6 Useful Accessories for Your Apple TV 4K

There are a lot of smart TV boxes out there, from the Roku to the Amazon Fire Stick, and modern TVs have come with so many streaming services that the need for an external gadget seems almost non-existent. However, there is one smart TV box that really stands out from the rest, and that’s the Apple TV 4K. Not only does it give you access to all your favorite streaming services, it also connects you to all the media stored on your Apple account — whether that’s movies, music, or photos, along with games, guided workouts, and more. Oh, and it can support 4K quality with Dolby Vision, HDR, and Dolby Atmos.

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Many Apple TV users only have one thing in common: the included remote control. That makes sense, but there are tons of other accessories that can enhance your Apple TV experience, and it’s not just electronics. In this list, we’ve outlined six different accessories available for your Apple TV 4K that you might want to buy. We’ve chosen them based on real-world user experiences and reviews from various publications.

If you already have an Apple TV 4K, chances are you’ve invested in Apple’s ecosystem with iPhones and MacBooks. If you’re one of those people, you might already have a pair of AirPods Max. Watching TV with Bluetooth headphones can be a challenge, as they tend to have latency issues when paired directly with the TV (which is why most of the best wireless headphones for TV audio are RF headphones). However, Bluetooth works well when paired with the Apple TV, which reduces latency issues, and one of the best Bluetooth headphones on the market is the AirPods Max.

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The first major selling point for these headphones is pretty obvious — they have active noise cancellation, and the ability to shut out the world no matter what you’re watching can make the experience even better. Another advantage is that they can handle Dolby Atmos-enabled media, providing about as dynamic a listening experience as you can get with headphones. The AirPods Max are a pretty penny, at $549, but the quality you get while staying within the Apple ecosystem makes that price worth it. Of course, you don’t have to spend a fortune on a new pair — any AirPods model, like the upcoming AirPods 4, can pair with the Apple TV 4K. Honestly, any Bluetooth headphones you own should be able to pair with the device.

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One of the lesser-used features of the Apple TV is the ability to play games. Since you have access to the Apple App Store, you have thousands of options at your disposal, both paid and free. The reason this is such an overlooked feature is that most people just have the standard Apple TV remote, which isn’t really compatible with games unless the mechanics are incredibly simple. It turns out you can use other devices in its place. Thanks to Bluetooth, you can pair the PlayStation DualSense wireless controller with the Apple TV 4K for the ultimate gaming experience.

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Like the Apple AirPods Max, you can already have one of these controllers if you own a PlayStation, which means you can extend your Apple TV 4K experience at no extra cost. If you don’t own a PlayStation, you can pick up one of these gamepads for $74.99 at its most basic. This isn’t the only game controller that can pair with the Apple TV 4K, and when it comes to price, it’s on the higher end. But if you’re looking to jump into the world of PlayStation or even play a controller-supported game on the App Store or Arcade, this is one of the best out there.

TV setups vary greatly from person to person. Some people like a large entertainment center with designated spots for each device connected to the TV. Some simply place the TV on any table or dresser that fits it. Others mount their TVs on the wall and prefer a clean look without any unnecessary wires coming out of it. When you’re connecting something like the Apple TV 4K, you have to deal with HDMI and power cables that can break the illusion of the TV floating on the wall. You need to hide the Apple TV behind the TV, but you don’t want to just tape it to the back. It could fall off or possibly overheat. That’s where a company like TotalMount comes into play with its Pro Apple TV Installation System.

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These mounts attach to the back of your TV, allowing you to easily slide your Apple TV 4K into a perfectly fitting slot. They attach with simple adhesives, and this model is also designed to manage the device’s heat while providing enough airflow to keep it working properly. Because of the shape of the Apple TV, you can mount it in any direction for the best access to your TV’s HDMI ports. Apple sells the TotalMount on its site for $39.95, and it also comes with a mount for the remote control.

The Apple TV 4K isn’t the only thing you can mount to your TV — you can also mount your iPhone. Of course, that’s a much more specialized circumstance. But in some situations, you can use the Belkin iPhone Mount to interact with your Apple TV in ways you might not have realized.

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Why would you want to do this? The main reason has to do with video calls. Whether you’re using Apple’s FaceTime or a video conferencing platform like Zoom, you can place your iPhone on your TV and use it as a webcam while the people you’re talking to stream to the screen. This is most useful in a business setting, where you want multiple people in the same office to be in the same frame of the camera, rather than each person being isolated in their own space. But it can also come in handy at home, for example, when your family is checking in with another family member who couldn’t make it to a meeting. You might also have trouble seeing your iPhone’s smaller screen and want to talk to someone on a big TV. Whatever your reason, you can pick up a Belkin iPhone mount for $49.99.

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If you travel a lot, you’ve undoubtedly encountered the perils of arriving at a hotel or homestay and realizing that your TV options are either severely limited or nonexistent. The channel selection may be severely limited, or you may have to log into your streaming account on a device that isn’t yours, potentially exposing your password on a public computer. These circumstances can be completely eliminated if you simply bring your Apple TV 4K with you and plug it into any TV you come across on your trip. The problem is that in this scenario, there’s a lot to carry around — you’ve got the Apple TV itself, as well as the remote, HDMI cable, and power cord. That can get a bit unwieldy if not packed properly. Luckily, one company has a solution: the RLSOCO Hard Case for Apple TV 4K.

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Selling for just $18.99, this is a specially designed case that has one side designed to securely hold your Apple TV and remote in place, while the other side keeps the two cables in a mesh. It’s very simple, but effective. Plus, it’s a hard case that provides your device with extra protection if you’re dealing with particularly rough travel conditions, like turbulence or even a stuffed suitcase. With an overall 4.7-star customer rating on Amazon, this RLSOCO case is a great way to significantly improve your TV viewing experience on the go.

The Apple TV remote is incredibly simple and easy to use. Whether it’s the older model with a larger touchpad or the current one with directional buttons, it’s amazing what you can do with such a small device. However, if there’s one problem with the Apple TV remote, it’s its size. Because it’s so narrow and thin, it can easily slip out of your hands and end up in places you’d never want it to be. You may also not feel like you’re holding the thin remote tightly — it feels like it could break if you hold it too tightly or crack if you drop it. Much like with the iPhone, you can buy cases for the Apple TV 4K remote, and one of the best is the R1 Intelli case from Elago.

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This case is made of thick silicone that provides the best possible grip for your remote. If you’re worried that this case will block the Siri button on the side that lets you control your Apple TV 4K with your voice, don’t worry — it has a perfectly cut opening so you can access it. Elago sells the R1 Intelli case for just $12.99 on its website, but you can get it even cheaper on Amazon for $9.99, where it has an overall average customer rating of 4.7 stars based on over 5,500 reviews.

There are many other accessories available for your Apple TV 4K, especially from brands that offer similar products. For example, several companies make cases for the Siri Remote and compatible game controllers. To narrow down the selection to these six accessories, we considered a few different factors.

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The first was personal experience. As an Apple TV 4K owner who uses it daily, I’ve used my AirPods and PlayStation DualSense controller a lot with great results. In addition, reviews from publications like Make Use Of helped expand this list. Finally, we looked at customer reviews on sites like Amazon, since they represent the opinions of people who actually use these accessories regularly, not just for the trial period required to write a published review. By combining all three of these factors, we were able to create some semblance of consensus and narrow down the candidates for our list.