Apple Finally Lets You Talk to Your TV Without a Remote, but There’s Something About Those Microphones Worth Knowing First

Apple’s new Apple TV 4K can finally hear you from across the room, even during a movie. For the first time, the streaming box has built-in microphones that let you talk to Siri without picking up the remote.

The fourth-generation Apple TV 4K, announced October 13, includes three far-field microphones that respond to either “Siri” or “Hey Siri.”

Apple says advanced echo cancellation helps the device distinguish your voice from the sound coming through your television.

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Siri can hear you while you’re watching TV

The microphones let you control playback, search for movies, or adjust compatible smart home accessories without reaching for the Siri Remote.

For example, you can ask Siri to dim the living room lights while watching a movie or change the thermostat without opening the Home app.

The new Apple TV also supports conversational Siri AI, allowing you to ask questions about what you’re watching and follow up naturally.

If you want to know where a scene was filmed or who plays a particular character, Siri can display an answer in a small overlay without stopping the video.

Apple has also added privacy protections to the A19 chip. Its Secure Exclaves isolate microphone data from the rest of the system, preventing tvOS and third-party apps from accessing information processed inside those protected environments, according to the company.

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Hands-free Siri won’t work in every language

There’s one important restriction: far-field Siri only works with nine primary tvOS languages at launch.

Those languages are English, Mandarin Chinese, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Hebrew, Norwegian, and Swedish.

If your Apple TV uses another primary language, you’ll still need to activate Siri using the remote.

Placement could also affect how well the microphones work. An Apple TV tucked inside a closed entertainment cabinet or hidden behind a television may struggle to pick up voice commands as well as one placed in the open.

The fourth-generation Apple TV 4K is available for preorder at $299, with deliveries beginning November 13.