Switching on the television while you are preparing a snack, not knowing where your remote control is or quickly switching off the television when you are about to leave: there are all kinds of situations in which it can be useful to operate your television hands-free with Siri. This can be done very easily in a few steps, with roughly two options: a television that works with HomeKit or using an Apple TV. We will explain both situations to you, so that you know exactly what the options are for operating your television with Siri.
Controlling your TV with Siri: what you need
To control your TV with Siri, you will need a few things:
- iPhone, iPad, or HomePod with Siri enabled
- Television that can be controlled via Siri and this can be done in two ways:
- Via a HomeKit-enabled television
- Via a connected Apple TV (Apple TV HD or later)
Please note that in both cases you are using Siri on the iPhone, iPad, HomePod or Apple Watch. Siri is not built into the TV itself, so you will always need an Apple device to turn on the TV.
With a HomeKit TV: How to control your TV with Siri
You have the most options if you have a television with HomeKit. You can then add the television to the Home app and have the television participate in a scene or automation. Another nice feature is that you can then give Siri on your Apple device the command to switch the input source on the television. You can also easily turn the TV on and off, turn the volume up or down and more. These are the commands you can give:
- “Turn on the television in the living room”
- “Set the television in the living room to HDMI 2” (or another name of your choice)
- “Turn up the volume on the TV in the living room”
- “Turn off the TV in the living room”
You can also control such functions with the Home app.
To get this working, add the TV to the Home app. In our explanation of smart TVs with HomeKit support, you can read more about this and check which brands are compatible.
With an Apple TV: turn your television on or off and more via Siri
But even if you don’t have a HomeKit TV, you can still use Siri. All you need is an Apple TV. For less than €200, you can get an Apple TV and connect it to your television, after which you can control your TV without having to touch a remote.
Works thanks to HDMI-CEC
Thanks to the technology called HDMI-CEC (or a similar name, depending on the TV manufacturer), the TV automatically turns on when you turn on the Apple TV. In this way, the correct HDMI input source is also automatically selected. When you turn on the Apple TV, your TV also turns on, immediately on the correct input source. By telling Siri on the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch or HomePod to turn on or control the Apple TV, your TV automatically turns on. This also applies the other way around: when you turn off the TV, the Apple TV also turns off.
One caveat is that it only works within the Apple TV environment. You also can’t control the volume with Siri. So you can’t use Siri to zap through your live TV channels via your provider’s box in the traditional way. Siri on your Apple device can only control what should be shown on the Apple TV.
You can even tell Siri to open a specific app on your Apple TV. For Apple TV+, it is even possible to start the latest episode of your favorite series on the television, completely hands-free via Siri. Here are the options you have to control your television with Siri when using an Apple TV:
- “Turn on the television”
- “Open Videoland on the TV in the living room”
- “Play the latest episode of Ted Lasso on the TV in the bedroom”
- “Turn off the TV in the living room”
The only thing you need to pay attention to is that you clearly mention the word “tv” or “television” in your voice command. If you have multiple Apple TVs in your home, also say the name of the room that you want the TV to control. This prevents the wrong television from being turned on.
To control your TV with Siri in this way, no further settings are required. Just make sure that your Apple TV is added to the Home app. You can check this via Settings > AirPlay & HomeKit and make sure that the correct room for the Apple TV is selected under the HomeKit heading.
Also read our other tips about Apple TV and operating your television:
- Controlling your TV with Apple TV’s Siri Remote: How it works
- Control Apple TV with your iPhone using Control Center
- Control Apple TV with your Apple Watch
- Apple TV or AirPlay 2 TV: Which Should You Choose?
