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How to Set Up and Use Your Apple TV
For Apple users, the Apple TV 4K opens a world of entertainment and much more on the big screen.
We’ll look closer at the Apple TV, how to set it up as a new user, and what you can do with the streaming box.
Set Up the Apple TV
Before setting up the actual Apple TV box, you’ll need to take care of a few steps first. You need an Internet connection, TV or other display with an HDMI port, and an HDMI cable.
Apple doesn’t include an HDMI cable with the Apple TV itself. If you’re in the market, take a look at the best 4K HDMI cables.
If you have an iPhone, you can use the handset to quickly set up your Apple TV. Make sure to update your handset to the latest version of iOS. Also, you’ll need to be signed into iCloud with your Apple TV and turn on two-factor authentication for your Apple ID.
Finally, make sure to turn on iCloud Keychain in iCloud Settings while making sure to activate Bluetooth and connect your home Wi-Fi network.
Now it's time to open the Apple TV 4K box. Inside, you’ll find the Siri Remote, streaming box, and power cable.
Plug the power cable into the correct slot on the Apple TV and then the power outlet. Next, plug the HDMI cable into the Apple TV and then your TV. Make sure to turn your TV input to the correct HDMI input. Now it’s time to dive into customizing the Apple TV to your liking.
To start, you will select both your language and country/region.
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You’ll also want to confirm that you to use Siri, a big part of the overall Apple TV experience. Just like with other Apple devices including the iPhone and Apple Watch, using a voice command with the Siri Remote can find content, control media playback, check the weather, locate your iPhone, and much more.
To speed up the process, you can automatically add your Apple ID and Wi-Fi settings by selecting Set Up With iPhone or iPad. You’ll need to place the unlocked iPhone near the streaming box and then follow the instructions on both screens.
Alternatively, if you don’t want to use your iPhone, select Set Up Manually to enter your Apple ID and home Wi-Fi information.
Next up, you’ll sign in with your TV provider, if you have one. Doing that will allow you to unlock TV shows and movies that are available to watch if available.
Finally, you can select more settings to customize the experience. That includes choosing One Home Screen to keep the home screen and apps the same across every Apple TV in the household.
You'll also add your Apple TV to the Home app and add additional users to your Apple TV. With multiple users, each person in a home can access their own personalized preferences and accounts for the Apple TV app, Apple Music, and App Store. When everything is complete, you will be sent to the Apple TV home screen. That’s where you will jump off to TV shows, movies, apps, games, and much more.
Using the Siri Remote With an Apple TV
The Siri Remote is the best way to interact with your Apple TV. On top of the remote is a touch-sensitive clickpad and ring. The ring can be used to navigate around the screen. To select something, highlight it then press the center of the clickpad.
To scrub through a timeline when playing media, you can press the center of the clickpad once and then circle your finger counterclockwise or clockwise around the ring.
Right above the clickpad is the power button. Press and hold it to turn on your TV set and wake the Apple TV. Pressing it again will turn the TV off and put the Apple TV to sleep.
On the right side off the remote is the Siri button. Just press down the button, say your command, and then release the button.
Other buttons can mute the audio, access Control Center and the Apple TV app, turn the volume up/down, and play/pause media.
While the Siri Remote is one of the best parts of the overall experience, there are also alternatives to control the Apple TV. Easily the best is the Remote app on your iPhone or iPad. It provides the same experience as the hardware remote.
How to Use the Apple TV
Just like other Apple devices, the Apple TV is all about apps. Whether you want to play a game, watch a movie, access content from a subscription service, or something else, you’ll likely need to download an app to the Apple TV. But Apple makes that easy.
Find the App Store icon on the Apple TV main page and select it. That will open up the App Store. In the menu bar, you’ll see five options: Discover, Apps, Gams, Arcade, Purchased, and the Search icon. Head to Discover to see a number of curated titles chosen by Apple’s App Store team. In Apps and Games, you can browse for apps by category.
Arcade shows off titles from Apple’s gaming subscription service. Find apps you have already in your account and compatible with the Apple TV in Purchased. Finally, head to the search icon to find a specific title by name.
There are a number of Apple apps that you won’t need to download. Those include Apple TV, Music, Photos, Apple Arcade, Apple Fitness+, and Podcasts.
You’ll definitely want to try out the Apple TV app. Most importantly, you can access your entire movie and TV show collection. You can also subscribe to additional channels like Showtime and Paramount+. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that it’s where you’ll subscribe and watch Apple TV+ content as well.
And the Apple TV is more than just TV, movies, and games. You can easily use the Apple TV to control your smart home. The Apple TV acts smart home hub that allows you to control HomeKit-compatible products with a Mac, iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch when you’re away from the home network.
When at home, you can use a quick Siri command to control smart locks, lighting, and more. Head to the Apple TV Control Center by pressing and holding the TV button on your Siri Remote. In the Control Center, after selecting the HomeKit icon, you can access scenes and see a live view from your compatible home cameras.
Control Center is also the place to go to switch users, quickly put the Apple TV to sleep, see the current song in Music, access audio and AirPods controls, connect game controllers, and access the search app.
Dive Into the World of Apple TV 4K
The Apple TV is one of the best options on the market if you’re looking to bring a streaming device to your living room and already use other Apple products.
While it’s more than other competitors, it makes up for that downside with simple navigation, a well-designed interface, and access to the huge amount of titles on the App Store. Enjoy all that the Apple TV can offer.
