Apple has launched the Apple TV’s companion iPhone remote app. The remote app is a full-fledged replacement for the remote that came with every black Apple TV, or generations two, three, and four. The app is available to download from the App Store now.
Merits of the new Remote app
Last December, the Cupertino-based company teased a new Apple TV Remote app when SVP Eddy Cue said the company was hoping to ship the app “in the first half” of 2016. The tech giant did not quite make the deadline but released the app in beta at WWDC.
Apple’s Remote app allows users to control their Apple TV with touch gestures. In addition, users can enter passwords, email addresses or other text. They can pause, play, rewind or fast-forward songs or videos that are playing with the help of the iPhone’s keyboard.
Owners of the latest-generation Apple TV can ask Siri to find something to watch. However, users cannot use regular Siri to monitor their Apple TV. Just like on the remote, voice control can only be used by pressing and holding the microphone within the app itself.
There is one more thing that user cannot do with it, which is watch content from their Apple TV on their iPhone. However, this should not be a big deal as every app with content on the Apple TV is available in app form on the iPhone as well.
What the new Apple TV Remote app lacks
“Apple TV Remote is a great companion to Apple TV, delivering the best of the Siri Remote. With Apple TV Remote, you’ll never need to put down your iPhone to enjoy Apple TV. Control Apple TV with a swipe of your finger or use the keyboard to quickly enter text. And you can use the app along with the Siri Remote,” the company says to describe the new app.
The Remote app can replace the previous app that had limited support for some of the new features on the fourth-gen TV. Unfortunately, even the new TV Remote app is missing a few features in the initial version.
For instance, the app is not available as an iPad-optimized app, and users will not find the same Home Sharing features that let them control iTunes on a Mac. The original Remote app is still available to download, and it works with the iPad, but the original app was never updated to display properly on the 12.9-inch iPad Pro.
