The Apple TV has a Music app, just like your iPad or iPhone (on the Mac the same app – with the same icon – is still called the iTunes, just to confuse you).
Read next: iOS 9 Music guide: How to put music on iPhone or iPad, set up playlists & more
To listen to your iTunes music collection on your Apple TV you’ll first of all need to turn on Home Sharing. Before you start, make sure that you are running the latest version of iTunes on your Mac, and Music on your iOS device.
To set up Home Sharing on your Mac, open iTunes and sign in with your Apple ID
Next, go to File > Home Sharing and turn on Home Sharing.
To set up Home Sharing for the music on your iPhone or iPad go to Settings > Music, scroll down to Home Sharing and tap sign in. Enter your Apple ID and password. Now open the Music app, go to My Music, click on the category in the middle of the screen and choose the relevant shared Library.
Now, on your Apple TV you need to go to Settings > Accounts > Home Sharing (on older Apple TVs you need to go to Settings > Computers)
Next turn on Home Sharing and then enter your Apple ID.
You will find your shared library under computers, when you locate it, choose the relevant library.
You will also be able to view the photos on your Mac on your TV this way.
Subscribing to Apple Music
Music on the Apple TV really comes into its own if you are a subscriber to Apple Music. If you have a subscription (or sign up to the free trial) you will be able to listen to Apple’s entire music collection on your Apple TV.
If you have a subscription to iTunes Match (£21.99 a year) or use iCloud Music Library (part of Apple Music, £9.99 a month) all your playlists should sync across your devices, including your Apple TV.
Once you start playing music on the Apple TV via the Music app you will be able to have the music playing in the background while you navigate around the Apple TV interface – the music can even be the soundtrack to the screensaver. The music will only stop playing when you start up another audio source, like a movie or a game.
When you’re listening to music on your Apple TV, hold down the right side of the trackpad to fast-forward and the left side to rewind. You can also press the right side once to skip a song, and press the left side twice to go back a track.
When you press Play to start a song, you can still see the rest of the album or playlist if you click once on the touchscreen of the Siri remote. Swipe all the way up for the ellipses (…) button, which offers more options that vary based on what you’re doing.
You can create Apple Music playlists on your Apple TV, if you are an Apple Music subscriber.
Pick the song you want to add to the playlist, tap More at the top of the now playing screen using the Siri remote trackpad, tap Add to Playlist and either pick the playlist you want to add to, or new and give the playlist a name.
How to adjust the sound from your Apple TV
You can adjust the volume of your TV using the new Siri Remote. Press the + or – on the remote (this will work as long as you have HDMI CEC).
If you swipe down on the touch pad you can see options for Info, Subtitles and Audio options for whatever is playing. The options here offer another way to reduce the volume of what’s playing on your Apple TV. Choose Reduce Loud Sounds from the Audio options, and the sound effects will be turned down so that you can hear the dialogue more clearly (and not wake the house up with explosions!)
If you swipe down on the Audio you will see options for Language, Sound and Speakers.
In Sound you will find that Full Dynamic Range is the default.
If your app offers subtitles you can control them here.
You can also choose to pair and select different speakers, either Bluetooth or AirPlay, see the next slide for more information.
How to connect Bluetooth headphones to your Apple TV
One of the best things about the Apple TV is how easy it is to connect Bluetooth headphones or speakers to it. [We have a round up of best speakers and a round up of best headphones here].
To connect Bluetooth audio equipment to your Apple TV start by placing them in pairing mode, then go to Settings > Remotes and Devices > Bluetooth on your Apple TV and choose the device from the Speakers or Headphones section.
Swipe down on the Remote to choose the headphones or speakers and the audio should be diverted to that device. (Although you might need to enter a passkey to unlock the device.)
If you successfully connect them, the headphones (or speakers) will turn up in the My Devices menu on the Apple TV.
The only downside is that in addition to your Siri remote, you can pair two additional Bluetooth accessories, either two MFi bluetooth game controllers, or one game controller and a bluetooth audio accessory. We’ll discuss adding game controllers elsewhere.
Read Next:
Compete guide to the Apple TV App Store, plus how to find the best apps
How to set up the new Apple TV
Best Apple TV game controllers
Author: Karen Haslam, Editor
Macworld editor since 2008, Karen has worked on both sides of the Apple divide, clocking up a number of years at Apple's PR agency prior to joining Macworld almost two decades ago.
Karen's career highlights include interviewing Apple's Steve Wozniak and discussing Steve Jobs’ legacy on the BBC. Her focus is Mac, but she lives and breathes Apple.