder if your TV screen is set up properly to look it’s best? Are the colours adjusted the way they’re supposed to be? A new update to tvOS lets you hold your iPhone up to your TV screen to automatically measure and balance the color on your TV.

Pro tip: In order to do the colour balance your iPhone needs to have Face ID and the latest update for iOS (the software on your phone). 

Gaming

The new A12 Bionic chip upgrades the graphics performance and audio and video processing on everything you watch on your Apple TV 4K. This means games on Apple Arcade look and sound their very best! 

Pro tip: You can pair PlayStation and Xbox controllers to your Apple TV. So if you have an extra from a past console, or you have a favourite button layout, you can use what you’re most familiar with for Apple Arcade.

iPhone

Your iPhone and Apple TV 4K play nicely together. With the latest tvOS, you can use your iPhone to type passwords on Apple TV, use it as a remote control, and send anything you can see on your iPhone screen to be visible on your TV. If you’ve used an iPhone and Apple TV before, you’re probably familiar with this. But if this is your first Apple TV, it’s a really useful feature.

Pro tip: Keep your iPhone handy when you do your initial setup of your Apple TV. This allows your accounts and settings like your home network and Apple ID transfer seamlessly to your Apple TV 4K. 

Summary

The new Apple TV 4K brings improved graphics and a redesigned remote to the stellar things users love from the previous generation of Apple TV. You can enjoy watching video in 4K, high frame rate HDR, and experience immservie Dolby Atmos sound.

The useful features and smarts Apple TV brings to your existing television will help you enjoy gaming, movies, exercise, music, and more in an easy-to-use and elegant device.