Apple TV

Stay up-to-date on the latest Apple TV news and learn how to get the most out of your device with our comprehensive tutorials and guides. Discover new features, troubleshoot issues, and explore the best apps and games for your Apple TV.

VLC launches full support for iOS 9, watchOS 2, SMB and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 9, 2016

Cross-platform media player by VideoLAN, called VLC, has been rewritten from the ground up for watchOS 2. And on the iOS side, VLC comes with many new features.

VLC plays a variety of video/audio files in non-iOS-friendly formats without conversion, including MKV movies.

The app also includes support for multiple audio tracks with 5.1 surround sound and subtitle tracks. In addition, VLC for iOS has dropped support for iOS 6.1 and now requires an iPhone, iPod touch or iPad with iOS 7.0+.

UPDATE: The post originally stated that VLC is now available on the new Apple TV. Regrettably, that announcement was an oversight on part of VideoLAN, which has since removed mentions of the Apple TV app from their release notes.

Score a new Apple TV (32GB) for only $99 at local Radio Shack stores

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated January 28, 2016

If you're like me, the most surprising thing about that headline might be that Radio Shack brick and mortar stores still exist. But they do, and if you have one near you, you may be able to score Apple's recently released Apple TV 4 for only $99. That's a cool $50 off the retail price of the 32GB model.

This is a great deal, and it's by far the cheapest we've seen the new Apple TV going for. If you've yet to upgrade, now would be the time to seriously consider doing so.

How to access changelog for Apple TV app updates

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 8, 2023

In this quick tutorial, you'll learn how to browse recently updated apps on your Apple TV and access official changelogs from developers, which typically provide a treasure trove of information detailing new features, refinements, fixes, and other information.

BBC iPlayer now available on Apple TV 4

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 6, 2017

BBC iPlayer, the on-demand application for watching live television channels and exclusive content from BBC, is now available on the 4th generation Apple TV.

“Christmas is a popular time for viewers to come to BBC iPlayer, as they unwrap new devices and browse and discover the BBC’s fantastic Christmas programs,” said iPlayer chief Dan Taylor-Watt.

“With the launch of iPlayer on new Apple TV, I’m delighted we've been able to give people another way of accessing the full breadth and range of BBC programs.”

Infuse for Apple TV gets its first update

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 4, 2018

Infuse 4 for tvOS, the Apple TV edition of the powerful media player for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, was updated last evening in the App Store following its debut on the fourth-generation Apple TV earlier this month.

For starters, the app now claims up to ten times faster metadata fetching (depending on the video type), which should drastically reduce the waiting time when Infuse initially scans a newly added network disk.

How to control your Mac with the Siri Remote

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated May 30, 2017

Better Touch Tool, one of the most useful power-user utilities available for macOS has been updated to include support for Siri Remote control. The update, which is currently available as an alpha version download, lets you control your mouse with the Siri Remote, as well as assign shortcuts and mouse clicks to the Touch Surface and each of the remote's buttons.

Universal apps with Apple TV support now being recognized on the App Store

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 19, 2018

It looks as if Apple is beginning to roll a feature that will help identify universal apps on the App Store featuring Apple TV compatibility. As first spotted by iFun.de and picked up by MacRumors, the feature appears to still be in the roll out phase.

Apps with Apple TV support are currently displaying a SF.UniversalAppleTV notation on the app's Details page in the App Store, but that appears to be a placeholder that will eventually be replaced with a simple "Apple TV".

Pandora launches app for the new Apple TV

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 19, 2018

Pandora on Wednesday launched an application for the new Apple TV. You can find it by navigating to the App Store in tvOS, and scrolling through the Featured page where Apple currently has the app highlighted in the 'Best New Apps' category.

The new tvOS client is obviously somewhat limited compared to its iOS counterpart, but it will allow you to sign into your Pandora account and listen to your customized Radio stations. You can also access tabs like Create Station and Now Playing.

Apple: much-improved Remote app with full Siri Remote functionality in the works

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 9, 2015

Apple's fours-generation Apple TV is getting a proper remote app described as a viable replacement for the bundled Siri Remote, John Paczkowski, Managing Editor with BuzzFeed News, wrote this morning.

In an interview with Eddy Cue, Apple's Senior Vice President of Internet Software and Services, Paczkowski learned that a much-improved remote app for the Apple TV 4 is currently in the works.

Apple posts new Apple TV ad highlighting ‘the future of television’

Matthew Miller ∙ Updated April 19, 2018

Just a few hours after releasing a new update for the Apple TV that, among other things, brought back support for the Remote app, Apple has tonight released a new commercial for the Apple TV on their YouTube channel. This ad is different than the ones they released last month, as they focus more on the experience of using the Apple TV itself, not just specific apps or games.

At last, Remote app now works with Apple TV 4

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 8, 2015

Apple today released tvOS 9.1 for the fourth-generation Apple TV, the second software update for the set-top box since its October 2015 debut, and the question that has been on the Internet's collective mind since is, does it now support Apple's own Remote app?

While I haven't had a chance to install and test tvOS 9.1 yet, web reports claim that tvOS 9.1 indeed includes compatibility with the Remote app, as well as Siri search support for Apple Music, a feature that was present in tvOS betas.

But it gets even better: if you own an Apple Watch, you can use its built-in Remote app to navigate the entirety of the tvOS interface right from your wrist.

tvOS 9.1 software update for Apple TV 4 now available

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 8, 2015

In addition to releasing the second major update to El Capitan and iOS 92 with Safari View Controller enhancements, Arabic Siri support and other improvements, Apple this morning also posted a matching software update for the fourth-generation Apple TV.

Marking the second software update since the new Apple TV's debut in October of this year, tvOS 9.1 (build 13U85) is a bug-fix update which includes a couple of fixes for the most pressing issues reported by users.