You can use your iPhone to make your Apple TV look even better – here’s how

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Last month, Apple unveiled a whole bunch of hardware at its spring event, with everything from new iPad Pro models to the AirTags everyone has been waiting for. One of the coolest things that were announced was the release of an updated Apple TV 4K that has a Siri-enabled remote.

No, it’s not the remote, which still doesn’t have an inbuilt AirTag so you won’t lose it. It’s a new feature, the ability to use your iPhone to color balance your TV so you always have the best picture for binge-watching all of that content you get on your Apple TV.

Normally, this kind of calibration requires specialized equipment and a fairly long testing time, but Apple has figured out how to do it in seconds, using a device you probably already have in your pocket. Isn’t that great?

You don’t even need to wait for the new Apple TV 4K to arrive, as the feature came to the older Apple TV HD when tvOS 14.5 was released. We’ll show you how to use it.

Here’s how you can color correct your Apple TV‘s picture using your iPhone

Head on to the Settings app on your Apple TV

Then head to Video & Audio, and scroll down

You’ll see Color Balance down in the Calibration section. Select it

If the option is grayed out, you’re probably using Dolby Vision. If you want to calibrate your Apple TV, find Dolby Vision in your TV’s settings then turn it off.

Unlock your iPhone and bring it close to your Apple TV. You’ll see a notification asking if you want to color-calibrate your television, tap Continue then follow the rest of the instructions as they appear

Turn your iPhone around so the Face ID camera is pointing at the TV screen, center it within the frame that you’ll see on the screen, and hold your iPhone in that spot until the progress bar fills up.

If you’re holding it correctly, you’ll only have to wait a few seconds while the camera takes enough measurements to do the calibration

Select View Results to see the difference between the Color Balanced and Original versions.

Even if your TV has Dolby Vision, you might find you prefer the calibrated version. After all, using an external device to calibrate any screen usually gives the best results.

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

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Joe Rice-Jones

Maker, meme-r, and unabashed geek with nearly half a decade of blogging experience at KnowTechie, SlashGear and XDA Developers. If it runs on electricity (or even if it doesn't), Joe probably has one around his office somewhere, with particular focus in gadgetry and handheld gaming. Shoot him an email at joe@knowtechie.com.