Upgrade your Apple TV with the new Siri Remote

There is a way to upgrade your Apple TV without buying a new Apple TV and that is to grab one of the new Siri Remotes for Apple TV.   This new remote is better looking and way more functional that the older remote.  How many times have your picked up the remote and tried to scroll using the touchpad only to discover that you were holding the remote upside down?  That's because the top and bottom of the remote are about the same size and shape.

The new Siri Remote’s body is thicker, a little longer and heavier, and is made of silver aluminum. The touchpad at the top has been replaced by a click wheel in the style of the classic iPod, and the center button inside the wheel is still a clickable touchpad.  Apple added some buttons that are very useful.  There is a small power button on the top that will not only turn off your Apple TV but for my set-up it also turns off the TV and the Sonos speakers. If you're having issues with the remote not controlling all the devices connected to your TV, then double-check you have the setting enabled by going to Settings > Remotes and Devices and scrolling down to the Home Theater Control section. Turn on Control TVs and Receivers and set Volume Control to Auto.

A second mute button was also added to quickly silence the TV if you get a call or something.  The old Menu button has become a back arrow which is basically what the Menu button did and the Siri voice control button is now on the side of the remote similar to the iPhone 12.

The remote does have an accelerometer but it is only for activating the Apple TV interface after it dims.  The new remote does not have a  gyroscope though so now more tennis or bowling with the remote (which my dogs just didn't understand why I was wildly gesturing with the old remote) . Apple says to use a Bluetooth game controller like the Steel Nimbus instead.

The updated remote does not have a giant touchpad area like the original, but the iPod classic-like  clickpad is touch-sensitive. You can press in on the middle circle of the clickpad to do things like open an app or toggle play/pause while watching a show. The outer ring of the clickpad can be pressed to more precisely navigate lists, or if you need to skip ahead or rewind in 10-second increments.  You CAN swipe across the entire pad to navigate but you will need to press the interior of the pad to select an item.

The clicked also makes fast forwarding or rewinding much easier.  Rather than trying to slide your finger on the old trackpad you simply pause whatever you are watching and use your thumb on the clickpad wheel to go forward or back.  You can also adjust the touch sensitivity or turn it off completely in the remotes and devices settings section of your Apple TV.

The remote charges with the same lightning cable you use for many of your devices and the one thing I would have liked to see added was a "find my" feature and I do not intend to clip an AirTag to my remote!  All in all, I think the new Siri Remote is a fantastic upgrade for your Apple TV if you have a 2015 or 2017 version of the Apple TV.