Using Siri with Your Apple TV Remote
Siri has become a cultural icon. Apple’s virtual assistant is incredibly useful on our iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches, and Macs, but it’s also a wonderful companion for your Apple TV. As a matter of fact, Siri is such an integral part of the Apple TV experience that its remote control is called Siri Remote. You can speak a command to Siri and it will perform the action you request, without having to poke around in all your apps to find a show, movie, or game.
Siri is available for Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD models and supports several languages.
To use Siri with your Apple TV, hold down the Siri button (microphone icon) on the Siri Remote, speak a command, release the Siri button, and then sit back and relax while Siri does the work. Here are a just a few examples of tasks you can ask of Siri on Apple TV:
- Search for shows or movies by title: “Ted Lasso” or “I’d like to watch The Lord of the Rings.”
- Look for shows or movie by genre: “Find sci-fi movies” or “Shows for young children.”
- Find shows or movies by cast or director name: “Steven Spielberg movies” or “Find something with Denzel Washington.”
- Control playback of shows and movies you’re watching: “Pause” or “Skip ahead 10 minutes.”
- Search for shows and movies by the host app: “Find The Crown on Netflix” or “DudePerfect on YouTube.”
- Find your Apple devices: “Where’s my iPad?” or “Play a sound on my Apple Watch.”
- Check your favorite sports scores: “How badly is Auburn beating Alabama?” or “What are the latest March Madness scores?”
- Look for live television: “Show my CBS live” or “Watch live basketball on Hulu.”
- Discover apps: “Find the Paramount+ app” or “Which weather apps are available?”
And much more! Check out this page on Apple’s Support site for more information, including troubleshooting information in case Siri isn’t behaving as expected.
The Best Browsers for iCloud.com
Most of the services available with your Apple One subscription can be accessed via iCloud.com in your favorite web browser, regardless of the operating system or device you use. However, all web browsers aren’t created equal. Some are built for speed, others focus on security, and many others try to cater to specific uses or platforms. In general, the default web browser that came with your computer or device may suffice for you, but it’s always a good idea to try new things, even when it comes to the tools you use to browse the web. You may surprise yourself and find that one browser just suits you more than another, or security features in some browsers may supersede your need for speed.
Here’s a list (in alphabetical order) of what I consider to be some of the best browsers around, including the platforms they’re available for:
- Brave: If you don’t like ads on your websites—and I mean you really don’t like ads—Brave is the browser for you. By default, Brave blocks intrusive ads and pop-ups from ruining your browsing experience and even speeds it up. There can be tradeoffs, though, as some sites just don’t work right without ads (by design). Brave is available for Mac, Windows, iOS, iPadOS, Android, and Linux.
- Google Chrome: Chrome is the most popular browser on the market today. Powerful and speedy, Chrome works with all major operating systems: Mac, Windows, iOS, iPadOS, Android, and Linux.
- Microsoft Edge: Edge is Microsoft’s replacement for Internet Explorer. You may be surprised to find out that it works for not only Windows but also Mac, iOS, iPadOS, Android, and Linux. If you’re looking for a very Chrome-like experience without being tied so much to Google, Edge might be for you.
- Mozilla Firefox: Firefox is a powerful and user-friendly browser, but it’s biggest claim to fame may be that it’s the “anti-Chrome” (some folks just do not like letting Google into every facet of their browsing lives). Get Firefox for Mac, Windows, iOS, iPadOS, Android, and Linux.
- Opera: Opera has been around a long time and has a small but fiercely loyal base. It’s always been known for its strong feature set and customization options. You can get Opera for Mac, Windows, Android, and Linux. Opera also makes a version of its browser for iOS and iPadOS called Opera Touch that’s light and fast, and includes a built-in ad-blocker to boot.
- Safari: Safari is the second-most popular browser in the world as of this writing and is beautifully made for speed and power. Its major drawback for some is that it’s available only for Apple users. If you don’t have an Apple product, you can’t use Safari.
- Vivaldi: Vivaldi is an up-and-comer known for its awesome customization features. You can truly configure Vivaldi to work exactly as you want it to, down to the nth degree. Vivaldi is available for Mac, Windows, Android, and Linux but doesn’t currently support iOS or iPadOS.
Note to Internet Explorer users: You may have noticed that I didn’t mention Internet Explorer in my list. That’s because, frankly, compared to those I did list, it’s a subpar browser. It’s also been replaced by Microsoft Edge in the newest versions of Windows.