New Apple TV remote confirmed in iOS 14 code leak

(Image credit: Apple)

Apple TV users may have some new hardware to look forward to in the near future – and we're not talking about a streaming box.

Leaked iOS 14 source code seen by 9to5Mac (opens in new tab) reportedly shows evidence of a new Apple TV remote, suggesting we'll see a new iteration at some point around or after the launch of the new software update, likely in or around September this year.

There's no firm details as of yet of what a new remote might include, but it's likely that it would be made with the Apple TV Plus streaming service in mind, and be designed to suit the platform's interface. We'd expect the Apple TV Plus library to get a quickstart button on the remote, for one, which would help with the service's slightly muddled integration with the Apple TV app.

Apple and oranges

There is an existing Siri Remote that's compatible with the Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD streaming devices, though it's not very affordable for the minimal functionality it offers – costing $59 (around £45 / AU$90).

Continued support for the Siri voice assistant seems likely – more likely than a cut in price for a new remote model – though we can't think of much else that Apple might be doing here, other than improved connectivity and dedicated inputs that relate to Apple TV Plus.

The leak also mentioned new iPad Pro and iPhone 9 models – but if there's one thing we know about Apple, it's that new hardware is always in the works.

Henry St Leger

Henry is a freelance technology journalist. Before going freelance, he spent more than three years at TechRadar reporting on TVs, projectors and smart speakers as the website's Home Cinema Editor – and has been interviewed live on both BBC World News and Channel News Asia, discussing the future of transport and 4K resolution televisions respectively. As a graduate of English Literature and persistent theatre enthusiast, he'll usually be found forcing Shakespeare puns into his technology articles, which he thinks is what the Bard would have wanted. Bylines also include Edge, T3, and Little White Lies.