Control your Apple TV with Apple’s Remote App from any iOS Devices
Apple iOS has developed the Apple Remote App, by which you can control your Apple TV without the help of any remote. Since the remote of Apple TV is so small and easily get lost due to such reduced size. This app comes in handy in most of the cases. With the help of thus app we can use our iPhone or iPad or iPod Touch as a remote to control your TV. This app also helps those people who find it difficult to use the very tiny Apple TV remote. This one also helps those people who find it difficult to search for various options in the remote.
Remote app uses the touchscreen of your smartphone and an onscreen keyboard to conveniently enter data. This one is not an absolute alternative for remote. Still it is a convenient option that allows you to control your TV by sitting comfortably on your couch with a Bluetooth keyboard. This app will definitely if you ever happened to misplace your Apple TV remote. This could conveniently operate your Apple TV and will save you from purchasing another remote.
Enable ‘Home Sharing’ Option
Before you begin to use Remote App, you have to enable the ‘Home Sharing’ option on your Apple TV. For that you have to go to ‘Settings’ given on the main Menu. By clicking on Settings you may be able to see a window and on scrolling down you will be able to see ‘Computers’ option. On clicking on it you will be taken to another window in which you will see ‘Turn On Home Sharing’ option, which you have to select.
The option ‘Home Sharing Setup’ option will ask for whether you would like to turn on ‘Home Sharing’ for your TV or not. You may have to create a new Apple ID for this purpose or you can the existing one. Once you enable Home Sharing option, you are able to see a verification dialogue box verifying your account from which you have entered. By completing all these steps you can finally control your Apple TV with the help of your iOS device such as iPhone or iPad or iPod Touch.
How to use the Remote App
After enabling the Home Sharing Option, the next thing that you must pay attention to is the Remote App. The very first moment you open the remote app in your iOS device, you will be able to see a dialogue box asking you to ‘Set Up Home Sharing.’ For this you have to insert the same Apple ID that you have used in Apple TV. With the help of Remote set up, now you are all set to use it with other Home Sharing facilitated Apple TV and computers. When you open the above said app, you will be given an option of Home Sharing devices to which you can establish connection.
Certain options available in Remote App
You can turn off or on the Home Sharing, by selecting the ‘Settings’ option which can be found in the upper right corner. You can also find the option ‘Add an iTunes Library’ from the same. Interacting with Apple TV and opening gesture interface that allows navigation can be enabled by taping on ‘Full Screen Button.’ The button next to Full Screen Button is ‘Keyboard Button’, with the help of which you can Hide and Reopen keyboard.
The advantage of using Remote App is that account creation and searching commences the onscreen and touch keyboard options in whatever iOS device that you are using. Also we can use the option of ‘Text Entry’ to open HBO NOW app. This will eventually open up touch keyboard option in your iOS device.
Users who use the app for the first time need not worry thinking about how to use Remote App in your iOS device. You are provided with ‘Help’ option for you aid. Whenever you confront with any problems regarding any options or dialogue box, you are requested to go to ‘Help’ option where you can find the solution. This is so designed to aid the users of Remote App and users can understand it very easily.
At the lower side of the screen you can see a ‘Menu’ button from where you can get to certain other options. You can also see ‘Play or Pause’ controls. This will help you to play back music. If you want to fast forward or rewind you have to drag it and if you want to move between tracks then you have flick left or right. The video playback also works in almost the similar manner. The difference is that here you have to swipe left or right to move between tracks and drag and hold to fast forward and rewind. Also if you want to see chapter markers then you have to flick down and left or right flick will help you to skip chapters.
With the help of Remote App you are able to control playback on your MacBook or in Apple TV by enabling Home Sharing option. But this is quite different from using Home Sharing to select iTunes from your iOS gadgets. In most cases you will be playing whatever in your iOS device but while using Remote App, you will be playing whatever available on the source.
Even though with certain limitations you can definitely rely on Remote App in your iOS devices. For those who are fed up with using tiny Apple TV Remotes, this one proves to be a perfect alternative. Also as mentioned earlier this could come in handy when you lost your actual remote and you want to control your TV. The only thing that you must care is to enable the option of ‘Home Sharing.’ With this you can explore a wide variety of options of controlling your TV with an iOS device in your hand.
