Following the launch of the iPhone 16 series and the 10th generation Apple Watch Series 10, Apple has recently released iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and WatchOS 11. The new versions bring a host of new health and fitness features, along with a number of additions that can make users' TV time a lot more enjoyable.
The Apple Watch can now act as a TV remote with the Remote app on both watchOS and iOS, allowing users to control their Apple TV 4K right from their smartwatch or iPhone. While the Apple Watch has featured this feature for quite some time, watchOS 11 takes it to the next level by turning it into a full-fledged TV remote.
Previously, the Apple Watch Remote app only offered fairly limited basic features like playing or pausing videos, going back to menus, swiping through the tvOS interface, and tapping to select content.
With watchOS 11, the Remote app is getting a major upgrade to match the capabilities of the physical Siri Remote. It still handles all the basic tasks, but now users can use the Digital Crown to adjust the volume, an update that early testers have been very happy about.
Additionally, users can also press and hold the Digital Crown to summon Siri on their Apple TV. And if they want to stop the audio, users can now just tap the three-dot menu to mute or unmute the audio, in addition to changing the caption and even turning the Apple TV on or off.
If you've never paired your Apple Watch with your Apple TV before, you'll need to connect both devices first. Your Apple Watch and AppleTV must be on the same Wi-Fi network, then just follow these steps:
Open the Remote app on your Apple Watch.
Tap Apple TV, if you don't see AppleTV, tap the Plus/Add button.
Enter the passcode that appears on your Apple Watch. A pairing icon appears on your Apple Watch screen to indicate that it is ready to control your Apple TV.
To use watchOS 11, you need an iPhone XS or later that has been updated to iOS 18. The update is compatible with Apple Watch SE 2, Apple Watch Series 6 or later, and both generations of Apple Watch Ultra.
