I tried to replace my Apple TV remote

• I use voice controls more than I thought
• There’s a middle ground available

I finally got my hands on a universal remote, the SofaBaton X2, and while I love nearly everything about it, it hasn’t completely replaced my remotes just yet. In fact, I don’t know if I can ever fully replace my Apple TV 4K remote due to it not having voice controls. I don’t have any smart devices in my living room, so I have to rely on my remote itself for voice functions, and since this universal remote can’t do it, I have to type things in manually when I’m searching.

YouTube is one of my most-used apps on my TV, and I search for things quite a bit. I don’t like to type things in because it’s a very slow process, so it actually led to me keeping my Apple TV 4K remote handy when I thought I could finally replace it. It’s not a huge deal since my universal remote still lets me get rid of the remote for my receiver, so I’m still using less than I was originally.

I use voice controls more than I thought

I’m learning things about myself

Voice controls have slowly become a big part of my viewing experience. I didn’t realize how much I used them on YouTube until I didn’t have access to them anymore. It actually made me keep my Apple TV remote around just so I could use the voice controls. Sadly, this defeats the purpose of having an all-in-one remote, but the Apple TV remote is small enough that it doesn’t feel like it’s taking up a ton of space. The big thing is getting rid of my TV and receiver remote, and that’s something my universal remote was able to do.

Voice controls are something that should honestly be a default option on remotes these days, and for the most part, they are. Having something like the SofaBaton X2 not launch with them is puzzling, especially since this is a remote that costs hundreds of dollars, versus something like the Apple TV or Roku remotes. Voice functionality is one of those things that I took for granted, and I won’t be doing that again.

There’s a middle ground available

A TV with voice controls built in, perhaps

I haven’t been paying a ton of attention to new TVs since I’m not really in the market for one at the moment, but there are some features I’m aware of. After reviewing the latest Fire TV from Amazon, I realized how nice it is to have voice controls built right into the TV. This would be a way to get around the problem of a remote not having voice controls. I don’t have to talk into the remote at all as the TV is listening to me instead. I was initially hesitant about leaving Alexa toggled on the whole time, but I’ve gotten used to it. She hasn’t interrupted my viewing yet, and I hope things stay that way.

Outside of that, you can get a smart device like a Google Home and place it in your living room. You can get to different channels that way, and it can make searching a breeze — all without the need for a remote. Of course, it’d be nice if your remote could just do everything, but that’s not the situation I’m in. As far as I’m concerned, having a TV with voice controls built in is better because I don’t even need the remote at all to turn it on and switch HDMI inputs. It really feels like a futuristic product, and it’s one of the features that has actually impressed me, instead of something where I go “Hmm, that’s cool,’ and never touch it again.