tvOS 17.2 brings a much-requested feature to the Siri button on the Apple TV Remote

(Image credit: Gerald Lynch / Future)

A welcome change in tvOS 17.2 beta 4 allows users to find their favorite shows and apps with the touch of a button.

As discovered by Sigmund Judge, tapping the Siri button on an Apple TV Remote will bring up a search bar — similar to how Apple’s Spotlight feature appears on macOS and iPadOS by pressing Command + Space together. You can still summon Siri with the same button, but you only need to press it down for a couple of seconds with this upcoming update.

Not only this, but when you type in what you’re trying to find, a new screen will appear that allows you to filter the results within Apple’s apps, such as Apple Music, iTunes Videos, and more. In Judge’s post, the new change looks much easier when searching for something, and the improved results screen will give you greater control in finding the content you’re looking for.

tvOS 17.2 also brings a sidebar to Apple TV, to help simplify the experience of browsing your apps and videos, alongside removing the Movies and TV Shows tabs.

It’s unclear when this upcoming update will be released for Apple TV, but we expect it to arrive sometime this month, similar to tvOS 16.2 when it was brought out in December 2022.

Much-requested, gladly appreciated — iMore’s take

Tapping the Siri Remote’s Siri button now invokes Search. As of tvOS 17.2 Beta 4 the new search integrates both Apple TV and Apple Music app results on the Home Screen and within first-party apps. Credit: @CiccaAndre for getting me to check whilst I was in hospital. pic.twitter.com/usOaCAUnxiDecember 1, 2023

My wife and I use Apple TV all the time, and there have been times when we’ve tried to use Siri to look for a show, and it’s failed to either understand us or bring up the right show. tvOS 17.2 looks to be an effort to further simplify how you find your movies and shows. The sidebar already feels like a huge improvement, as you’ll have easy access to your channels and apps anywhere without having to go back to the home screen.

Being able to tap the Siri button to invoke the search bar is something I’ve been hoping to see, as I prefer to type in a query rather than asking Apple’s unreliable assistant to search for me. Hopefully, tvOS 17.2 will arrive sooner than later, just so I won’t need to use Siri at all, thanks to this change.

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Daryl is iMore's Features Editor, overseeing long-form and in-depth articles and op-eds. Daryl loves using his experience as both a journalist and Apple fan to tell stories about Apple's products and its community, from the apps we use everyday to the products that have been long forgotten in the Cupertino archives.

Previously Software & Downloads Writer at TechRadar, and Deputy Editor at StealthOptional, he's also written a book, 'The Making of Tomb Raider', which tells the story of the beginnings of Lara Croft and the series' early development. He's also written for many other publications including WIRED, MacFormat, Bloody Disgusting, VGC, GamesRadar, Nintendo Life, VRV Blog, The Loop Magazine, SUPER JUMP, Gizmodo, Film Stories, TopTenReviews, Miketendo64 and Daily Star.