This little-known hack solves my biggest problem with Apple TV

If I have any problem with Apple TV, it’s that there isn’t a dedicated Home button on the remote.

If you want to return to the Home screen, you need to press the Back button repeatedly (or hold it) or double-tap the TV/Control Center button. But none of them are perfect – one tap in the wrong place and you’re triggering a screen saver or the Apple TV app.

It wasn’t always like this. Before September 2019, a single tap on the TV/Control Center button took you back to the home screen. But a software update – specifically tvOS 13.0 – changed everything.

Photo: Tucker Bowe for Gear Patrol

The main reason for my frustration is that I’m not the biggest fan of the Apple TV app. I subscribe to virtually every streaming service, and not all of them work with the Apple TV app — the biggest omission is Netflix — so I can’t find all of my content there.

Basically, I find it much easier to navigate all my streaming apps from the home screen. And I definitely prefer having a dedicated button to get there.

The good news is that anyone who owns an Apple TV can restore a dedicated Home button to their remote. Just change a simple setting.