Apple TV 4

How to place Apple TV in recovery mode

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated July 20, 2018

If your Apple TV won't start up properly, or you are a developer who wants to install a tvOS beta, you must first put your set-top box in recovery (DFU) mode. As is the case with iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices, entering DFU mode makes a malfunctioning Apple TV discoverable in desktop iTunes so you can restore it to factory settings, downgrade to an earlier version of the software or side-load a beta firmware onto it.

The method to put an Apple TV into DFU mode differs from that for other iOS devices. In this post, you'll learn how to put an Apple TV into recovery mode so you can restore it to factory settings if it's acting up.

tvOS App Store now lists four times more Apple TV apps in Top Paid, Free and Grossing categories

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 26, 2016

In addition to a dozen new categories, including Catalogs and Utilities, that have been added to the App Store on the fourth-generation Apple TV earlier this week, Apple has made another change to the store that should make app discovery easier.

As reported by German blog iTopnews.de, now each Top Charts section available on the tvOS App Store includes 200 apps instead of just 50 like before.

Apple TV universal search gains support for Watch ABC and 3 additional Disney channels

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 23, 2016

A newly updated Apple support document has indicated that owners of the fourth-generation Apple TV have just gained the ability to search videos across four new content sources, Watch ABC and three major Disney properties: Disney Channel, Disney Jr and Disney X.D.

Users who have one of these channel apps installed on their device can now take advantage of Siri and tvOS's universal search to have shows like “Modern Family” surfaced in their search results.

tvOS App Store gains ‘Not on This Apple TV’ listing in Purchased section

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 23, 2016

Apple has quietly issued a backend update to the tvOS App Store, adding a new 'Not on This Apple TV' option to the Purchased section, making it easier to spot apps that users previously purchased on their iPhone and iPad which have since been updated to support the fourth-generation Apple TV.

As mentioned, the new option should appear on users' fourth-generation Apple TV boxes without requiring a software update.

Apple’s all-new Remote app for Apple TV 4 will do Siri, gestures and work in games

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 15, 2016

Apple is working on a brand new Remote app for the fourth-generation Apple TV that will be a full replacement for the functions provided by the included Siri Remote, said Eddy Cue, Senior Vice President of Internet Software and Services, who was joined on The Talk Show podcast with Daring Fireball's John Gruber by Craig Federighi, Apple's Senior Vice President of Software Engineering.

The upcoming software will be a new app, not an update to the existing Remote application for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad which in December 2015 gained keyboard and basic navigation support for the new Apple TV.

Vevo’s beautiful new Apple TV app brings 150,000 HD music videos

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 11, 2016

Vevo today began shipping a refreshed Apple TV app. Redesigned from top to bottom, it provides access to more than 150,000 music videos in high-definition and exclusive original programming. The revamped software upgrades the experience for users over the old app in many respects.

According to CEO Erik Huggers, Vevo wants to become the MTV for the digital age. “We continue to invest in what we believe is the premium platform for music videos and related original content,” he said in a media release.

Apple TV universal search expands to FOX NOW, FXNOW and Nat Geo TV

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 5, 2016

According to an Apple support document which was updated yesterday, the universal search feature on the fourth-generation Apple TV will now surface video content provided by FOX NOW, FXNOW and Nat Geo TV channels.

Users who install these apps on their set-top box can press the Siri Remote's microphone button and say things such as “Watch Life Below Zero” and land on the page that now includes that show by the National Geographic channel, in addition to other content sources.

Apple said to consider developing original TV shows as talks over skinny iTunes bundle collapse

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated June 4, 2017

As part of a new strategy following failed talks with major networks regarding licensing their programming for a rumored over-the-top iTunes video service, Apple is reportedly considering developing own TV shows to offer exclusively to its iTunes customers, The Street reported Friday. The publication's track record in predicting Apple's moves isn't great so take the story with a pinch of salt.

Citing two unnamed people with knowledge of the overtures, the report alleges that Apple is internally planning to announce exclusive content as part of a cable-like offering in September, as part of the iPhone 7 introduction.

How to filter mature language for Siri and Dictation

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated September 7, 2023

Sometimes when you use the dictation feature on your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad—or just converse with Siri and it misunderstands you—you might be in for a surprise seeing explicit language that you don't really want others to see, especially if you talk to Siri on your new Apple TV and kids are present.

Fortunately, both iOS and tvOS give you all the controls you need to prevent profanities from showing up when you use speech-to-text or Siri. In this post, you'll learn how to disable explicit language for Siri and Dictation on your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad and filter out explicit language for Siri on your Apple TV.

How to disable explicit music and podcasts on your Apple TV

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated July 10, 2024

Learn how to block explicit songs and podcast shows with mature language on Apple TV for a clean, kid-friendly media experience in your house.

Apple releases tvOS 9.1.1 software update for Apple TV 4 with new Podcasts app

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 25, 2016

Today, Apple released tvOS 9.1.1, a brand new software update for the fourth-generation Apple TV which brings the Podcasts app to the set-top box along with a fix for unexpected password prompts when downloading apps when restrictions are set and unspecified security improvements.

If it's not showing up on your Apple TV 4 yet, wait a few minutes and try again because software updates take some time to propagate.

Remote Buddy review: control your Mac from Apple TV via Siri Remote

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 16, 2018

Don't you wish there was a hassle-free way to bring your Mac apps, documents, media, games and more to the big screen—and control them? Enter Remote Buddy, a sweet little app by Roth, Germany based developer Felix Schwarz.

This high-performance screen sharing software—along with its tvOS, watchOS and iOS apps—streams your Mac's screen to the new Apple TV and turns the Siri Remote into a trackpad, a full virtual keyboard and an advanced remote so you can control Mac apps with gestures and shortcuts, without getting off that couch of yours.

Building on the latest GPU and CPU technologies, Remote Buddy uses a proprietary engine to deliver up to 60 frames per second with a latency of around 0.1 seconds so you really get a smooth, high-speed screen sharing experience.

Having taken Remote Buddy for a quick spin, I'm happy to report that it works incredibly well and really comes in handy when you want to do simple tasks on your desktop-bound Mac without actually sitting in front of your computer.