Let’s face it: the modern streaming landscape is a bit of a mess. You have a show you love on Hulu, a movie you’ve been dying to see on Disney+, a documentary on Amazon Prime, and that new sci-fi series everyone is talking about on Apple TV+. Jumping between five different apps just to figure out what to watch on a Friday night is enough to make anyone just switch back to cable.
Enter the Apple TV App. If you are like many Apple users, you might think this app is just the home for Ted Lasso and The Morning Show. But it is actually designed to be much more than that. It is a powerful aggregation hub intended to bring (almost) all your streaming services under one roof.
Whether you are using it on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, or the actual Apple TV hardware box, the app functions largely the same. By tweaking a few settings and learning a few hidden gestures, you can turn this app into the ultimate command center for your entertainment life. Here is how to master the Apple TV app and stop the endless scrolling.
1. Master the "Up Next" Queue (Your Universal Watchlist)
The "Up Next" row is the heartbeat of the Apple TV app. Think of it as a universal bookmark system. Instead of having a watchlist on HBO and a separate watchlist on Disney+, you can centralize everything here. When you stop watching a movie halfway through on one service, it appears right at the front of your Up Next queue, ready to resume with a single tap.
However, the queue can get cluttered if you aren't careful. Here is how to curate it so it actually works for you:
- Long-Press is Your Friend: On your iPhone or iPad (or by holding the clickpad on the Apple TV remote), long-press on any show artwork. A menu will pop up allowing you to "Remove from Up Next." Do this for shows you tried but hated so they don't haunt your queue forever.
- Adding Content Manually: You don’t have to start watching something for it to appear in the queue. When you search for a movie or browse recommendations, tap the "+" button or select "Add to Up Next." This is great for building a weekend playlist during your lunch break.
- Marking as Watched: Sometimes the sync isn't perfect. If you finished a season but the app thinks you have one episode left, long-press the show and select "Mark as Watched" to clear it out.
Pro Tip: The Up Next queue syncs across all your devices signed in to your iCloud account. You can start a movie on your living room Apple TV, pause it, and pick it up exactly where you left off on your iPad while lying in bed.
2. Connect Your Other Streaming Apps
The Apple TV app doesn't just play Apple content; it acts as a portal to your other subscriptions. When you first launch the app, or when you download a new streaming app (like Peacock or Paramount+), you will usually be asked if you want to connect it to the Apple TV app.
Always say Yes.
When you connect these apps, their content becomes searchable within the Apple interface. More importantly, their shows appear in your "Up Next" queue. You no longer have to remember which service streams The Handmaid’s Tale; you just tap the artwork in the Apple app, and it automatically launches Hulu and starts the video.
To manage which apps are connected:
- On iPhone/iPad: Go to Settings > TV > Scroll down to "Connect to TV" to toggle apps on or off.
- On Apple TV Hardware: Go to Settings > Apps > TV App to manage connections.
Important Note: The elephant in the room is Netflix. As of right now, Netflix refuses to integrate with the Apple TV app’s "Up Next" feature. You will still have to launch the Netflix app separately to track your progress on their shows. Almost every other major streamer, however, plays nice with Apple.
3. The Secret Benefits of "Apple TV Channels"
There is a distinct difference between connecting an app (like we discussed above) and subscribing to an Apple TV Channel. While connecting an app simply links you to that third-party app, subscribing to a "Channel" within Apple TV processes the billing and video playback entirely through Apple's infrastructure.
Why should you care? If you subscribe to Starz, AMC+, or Paramount+ directly through the Apple TV Channels interface rather than their standalone apps, you gain significant advantages:
- Higher Bitrate Quality: Apple’s streaming infrastructure often provides higher video and audio bitrate than the standalone apps of smaller streaming services. The picture looks crisper and buffers less.
- Offline Downloads: It is much easier to download content for offline viewing (like for a flight) through the Apple TV app than navigating the download restrictions of various third-party apps.
- Family Sharing: This is the big one. If you use iCloud Family Sharing, subscriptions to Apple TV Channels are automatically shared with your family members. They can watch on their own devices with their own Apple IDs, without needing to share passwords.
To see what channels are available, scroll down to the "Channels" section on the "Watch Now" tab. If you already subscribe to these services separately, it might be worth canceling and resubscribing through Apple for the improved interface alone.
4. Use Siri to Cut Through the Noise
If you are using the Apple TV app on an iPhone or the Apple TV hardware, Siri is surprisingly effective at finding content. Because the app indexes content from Disney+, Hulu, HBO Max, and others, you don't need to specify where you want to watch something.
Try these commands to speed up your navigation:
- "Show me 80s action movies." Siri will aggregate a list from all your connected services, showing you what is free to watch and what requires a rental.
- "Find movies with Tom Hanks." This creates a curated filmography instantly.
- "What should I watch?" If you are completely stuck, this command brings up a curated selection based on your viewing history.
If you are using the Apple TV hardware remote, there is one specific trick that feels like magic. If you are watching a movie and the actors are mumbling (or the sound effects are too loud), hold the microphone button and ask:
"What did he say?"
The system will automatically rewind the video 10 seconds, temporarily turn on subtitles so you can read the dialogue, and then turn the subtitles back off once you are caught up. It works on Apple TV+ content and many connected partners.
5. Managing Your Library and Purchases
Long before streaming took over, many of us built up digital collections of movies bought through iTunes. Those purchases haven't disappeared; they live in the "Library" tab of the Apple TV app.
Apple has quietly added a massive perk for long-time users here: The 4K Upgrade.
If you bought a movie on iTunes 10 years ago in HD, and the studio releases a 4K HDR or Dolby Atmos version today, Apple automatically upgrades your copy for free. You don't need to do anything. To see your high-quality collection:
- Go to the Library tab.
- Select Movies.
- Look for the 4K HDR filter option (on supported devices).
This section also supports Family Sharing. If your spouse bought a movie on their account five years ago, you can watch it on your device by going to Library > Family Sharing > [Name]’s Purchases. It effectively doubles your library size instantly without spending a dime.
Safety Tip: If you have kids, you can restrict content ratings in the Screen Time settings on your device. This applies to the Apple TV app, ensuring that your "Up Next" recommendations don't accidentally serve up a horror movie to your 6-year-old.
The Apple TV app is designed to be the glue that holds your digital entertainment together. By taking ten minutes to clean up your Up Next queue, connect your third-party subscriptions, and learn the navigation tricks, you can spend less time searching and more time actually watching.