Wouldn’t it be great to walk into your living room and say something like “movie time” — and have your Apple TV switch on by itself? Siri can absolutely do this, and you get to pick the exact phrase. Here are two ways to make it happen, from the dead-simple to the fully custom.
Method 1: Use the Home app (simplest)
If your Apple TV is in the Home app, Siri already knows how to wake it:
- Add your Apple TV to the Home app. On your iPhone, open the Home app and add the Apple TV, assigning it to a room such as “Living Room”.
- Ask Siri from any of your devices. Say “Hey Siri, turn on the living room Apple TV” from your iPhone, iPad, or HomePod. The Apple TV wakes up — and if your TV supports HDMI-CEC, the television powers on too.
Method 2: Build a Shortcut with your own phrase
Want a completely custom command? A Shortcuts action can send a wake-up request to the Apple TV, and you choose what to say to trigger it:
- Find your Apple TV’s details. On the Apple TV, go to Settings, then General, then About (for the serial number) and Network (for the IP address).
- Build the wake-up shortcut. In the Shortcuts app, create a new shortcut. Add a Text action containing: http://<your-Apple-TV-IP>:3689/login?pairing-guid=<your-Apple-TV-serial-number>. Then add a URL action and a “Get Contents of URL” action so the shortcut fetches that address — this wakes the Apple TV.
- Give it your own voice phrase. Open the shortcut’s settings, name it, and use “Add to Siri” to record any phrase you want, like “movie time”.
- Say the magic words. Trigger your phrase with Siri and the shortcut runs — the Apple TV (and the TV, via HDMI-CEC) turns on.
You can also learn how to turn off all SharePlay features on iPhone and control an Apple TV with your iPhone or iPad. For official documentation, Apple’s guide to using Siri with Apple TV covers voice control, and How-To Geek’s Siri Apple TV guide walks through more voice commands.
If it still doesn’t work
Make sure your iPhone and Apple TV are on the same Wi-Fi network — both methods depend on it. Note that the wake trick only works when the Apple TV is asleep; if it’s unplugged or fully off, nothing will wake it. If “Add to Siri” fails, check that the shortcut has a name and try recording the phrase again in a quieter spot.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use any phrase I want?
Yes — with the Shortcuts method, Siri lets you record essentially any short phrase. Pick something distinctive you won’t say by accident, like “movie time” or “game night”, so Siri doesn’t trigger it during normal conversation.
Does this work with older Apple TV models?
The Home app method works with Apple TV models that support the Home app and HomeKit. The Shortcuts wake-up trick uses a network request, so it works on models that stay reachable on your network while asleep.
Conclusion
Between the Home app and a custom Shortcut, you never have to reach for the remote again. Set up your favorite phrase once, and your Apple TV will be waiting every time you walk in the door.
