
The rumours of an upgrade for Apple TV have been swirling around for at least two years now. We thought the Worldwide Developers Conference hosted by Apple earlier in the year would set the scene for a fourth-generation Apple TV. Any hopes we had were dashed when Apple declared it wasn’t quite ready for a new unveiling. So until that time arrives we remain content with Apple’s current offering.
Over time Apple has continued to offer new content and as users we can add our own. So the number of channels and icons to scroll through continue to grow.
We will take a look at three ways you can customise Apple TV to ensure your content is organised in a way that suits you.
Customise Apple TV: main menu.
All Apple TV channels appear on the main menu, this includes when any new channels are added. You are in control though of what channel can be seen.
To hide a channel that you don’t watch from you main menu:
- Go into the settings app on the second row below iTunes and shared computer channels.
- Select main menu.
- Select “Hide” for any channel that you don’t want showing. This is done by selecting the appropriate channel and clicking the centre select button on your Apple TV remote. Channels that are visible will be listed as “Show,” while channels that are invisible are shown as “Hide.” You can change a channels status at any time.
Customise Apple TV: rearrange icons.
If you want certain icons to appear at the top of your Apple TV’s menu you can rearrange the order in which they appear. You can rearrange all icons apart for the top row of the menu which remains static.
To change where an icon appears in the menu:
- Select the icon you want to move.
- Press and hold “Select” on the remote (the icon will start to jiggle just as it does on iOS)
- Use the remote to move the icon to where you would like it.
- Press select to finish.
Customise Apple TV: set a password to access a channel.
You can customise Apple TV to restrict what channels can be watched. For example parents may want to control what their kids have access to.
To do this:
- Access the Apple TV “Settings” menu.
- Select “Restrictions.”
- Choose “Turn on restrictions.”
- Enter and confirm a four-digit password
- Scroll down the list of channels where you will have three options: Show, Hide and Ask. Select “Ask” to keep the channel in your main menu but to prompt for a password every time someone wants to access it.