Compared to the iPhone and its complex functions, the Apple TV 4K is a relatively simple device. You’ve got a simple Home Screen with large icons, a few menus across apps, and just not much to set up, really.
Nevertheless, tvOS enables power users to customize certain UI elements, system behavior, the Siri Remote, and more. Here are some of the essential settings tweaks that can help you personalize your Apple TV experience in as little as 15 minutes.
1. Customize the Siri Remote
Before getting started, you’ll want to ensure that your Apple TV’s bundled Siri Remote behaves as expected. Head to the Settings app and visit the Remotes and Devices section. There, you can optionally speed up or turn off the remote’s touch surface after testing its default sensitivity.
If you don’t often watch Apple TV+ content, you may also want to remap the Siri Remote’s TV button. By default, clicking it will launch the TV app, which houses TV+ and other compatible streaming services. When remapped via the same Settings section, it’ll take you to the Home Screen instead. This makes it faster to leave apps or switch between them.
On the same page, scroll down to the Home Theater Control section and enable the Turn On Your TV with Your Remote toggle. This will let you control a compatible display using the Siri Remote, sparing you from needing separate remotes for your Apple TV 4K and the screen itself.
Mahmoud Itani / Foundry
2. Connect streaming services (and not just Apple’s)
As mentioned above, the built-in TV app supports a wide range of third-party streaming services, including Disney+, Paramount+, Max (sorry, HBO Max), Hulu, and more. Some services let you subscribe directly from the TV app using Apple’s billing, while others can link your existing accounts. Regardless, by adding your streaming services to the TV app, you can enjoy a universal queue that surfaces all of your favorite movies and series.
3. Upgrade your setup with a HomePod (or two)
Apple is known for its smoothly integrated ecosystem, and this can help us to get next-level audio with the Apple TV.
If you’re unsatisfied with your TV’s built-in speakers and happen to have a HomePod or two lying around, you can set them up to wirelessly output Apple TV audio. Just go to the Settings app and select Video and Audio > Audio Output. On this page, your HomePod or HomePod stereo pair should automatically appear as an available option. Simply set it as the default audio output device.
Not only will this enhance the sound quality of content you consume, but it’ll also let you control Apple TV media using the HomePod’s touchscreen.
Mahmoud Itani / Foundry
4. Get more accurate audio and video
There are thousands of unique TVs and speakers on the market, offering various specifications and technology. Naturally, the outputted colors and audio won’t necessarily be identical across the different models. That’s why we advise you to calibrate the color balance and wireless audio sync on tvOS.
To do so, visit the Video and Audio page in the Settings app. Toward the bottom, you’ll find a Calibration section housing the Color Balance and Wireless Audio Sync options. Bring your iPhone close to your Apple TV 4K and follow the easy on-screen instructions. The first of those options helps display accurate colors when watching movies and shows, while the second one minimizes latency when relying on AirPlay or Bluetooth speakers for audio output.
5. Make the Home Screen work for you
Like iOS, tvOS has a Home Screen where you can see icons for both installed and offloaded apps. You can tap and hold on an app icon to make it jiggle, then swipe on your Siri Remote’s touch surface to relocate it. You can also place an app icon on top of another to create a new folder housing both.
If you find it hard to identify which app is selected when navigating through the dock, there’s a quick, permanent fix. Go to Settings and select Accessibility > Display. Under the Contrast section, you’ll find a Focus Style menu. Pick the High Contrast option. This will add a white border around selected apps on the Home Screen to make spotting them less challenging.
Now head back to the main Settings page and go to Users and Accounts > [your name]. Under the iCloud section, toggle One Home Screen on. This will sync your current Home Screen layout to iCloud and apply it to existing and future Apple TVs linked to your account.
Mahmoud Itani / Foundry
6. Avoid that syncing feeling
If you live with family members or flatmates, then you may want to be careful which iCloud photos and videos sync to your Apple TV.
Head to Settings and select Users and Accounts > [your name]. Under iCloud, go to Photos. There you can decide whether the Photos app on tvOS syncs your entire iCloud photo and video library, only shared albums, or nothing at all.
It’s worth noting that the Apple TV’s Photos app won’t show the Hidden album no matter what setting you opt for. If you’re concerned about a few questionable shots, you can easily hide them using your iPhone and display the rest on the big screen.
7. Enjoy Apple’s beautiful screen savers
Like macOS, tvOS offers a rich library of screen savers for when your Apple TV 4K is idle. To customize this feature, launch Settings and go to Screen Saver, then pick one of the four options.
Aerials features videos taken in various countries and from outer space. Meanwhile, the Memories & Slideshows and Portraits options let you display photos from your synced library. Lastly, Snoopy showcases custom animations of classic cartoon characters.
You can also adjust other screen saver preferences via the same Settings page.
8. Lock out intruders
It would be a real shame if someone were to take over your Apple TV 4K’s screen and cast unwanted audio or video. Fortunately, tvOS lets you set mirroring boundaries effortlessly.
Open Settings and go to AirPlay and HomeKit > Allow Access. The setting Everyone will let any nearby iOS user detect and cast content to your TV. Picking it enables you to optionally add a password to restrict malicious users nearby.
Anyone on the Same Network requires the caster’s iPhone to be connected to the same router and similarly supports password protection. Only People Sharing This Home is the safest setting, as your Apple TV will only be accessible to those you’ve added to your Home app.
Author: Mahmoud Itani, Contributor, Macworld
For a decade, Mahmoud has rigorously evaluated Apple hardware and software. His current technological arsenal features an iPhone 16 Pro Max, Apple Watch Series 9, MacBook Air M2, iPad Air M1, AirPods Pro 2, AirTag, Apple TV 4K 3, and HomePod Mini stereo pair. Outside of work, you’ll likely find him jogging at a park, swimming in open water, brainstorming at a coffeehouse, composing poetry on a rooftop, or merely lost in nature.