Apple Might’ve Just Solved Your Biggest Gripe with Your Soundbar

If you use an Apple TV as your main streaming device and have it connected to a TV with an external speaker system — be it a soundbar or AVR system — you may have experienced this issue: When you adjust the volume (with your Apple TV remote or by pressing a button or knob on your soundbar or AV receiver), it works but no visual indication appears on the TV screen.

This isn’t the biggest problem, but it can be annoying. For example, when the volume is low (or off) and you rapidly mash on the volume up button only to have the volume go seemingly from 0 to 90 percent in a split second and blow out your eardrums … nobody wants that.

The good news is, Apple recently rolled out an update to Apple TV — via tvOS 17.1 — that aims to fix this issue. Specifically, it adds a Volume OSD (on-screen display) option. All you need to do is to turn it on — here’s how:

How to Turn On Volume OSD

Tucker Bowe

Tucker Bowe

1. Open the Settings app on your Apple TV.
2. Select Remotes and Devices.
3. Scroll down to the Home Theater Control section.
4. In the On-Screen Volume Display option, make sure “Show” is selected.

When Volume OSD is turned on, an additional, vertical volume slider pops up on the side of your TV screen whenever you adjust the volume. Whether you are doing so with your Apple TV remote, actual TV remote or the volume controls on your soundbar or AV receiver, you’ll get a visual indication of how much you’re increasing or lowering the volume of your system.

It’s admittedly a pretty nerdy solution and can be a little redundant — sometimes you’ll see two indicators, one horizontal bar and one vertical bar. It’s not perfect, but it’s finally a decent solution for Apple TV users who’ve been frustrated by the lack of a volume visual indicator on their TV.

For a deeper dive, check out this Reddit thread on the tvOS 17.1 update.

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