Smart homes are better when they are controlled using only their voice. Siri can now control his lights, plugs and more. You can also use it to control your Apple TV. This is how you will survive the next time you lose the remote control.
Apple knows that when you're watching TV, you probably have your iPhone nearby. This makes it the perfect remote control, but today nobody wants to press buttons.
The voice control is where you are, and with the wizard you can choose what you want to see and then control it too. Barking orders to your TV can make you look like a crazy person, but it's surprisingly fun.
What you will need
There are some prerequisites that you should consider if you want this to work. You will need to have an iPhone-or iPad, or iPod touch-running the latest version of iOS with Siri enabled. You will also need an Apple TV with the latest version of tvOS installed.
Now all your devices are up to date, you need everyone to be on the same network. That is a fact in most homes, but if you are having problems it is a gotcha that is easy to run against.
Finally, your Apple TV must be configured through the home application. It also needs to be assigned to a room – Do not fear, we have already talked about how to prepare the rooms before.
How to use Siri to play content
Asking the assistant to reproduce the content is easy, but you must make sure you have the correct wording.
The key is to tell the assistant what you want to see and then where you want to see it. That may sound obvious, but it's easy to get confused. And remember that you must also use the room in which you have installed your Apple TV.
All commands must start with "Hey Siri" or by pressing the Siri button on your iPhone.
Some examples of a correctly formatted command are:
"Hey Siri, put the latest episode of Chernobyl on the Apple TV in the living room."
"Hey Siri, play Toy Story on the Apple TV in the studio."
"Hey Siri, play Jumanji on the Apple TV in the office."
If you are watching a video on your iPhone and want to watch it on the big screen, no problem. Say "Play this on Apple TV in the living room" and the corresponding application will open if installed. If it is not, and the application supports it, your iPhone will play the video on Apple TV instead.
How to use Siri to control playback
You can control all aspects of playback once the video is on the screen. Here are the commands you are most likely to use.
"Hey Siri, pause the Apple TV lounge."
"Hey Siri, jump 30 seconds in the bedroom of Apple TV."
"Hey Siri, turn on the subtitles on the Apple TV in the kitchen."
"Hey Siri, turn off the Apple TV in the studio."
"Hey Siri, play the Apple TV dining room."
There are more commands available, and if you can press a button to make it happen, you can do it the wizard. Why not try it yourself?
Invite your family to use Siri
You can invite your family to use their iPhones with Siri and your Apple TV too. Invite them to share access to HomeKit and they can enjoy the same hands-free functionality.
Even if you don't have an Apple TV, there are many great things you can do with the assistant. Twenty-six of them, to be exact.