Make the current selection more obvious on Apple TV

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I love my Apple TV. But there is one thing that can drive a lot of people crazy: the currently selected icon or movie can be difficult to discern. It’s slightly larger so that it looks like it’s floating above the others. As you move around the screen you can tell where the selection is, and if you gently rub your finger over the touchpad on your remote the icon will wiggle to match your motion, but some people find this way too subtle or have older TVs where the effect isn’t as obvious.

There is a fix though! On your Apple TV go to the Settings app > Accessibility > Display > Focus Style. Switch from “Default” to “High Contrast”.

Now the current selection has a thick white box around it!

The Default settings make it difficult to know that Plex (the icon with the golden chevron/play button) is currently selected.
With High Contrast enabled, there is a solid white box around the current selection.

Be careful if you decide to poke around other Accessibility options. Most settings in this area are only useful for people with very particular needs. This one, however, is useful for many people.

Further Help

If you are an existing customer who needs help with this or if you have other questions, or if you are in San Francisco and interested in becoming a client I invite you to book an appointment with me. Otherwise, you may wish to contact Apple Support or find a local Apple consultant.

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