15 Apple TV Tips and Tricks You Should Know

There’s no doubt that the fourth-generation Apple TV is much more than a simple media streaming device. With tons of advanced functionality, the ability to install apps, and an innovative remote, the Apple TV is more akin to a full-fledged “smart device” than a simple cable box.

Of course, that also means that there might be a slight learning curve to unlock your fourth-gen Apple TV’s full potential — there are a ton of hidden, useful and clever features that are sure to enhance your Apple TV experience.

Here’s a list of our favorite Apple TV hidden tips, tricks and features.

1. Tame your sometimes-touchy Apple TV remote: Just go to Settings > Remotes and Devices > Touch Surface Tracking, and set your desired speed.
2. Miss an important line from your favorite character?: Just ask Siri, “What did he/she just say?”
3. Quickly rewind or jump forward by five seconds simply by tapping on the upper-left or -right corner of your remote.
4. Pair your favorite Bluetooth audio device: just go to Settings > Remotes and Devices > Bluetooth, and follow the prompts.
5. Open up additional options during playback by swiping down on the remote’s touch surface — you can manage subtitles, closed captioning, chapters and speaker settings from here.
6. Put your Apple TV to sleep manually by holding down on the Home button, and selecting the Sleep option.
7. Just like on an iPhone, you can double-click Apple TV remote’s Home button to bring up all of your open apps, and easily close or switch between them.
8. Let your Apple TV remote control your TV’s power controls by going to Settings > Remotes and Devices and selecting Turn On Your TV with Your Remote. You can let the remote control your TV’s volume by going to Settings > Remotes and Devices > Volume Control.
9. Make downloading or buying apps from the Store a bit less clunky by going to Settings > Accounts > iTunes and App Store > Password Settings, and switching off the Require Password option.
10. Figure out which movie or show that famous quote is from just by asking Siri. For example, try telling Siri “are you talking to me?” or “the force is strong with this one.”
11. Manually turn on the Apple TV’s screensaver by double-clicking the Menu button when you’re on the home screen.
12. Did your Apple TV freeze? Restart it easily by holding down the remote’s Menu and Home buttons simultaneously.
13. Use your Apple TV to flip through a photo album on your Mac. Just open iTunes on your Mac, go to File > Home Sharing > Choose photos with share with Apple TV. Select the “Share Photos from,” option, find the album or folder you want to share, and click Apply. The photos will now appear in the Computers app on your Apple TV.
14. Quickly quit a buggy app by double-tapping the remote’s Home button, and closing the app by swiping up on the remote’s trackpad.
15. You can put your Apple TV into ‘demo mode’, which sets up your device to look like an Apple Store floor model. Cool right? Just go to Settings > General > About and click the remote’s Play/Pause button four times.