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New Apple TV - Methods for Searching - please help!!

Dear all,


I requested an Apple Support call this morning (with someone from the Remote and Accessories department regarding the new Apple TV which I recently purchased) and I raised four issues but unfortunately the lady I spoke to wasn't able to give an explanation for any of my four queries, even after speaking with colleagues. So I thought I'd post the four queries here in case anyone has any thoughts, suggestions or workarounds.


The four points are copied and pasted from an email I have now sent to contactus.uk@euro.apple.com, in the hope of getting some kind of feedback :


1


The new Apple TV doesn’t support any Apple Wireless Keyboard and yet it has Bluetooth and supports wireless headphones and Bluetooth controllers. I understand the Siri remote uses Bluetooth 4.0 wireless technology. However I can pair some old bluetooth headphones to the box and listen to music and yet my more recent Apple wireless keyboard is not designed to work with the unit. And yet the 3rd generation Apple TV did. Why has Apple decided to withdraw support for its own keyboard when if offers an ideal solution for quickly entering information? Or alternatively as my iMac computer is on the same network as the Apple TV it wouldn’t seem a complicated solution for my Apple computer to be able to enter text to the Apple TV via an App on the App Store?


2


The lady at Apple Support spoke with a colleague and suggested I used the Remote app on my iPhone, as that would have a good way to enter text using the onscreen keyboard. I have doubled checked on the App Store and the Remote cannot work with the 4th generation device at present. This is for a new device that has been designed over the past three years or so. I am wondering why the new Apple TV has been released without this fundamental app working? I can understand if the app needed updating slightly but as both the app and the new Apple TV are on the same wireless network (as with the previous Apple TV) then why hasn’t the app been updated by now to work with the new device?


3


So following the above I have resorted to just using the new Siri remote, which seems great in many ways. However I don’t seem to find it particularly speedy to search with.


For example I go into the Music app, select My Music and then Albums to select an album to play. It would appear, unless I’m mistaken, that the only way to go through the albums listed in A-Z order is to keep swiping down on the trackpad. If the album is towards the top of the list this is fine but if say I want an album beginning with W do I need to keep swiping down repeatedly until W comes up? It can take a very long time!


Similarly the Search field in the Music app allows the Siri remote to be used to select letter by letter from the a-z list on the screen. So I swipe right or left to the letter I want and click on it, and then move on to the next letter. For short words this is reasonably quick but seems far from ideal as a solution to quickly enter the name of a song or album you wish to search for. And the Apple TV is marketed as the future of television.


4


So I have considered using Siri to search but it would appear that, at least for the moment, it is only designed for searching movies and TV shows. Although I have read there’s plans for a universal search API to be made available to expand the number of apps that can take advantage of the feature. I wondered however why the system won’t attempt to recognise Siri commands for playing Music and instead says ‘Sorry I can’t help you with music’. The iPhone can already search for Music using Siri and the Music app there is similar in many ways to the one on the Apple TV and was released some time ago, drawing upon the same Music I have in iCloud. Interestingly Siri on the new Apple TV does work very well to search for Movies and TV shows that you can rent or buy from the iTunes Store ! :-)



Any feedback much appreciated!


Kind regards,

David Phillips

Apple TV (4th generation), tvOS 9.0.1, null

Posted on Nov 14, 2015 4:37 AM

Reply
10 replies

Nov 14, 2015 5:03 AM in response to Roger Wilmut1

Sure, fair point but the 4 issues might be affecting others and it could possibly save others time, eg. if they are trying to set up a wireless keyboard and finding it doesn't pair with the box, or indeed trying to get the Remote app to work.


Also my 3rd question is asking if the way I am searching is indeed the only option to scroll through albums in Music for example. I have only just started using the new Apple TV.


Is it not possible to scroll down a list of album entries by holding a button down on the Siri remote when using the Music app?


Dave

Nov 14, 2015 5:06 AM in response to davidphillips7

davidphillips7 wrote:


Is it not possible to scroll down a list of album entries by holding a button down on the Siri remote when using the Music app?


Dave

It would appear not, but if you have an older Apple TV's remote, or even the Front Row remote that came with iMacs some years back, you can do it with them. You can also control the ATV with a learning remote and presumably do the same thing.

Nov 14, 2015 5:17 AM in response to Roger Wilmut1

Have just tried the older Apple TV remote and for scrolling through the list of entries it is actually working better than the Siri remote because you can hold the button down - so that solution will work for me.


Unfortunately I don't have Front Row on my current iMac, it's not available on the App Store and appears to have been discontinued 3 years ago, according to an article on MacWorld online.

Nov 14, 2015 2:19 PM in response to davidphillips7

There are 10-20 posts every single day about the remote/keyboard issue since the ATV4 was released. I think I have seen 3 already today and it's only 8:30am! Like the rest of us users in this community all you can do is hope for an update to the Siri remote software or an update/rerelease to the remote app/keyboards.


The Siri remote or the old ATV remotes are our only options with the onscreen text entry...


or send feedback to Apple directly - http://www.apple.com/feedback/

Nov 14, 2015 2:20 PM in response to davidphillips7

davidphillips7 wrote:


Have just tried the older Apple TV remote and for scrolling through the list of entries it is actually working better than the Siri remote because you can hold the button down - so that solution will work for me.


Unfortunately I don't have Front Row on my current iMac, it's not available on the App Store and appears to have been discontinued 3 years ago, according to an article on MacWorld online.

As you say, Front Row hasn't been available for some years - I did say 'some years back' - the remote is about the same as the previous ATV one, without the 'Home' button (which you can live without) but as you have an ATV3 remote you aren't missing anything.

Nov 29, 2015 6:15 PM in response to davidphillips7

Does anyone know if the Siri remote works with a apple tv 3rd generation. I cannot really afford to buy a brand new one especially not knowing if I would like it or not. So I would like to buy a cheaper apple tv 3rd generation however my husband wont buy one unless it has siri. So were looking to compromise by buying a 3rd generation used then buying a siri remote instead of original remote. To use siri as well as use the remote. Please let me know BEFORE cyber Monday!

Nov 29, 2015 7:24 PM in response to davidphillips7

Well you can find cheaper atv3's used. And if the siri remote would save money if I got the atv3 for say 44 and then bought the remote for 70. that's 114 total kinda of a waste unless like I do you have 114 not 160+ to buy one. Just looking at options to make it work. I will either wait until I have a little bit more money or just give up the apple tv. I wanted to buy it for my husband for xmas and I figured cyber Monday would be the best day which was wrong I should have fought people on Thursday... too late so oh well. Thanks for your responses.

New Apple TV - Methods for Searching - please help!!

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