Beta: Siri Shortcuts

[maddox]

Siri Shortcuts are here. You can now create actions in your own shortcuts for:

• Show Section - open Channels to a specific section.
• Watch Channel - open Channels and immediately play a channel.
• Watch Show - open Channels to a specific Show and optionally play the next watchable episode

Channels will also inform the system when you watch a channel or show so they can be suggested later by the system. So if you watch the same channel or show on your iPad every night at the same time, expect to see Siri suggesting it. It's super handy!

Let us know what you think and how it's working.

Release:

tvOS/iOS Beta Notes

v2021.09.30.0057 • NEW: Siri Shortcuts for iOS and iPadOS Channels now has official Shortcut support. As you use Channels, it will hint to the system what you’re doing and Siri Intelligence will use that to offer suggestions like “Watch NBC” or “Watch Law & Order”. Additionally, you can make your own Shortcuts using these available actions: • Show a section - Open the app to a specific section. • Watch a Channel - Open and watch a specific channel. • Watch a Show - Open a show’s view and op…

[severe]

This is awesome. Looking forward to testing. Thank you.

Edit: Ok. I’ve created the Shortcut Wake AppleTV > Open Channels Beta on AppleTV, which lands me at the guide (nice), but any attempt after adding Watch Channel and a channel # to the Shortcut opens the ChannelsBeta app on my phone. What am I doing wrong?

[Matthew_Crommert]

same issue

[Techreader]

I’m lost writing this shortcut. I get as far as the command to open the app, but what do I enter when creating the shortcut to choose a channel?

[mnwxman132]

@maddox
I’ve created a lot of channels shortcuts already using the API, but this will be very nice going forward.

I created a couple of test shortcuts with the new support and they work. However I’m getting a privacy prompt from the OS each time you run the shortcut.

I’ve seen this with other non channels shortcuts when I upgraded to iOS 15, and usually after the first time you run the shortcut the OS learns that it is ok.

However, with the Siri support for channels the system gives you a privacy prompt you each time.

Here’s a screenshot..

[mnwxman132]

You can use also use the channels api commands in a shortcut and select a channel on your Apple TV by using the Apple TV’s IP address.

@maddox It would be nice if there was a way of having the built in shortcut support include a “destination” field. So you could select “where” to open a specific page or channel, etc. for “remote controlling”.

Also, speaking of remote controlling, it would be really cool to somehow build in some more support with shortcuts to automate the use of channels collections!

I’ve been doing manual channel selection using shortcuts and the API for several months, but wouldn’t it be cool to have the creation of these automated some more?

I suppose with the TVE channels, it actually could be a bunch of shortcut groups we could share amongst ourselves - because those have fixed channel numbers. Hmmm.

[severe]

@Techreader I was hung up there as well. When Channels Beta pulls up after your search, tap on it. Show Section, Watch Channel, and Watch Show will come up below. Is this the issue you’re having?

@mnwxman132

Same. And Allow proceeds to open the iOS app here.
With regard to your suggestion, thanks, but I’m not sure how to create that at the moment.

Edit: agree on the option to select where to open.

[mnwxman132]

@severe

In the meantime , here’s a sample screenshot shortcut for history channel I use on my phone/iPad to control my Apple TV on my network.

[maddox]

@severe

I’ve created the Shortcut Wake AppleTV > Open Channels Beta on AppleTV , which lands me at the guide (nice), but any attempt after adding Watch Channel and a channel # to the Shortcut opens the ChannelsBeta app on my phone. What am I doing wrong?

Siri Shortcuts do not work on tvOS (except those specific Apple Remote Shortcuts that can open things on the Apple TV), and certainly not on any device other than the one you ran it on.

These shortcuts open the iOS app.

@Techreader

what do I enter when creating the shortcut to choose a channel?

Enter the channel number.

@mnwxman132

However I’m getting a privacy prompt from the OS each time you run the shortcut.

I noticed this as well when using it on my device. I also read that it was an iOS 15 bug. I'm not sure why it won't go away. There's not that much talk about this bug. I'll keep investigating.

@mnwxman132

It would be nice if there was a way of having the built in shortcut support include a “destination” field. So you could select “where” to open a specific page or channel, etc. for “remote controlling”.

This isn't possible since the shortcut can't communicate with an app on a different system, much less the fact that Shortcuts don't work on tvOS. You would have to stick with the Shortcuts listed on our API page that were pre-remade to send commands to the Channels app that is open on your Apple TV.

[maddox]

Just to make it more clear. These shortcuts are for the iOS app on your iPhone and iPad.

They have nothing to do with the Apple TV as there's nothing we CAN do to make things open on your Apple TV. But boy do I wish.

[Techreader]

Yep, Sticking with Yonomi to control Apple TV

[Fofer]

@Techreader

Yep, Sticking with Yonomi to control Apple TV

Directly? Or in conjunction with something like a Logitech Harmony Hub?

@maddox

Just to make it more clear. These shortcuts are for the iOS app on your iPhone and iPad.

Thanks for adding this, I'm excited to check it out. I'm thinking it'll be especially useful on the iPad I have mounted in the kitchen. Channels DVR has made that kind of set up so much better.

@maddox

They have nothing to do with the Apple TV as there's nothing we CAN do to make things open on your Apple TV. But boy do I wish.

I wish too! Fingers crossed... maybe one day? In the meantime, thanks for the great work.

[AeroR1]

My shortcut turns on the Apple TV, opens the app and it tunes to a channel.

Unless you’re talking about something else.

[maddox]

I’m absolutely talking about something else.

This topic is announcing shortcut support for the iOS app. The app now has its own shortcuts.

Your shortcut is just a normal shortcut that talks to an API over the network.

[severe]

Could you share the rest of your Shortcut?

[maddox]

you can get that type of pre-made shortcut here:

Channels API

[Matthew_Crommert]

please share the rest of this one

[AeroR1]

Here you go. It’s the exact one Maddox linked to, I just added the first 3 commands.

https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/c565beb2c29643e98e10db36894e8e5d

Works great with HomePods.

[mnwxman132]

Ok. Makes sense. I’ll stick with all my channels API shortcuts for control of channels on Apple TV , and I’ll keep beta testing the new shortcut support on my iphone and iPad.

I’ll ignore ios15 privacy bug for now, glad you are aware of it.