iOS 10 tips: Rich notifications enable tvOS text entry from iPhone's lock screen
With rich notifications in iOS 10, users can now view and interact with alerts from a variety of apps directly from the lock screen. One of the more useful implementations is the Apple TV Remote app, which lets users bypass the clunky tvOS keyboard and enter text with their iPhone.
![](https://apple.insidercdn.com/gallery/18563-17674-161006-Remote-l.jpg)
Apple TV Remote gains greater utility in iOS 10 and tvOS 10 thanks to rich notifications. Instead of relying solely on Siri Remote and the clunky tvOS keyboard interface, rich notifications let users quickly enter text directly from the iOS lock screen. Notably, the system works even while browsing tvOS with Siri Remote.
As seen in the screenshots above, tvOS sends a push notification to a connected iPhone whenever the onscreen cursor hits a text entry box. For example, navigating to the search bar in YouTube's tvOS app will trigger a push notification on iOS.
Interacting with the rich notification through a 3D Touch press on iPhone 6 and 7 series devices summons a text entry box with familiar iOS keyboard. After entering text and tapping "Go," control is returned to Siri Remote.
Rich notifications appear in the lock screen and as banners or alerts when iPhone is unlocked. As a true push notification, the interactive alerts show up even when Apple TV Remote isn't running in the background.
The feature is enabled by default and can be configured in the iOS Settings app under Notifications > Apple TV Remote Keyboard. From here, users can opt to allow notifications, show alerts in notifications center, enable sounds, activate lock screen access and select their desired alert style.
When Apple launched its fourth-generation Apple TV with Siri Remote and tvOS, many users found the set-top's hunt-and-peck style alphanumeric keyboard an ungainly solution.
Previous generation Apple TV onscreen keyboards arranged letters in an alphabetized 6-by-6 digit square, with extra rows accommodating numbers and special characters. By contrast, tvOS strings the grid into long rows, one each for letters, numbers and special characters, and text entry options. The new system is a less than ideal solution for the included touchpad-based Siri Remote.
Making the situation worse, Apple's legacy Remote app -- the text entry mode of choice -- was incompatible with fourth-generation hardware.
In August, some nine months after fourth-gen Apple TVs hit store shelves, Apple released a dedicated Apple TV Remote app for iOS. Beyond mimicking the functionality of the physical Siri Remote, Apple's Remote app once again enables text entry via the iOS QWERTY soft keyboard.
Apple TV Remote is a free download from the iOS App Store.
![](https://apple.insidercdn.com/gallery/18563-17674-161006-Remote-l.jpg)
Apple TV Remote gains greater utility in iOS 10 and tvOS 10 thanks to rich notifications. Instead of relying solely on Siri Remote and the clunky tvOS keyboard interface, rich notifications let users quickly enter text directly from the iOS lock screen. Notably, the system works even while browsing tvOS with Siri Remote.
As seen in the screenshots above, tvOS sends a push notification to a connected iPhone whenever the onscreen cursor hits a text entry box. For example, navigating to the search bar in YouTube's tvOS app will trigger a push notification on iOS.
Interacting with the rich notification through a 3D Touch press on iPhone 6 and 7 series devices summons a text entry box with familiar iOS keyboard. After entering text and tapping "Go," control is returned to Siri Remote.
Rich notifications appear in the lock screen and as banners or alerts when iPhone is unlocked. As a true push notification, the interactive alerts show up even when Apple TV Remote isn't running in the background.
The feature is enabled by default and can be configured in the iOS Settings app under Notifications > Apple TV Remote Keyboard. From here, users can opt to allow notifications, show alerts in notifications center, enable sounds, activate lock screen access and select their desired alert style.
When Apple launched its fourth-generation Apple TV with Siri Remote and tvOS, many users found the set-top's hunt-and-peck style alphanumeric keyboard an ungainly solution.
Previous generation Apple TV onscreen keyboards arranged letters in an alphabetized 6-by-6 digit square, with extra rows accommodating numbers and special characters. By contrast, tvOS strings the grid into long rows, one each for letters, numbers and special characters, and text entry options. The new system is a less than ideal solution for the included touchpad-based Siri Remote.
Making the situation worse, Apple's legacy Remote app -- the text entry mode of choice -- was incompatible with fourth-generation hardware.
In August, some nine months after fourth-gen Apple TVs hit store shelves, Apple released a dedicated Apple TV Remote app for iOS. Beyond mimicking the functionality of the physical Siri Remote, Apple's Remote app once again enables text entry via the iOS QWERTY soft keyboard.
Apple TV Remote is a free download from the iOS App Store.
Comments
The Watch version of the plain old Remote app is also infinitely better than the physical Apple Remote.
But no. Any typing at all is a clunky and terrible experience with any TV interface.
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iPhone 6s: the Apple TV Remote Keyboard option is present in Settings > Notifications even without the Apple TV Remote app installed. Once I installed the Apple TV Remote app, I confirmed the behavior described in this article. Everything is working as described. The notifications only arrive when the phone screen is on, but they are visible in the lock screen, and using ForceTouch one can use the keyboard to enter characters in the Apple TV search field without unlocking the iPhone.
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Therefore, this seems to be an iPhone 7 issue.
I know from the lock screen if you select "view" for the reminder notification it will then bring up the option to mark as complete without needing to open the reminders app. Haven't tried it with the phone unlocked.
First, you need the Apple TV remote app from the App Store. Download that and then pair it with your Apple TV. This took me several attempts to make it finally pair. I restarted my Apple TV 3 times, and deleted and re-downloaded the app twice. But they finally hooked up and I could control my Apple TV with my phone (that's pretty cool all on its own).
Go into any search field on the Apple TV. If you're in the Apple TV remote app on your phone, it should automatically take you into a text box where you can start typing and the typing will appear on the Apple TV. If you're not in the app, you'll get a push notification on your phone that the Apple TV is prompting for a text input. When I got the notification on my phone when not in the app, it loads up a dialog box that lets you type right there.
Too bad this took so many attempts to finally make work. But once I got it up and running it's really slick and will make typing a whole lot easier (although before this I was getting pretty good with Siri navigation). Hope that helps some of you.
never an issue on either as it worked perfectly from the start. 1 shot to pair and it all worked great.
Thanks you rock!