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.

How to use photos from the Shot on iPhone 6 campaign as screensavers on your Apple TV

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated October 9, 2023

The new Apple TV features quite a few screensaver options available via tvOS' Settings app. In it, you can setup the cool new aerial view screensavers, or you can choose to use screensavers based on album artwork from music found in your music library.

Along with those screensaver options, you can enable screensavers based on photos in your photo library, including Photo Stream photos and iCloud Photo Library photos. You can even go as far as to extract photos from videos and music accessible via Home Sharing if you happen to have Home Sharing enabled.

Of course, Apple is lending us the typical Animals, Flowers, and Nature photos as screensaver options as well. Needless to say, there's no shortage of potential screensavers for use on the new Apple TV.

But one particular option stood out to me above all of the others, and that's Apple's new "Shot on iPhone 6" screensavers. Yes, Apple is allowing us to take photos from its Shot on iPhone 6 media campaign, and use them as screensavers on our Apple TV. In this post, we'll show you how.

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How to program a universal infrared remote to control your Apple TV

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated September 13, 2023

Your universal infrared remote which used to control your old Apple TV should work just fine with the fourth-generation Apple TV right out of the box. In some cases, however, your legacy remote might need configuring in order to learn the signals that the Siri Remote generates.

In this post, we're going to show you how you can program a universal infrared remote that came with your TV, cable box or DVD/Blu-ray player in order to navigate the entirety of tvOS, or use it with a prior Apple TV model.

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How to control your TV or receiver volume using the Apple TV remote

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 13, 2023

In addition to using your Siri Remote to navigate the tvOS user interface and play games on the fourth-generation Apple TV, you can program it to control power and adjust volume levels of your television set or home theater receiver.

That's because your Apple TV and the Siri Remote that came with it are compatible with HDMI-CEC and outfitted with a built-in infrared receiver and blaster.

This means owners of the new Apple TV can adjust the volume of their TVs and home theater receivers via the HDMI cable or line of sight, using just their Siri Remote.

In this tutorial, you'll learn how to program your Siri Remote and configure it to work with your home entertainment equipment.

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How to use a 4-digit passcode for purchases on Apple TV

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated August 27, 2019

Yesterday, on Let's Talk iOS, we discussed how arduous and tedious it is to enter a password on the Apple TV interface. It's a difficult process, because the Apple TV lacks support for Bluetooth keyboards, and features an A-Z text entry setup that makes the process even more difficult that it was on last generation's Apple TV.

Fortunately, the Apple TV features an option that allows you to never require a password for iTunes & App Store purchases. While using such an option works, it leaves your device open to unauthorized purchases. The good news is that, as we discussed on the podcast, you can easily set up restrictions for App Store and iTunes purchases, which will make it so that purchases only require the entry of a 4-digit passcode.

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How to restart or put your Apple TV into sleep or standby mode

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 13, 2023

By now, you have learned how to use the new Apple TV's task switcher, rearrange and delete apps on the set-top box, take screenshots, disable password prompts for free and paid downloads and more.

Our coverage of the device continues with this tutorial which will teach you how to restart your Apple TV or put it into sleep or standby mode using either its remote or by selecting an option in the Settings menu.

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