safari-on-apple-tv.jpgTaylor Martin

safari-on-apple-tv.jpg
Taylor Martin/CNET
The fourth-generation Apple TV comes with several new tricks that the older models are not privy to, such as Siri support and third-party apps and games. One feature missing, however, is the ability to browse the Web.

Despite tvOS being based heavily on iOS, the Safari browser has been stripped from the Apple TV, meaning the only browsing you will be doing is via mirroring with AirPlay from your other Apple devices.

With a simple hack, however, you will be browsing the Web with your Apple TV in a matter of minutes. Here's how it's done.

What you will need

You will need a couple of things before you get started, such as a free Apple Developer account, Xcode and a USB-C cable or an adapter.


If you don't already have a developer account with Apple, head over to developer.apple.com/account and sign in using your existing Apple ID.

Next, from your Mac, open the App Store, search for "Xcode" and download the application. It will automatically install.

If you happen to have a 12-inch MacBook, the included USB-C cable will work for this application. Otherwise, you will need a USB-A to USB-C cable, which you can find online for around $10. Just be careful of which one you buy (and reference this spreadsheet to see which ones are up to spec.)

Finally, you will need the source code to tvOSBrowser, which we will download from the GitHub repository using Xcode.

Installing the browser


Begin by opening the Applications folder in Finder and locating the Xcode.app. Right click on the application and select Show Package Contents. From there, navigate to Contents>Developer>Platforms>AppleTVOS.platform>Developer>SDKs>AppleTVOS.sdk>usr>include and locate the file Availability.h. Right click on the file and open in TextEdit or another text editor.

Locate these two lines of code, which can be found on lines 279 and 280:

#define __TVOS_UNAVAILABLE __OS_AVAILABILITY(tvos,unavailable)
#define __TVOS_PROHIBITED __OS_AVAILABILITY(tvos,unavailable)
Change them to:

#define __TVOS_UNAVAILABLE_NOTQUITE __OS_AVAILABILITY(tvos,unavailable)
#define __TVOS_PROHIBITED_NOTQUITE __OS_AVAILABILITY(tvos,unavailable)
Save the file and open Xcode. Ignore the window that loads and click on Source Control in the menu bar, then select Check Out. In the repository location field, paste "https://github.com/steventroughtonsmith/tvOSBrowser.git" and click Next. When asked, select the master branch of the repository and proceed.

safari-for-apple-tv-bundle-identifier.png
Taylor Martin/CNET
In the left pane of Xcode, click on the Browser app you just imported. You will need to alter the Bundle Identifier. By default, it is com.highcaffeinecontent.Browser. Change it to something unique like: com.[nickname].Browser. Just ensure there are no spaces in the identifier.

Below the Bundle Identifier field, click on the dropdown menu beside Team. Select your Apple ID. If you're not logged in, click Add an Account and login with your Apple ID credentials.

Connect your Apple TV to your Mac using the USB-C cable.

safari-for-apple-tv-output-source.png
Taylor Martin/CNET
At the top of the Xcode window, you will see Play and Stop buttons. Beside that are two menu buttons, one is the name of the app (in this case, Browser) and the other is the output source for where you will be executing the code. By default, if no Apple TV is detected, Xcode will run an Apple TV simulator upon executing the code. To ensure, you're pushing the code to the Apple TV, click on the button to the right and make sure Apple TV under Devices is selected, not Apple TV 1080p under tvOS Simulator.


Once the code finishes executing, you should see an app on your Apple TV called Safari. Click on it to open.

Using the browser on Apple TV

The Safari browser on Apple TV is relatively intuitive and simple to use.

Depending on which mode you're in sliding your finger around on the Apple TV remote's trackpad will move the cursor or scroll up and down the page. To switch between the modes, double-click the trackpad.

Clicking the trackpad does exactly what you would expect it to -- it clicks and will open links or select on-screen content. The Menu button operates as a back button. Double-clicking the Menu button will load a Settings menu, where you can change the homepage, view history and more. And pressing the Play/Pause button brings up an address and search bar, which uses Google as the default search engine.

The developer hasn't updated the source code in several months, and as such this is a very basic browser. It's missing some features you may find necessary from a computer or mobile device, but should suffice for basic needs of browsing via Apple TV.

ผลลัพธ์ (ไทย) 1:

ซาฟารีบน tv.jpg แอปเปิ้ลมาร์ติน เทย์เลอร์/CNETApple TV รุ่นที่ 4 มาพร้อมกับเทคนิคใหม่หลายที่รุ่นเก่าไม่มีองคมนตรี เช่นสิริสนับสนุน และบริษัทแอ พและเกม คุณลักษณะอย่างหนึ่งที่ขาดหายไป อย่างไรก็ตาม มีความสามารถในการเรียกดูเว็บแม้ tvOS ถูกอิงมาก iOS เบราว์เซอร์ Safari มีถูกตัดจาก Apple TV หมายถึง คุณจะทำการเรียกดูเพียงผ่านเรอร์มี AirPlay จากอุปกรณ์ Apple อื่น ๆมีสับง่าย อย่างไรก็ตาม คุณจะสามารถเรียกดูเว็บกับ Apple TV ของคุณในไม่กี่นาที นี่คือวิธีที่จะทำสิ่งที่คุณจะต้องคุณจะต้องสองสิ่งก่อนที่จะเริ่ม เช่นบัญชีนักพัฒนา Apple ฟรี Xcode และสาย USB-C หรืออะแดปเตอร์ถ้าคุณไม่มีบัญชีนักพัฒนากับ Apple การ developer.apple.com/account และลงชื่อเข้าใช้ด้วย Apple id ของคุณที่มีอยู่แล้วถัดไป จาก Mac เปิด App Store ค้นหาสำหรับ "Xcode" และดาวน์โหลดแอพลิเคชัน มันจะติดตั้งโดยอัตโนมัติหากคุณมี MacBook 12 นิ้ว สาย USB C จะทำงานสำหรับโปรแกรมประยุกต์นี้ มิฉะนั้น คุณจะต้อง A USB กับสายเคเบิล USB C ซึ่งคุณสามารถค้นหาออนไลน์สำหรับ 10 ระวังของที่คุณซื้อ (และอ้างอิงกระดาษคำนวณนี้จะเห็นคนที่มีสเปคสูงสุด)ในที่สุด คุณจะต้องรหัสแหล่งที่มาเพื่อ tvOSBrowser ซึ่งเราจะดาวน์โหลดจาก GitHub เก็บใช้ XcodeInstalling the browserBegin by opening the Applications folder in Finder and locating the Xcode.app. Right click on the application and select Show Package Contents. From there, navigate to Contents>Developer>Platforms>AppleTVOS.platform>Developer>SDKs>AppleTVOS.sdk>usr>include and locate the file Availability.h. Right click on the file and open in TextEdit or another text editor.Locate these two lines of code, which can be found on lines 279 and 280:#define __TVOS_UNAVAILABLE __OS_AVAILABILITY(tvos,unavailable)#define __TVOS_PROHIBITED __OS_AVAILABILITY(tvos,unavailable)Change them to:#define __TVOS_UNAVAILABLE_NOTQUITE __OS_AVAILABILITY(tvos,unavailable)#define __TVOS_PROHIBITED_NOTQUITE __OS_AVAILABILITY(tvos,unavailable)Save the file and open Xcode. Ignore the window that loads and click on Source Control in the menu bar, then select Check Out. In the repository location field, paste "https://github.com/steventroughtonsmith/tvOSBrowser.git" and click Next. When asked, select the master branch of the repository and proceed.safari-for-apple-tv-bundle-identifier.pngTaylor Martin/CNETIn the left pane of Xcode, click on the Browser app you just imported. You will need to alter the Bundle Identifier. By default, it is com.highcaffeinecontent.Browser. Change it to something unique like: com.[nickname].Browser. Just ensure there are no spaces in the identifier.Below the Bundle Identifier field, click on the dropdown menu beside Team. Select your Apple ID. If you're not logged in, click Add an Account and login with your Apple ID credentials.Connect your Apple TV to your Mac using the USB-C cable.safari-for-apple-tv-output-source.pngTaylor Martin/CNETAt the top of the Xcode window, you will see Play and Stop buttons. Beside that are two menu buttons, one is the name of the app (in this case, Browser) and the other is the output source for where you will be executing the code. By default, if no Apple TV is detected, Xcode will run an Apple TV simulator upon executing the code. To ensure, you're pushing the code to the Apple TV, click on the button to the right and make sure Apple TV under Devices is selected, not Apple TV 1080p under tvOS Simulator.Once the code finishes executing, you should see an app on your Apple TV called Safari. Click on it to open.Using the browser on Apple TVThe Safari browser on Apple TV is relatively intuitive and simple to use.Depending on which mode you're in sliding your finger around on the Apple TV remote's trackpad will move the cursor or scroll up and down the page. To switch between the modes, double-click the trackpad.Clicking the trackpad does exactly what you would expect it to -- it clicks and will open links or select on-screen content. The Menu button operates as a back button. Double-clicking the Menu button will load a Settings menu, where you can change the homepage, view history and more. And pressing the Play/Pause button brings up an address and search bar, which uses Google as the default search engine.The developer hasn't updated the source code in several months, and as such this is a very basic browser. It's missing some features you may find necessary from a computer or mobile device, but should suffice for basic needs of browsing via Apple TV.