It has been a week since the Apple TV Zwift app was officially launched, and it has been hugely popular. Why? Because Apple TV is the most affordable device to purchase if you want to get up and running on Zwift! Shop Apple TV on Amazon >

There have been numerous posts in different Facebook groups asking various Apple TV-related questions, so here is a collection of the best tips, tricks, and observations from the past week.

Apple TV Differences

The Apple TV Zwift differs from the other Zwift versions (PC, Mac, and iOS) in several ways.

Friends Online

The list on the Ride screen is only a list of your online friends and not a full list of other Zwifters.

Jon Mayfield says:

We made the list “friends only” because navigating a giant list of people on tvOS was too cumbersome without a mouse or touch screen.  It was possible, but not good.

Your Garmin Device Cannot Pair with Zwift

If you try to use a speed sensor, cadence sensor, heart rate monitor, or foot pod from Garmin with your Apple TV you will have a problem. Most of these are ANT+ devices, and the Apple TV can only connect to Bluetooth devices.

Yes, there are ANT+ to Bluetooth bridges ([amazon_textlink asin=’B071S929ZC’ text=’CABLE’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’zwif-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’141b9850-d4a3-11e7-bcaa-8b08cba89c51′] and the [amazon_textlink asin=’B00BHZQ6OG’ text=’Viiiiva HRM’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’zwif-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’ea27d98a-d4a2-11e7-bd4a-5df708933196′]), but the simplest and cleanest solution is to get Bluetooth enabled sensors to replace your ANT+ only sensors. Maybe something to put on your Christmas wish list?

Ride Ons and View Other Riders

You have to use Zwift Companion on a iOS/Android device to give ride ons and view other users. It was possible to do it with the Apple TV remote until late in the beta period but the functionality was removed–it simply never worked very well to perform these actions with the remote.

Custom Workouts

So far there is only one way to get custom workouts on Apple TV: Use TrainingPeaks.

You add a workout to your calendar in TrainingPeaks, and TrainingPeaks will automatically upload it to Zwift for you on that day.

You cannot upload Zwift custom workout files (.zwo files) to TrainingPeaks. You must construct your workout directly in TrainingPeaks or use one of the file formats they can import.

Use the Remote Effectively

There are some clever ways to use the Apple TV remote:

  • Swipe up to get to the blue button bar.
  • Swipe down to select the powerup, then click to activate it.

Make Sure to Disconnect if You Want to Connect (?!)

You can connect Bluetooth LE devices via Zwift Companion on an iOS / Android device. Bluetooth LE devices can only connect to one app and the Settings app in iOS counts, so make sure that your device is NOT connected in Settings > Bluetooth before you try to pair it via Zwift Companion.

Known Problems

Friends are Picked – Even if You Want to be Alone…

It is a minor annoyance that the first friend in the ‘Join’ panel is checked even if you do not click on him/her. It happens when you move up to pick a workout/route or move back down, so just be aware so you do not suddenly get to ride with someone when you planned on something else.

Different World on ATV and in Zwift Companion

There have been cases where Zwift Companion shows a different map than the one in Zwift on the Apple TV. It was reported that if you made sure to use latest versions of Zwift on your devices it should be fixed, but there has been reports of this also with the very latest version of Zwift Companion on iOS (version 2.15 (323)).

Display Issues with ATV 4K and 720p HD TVs

If you have the newest Apple TV 4K but your TV set has only 720p HD resolution, the welcome splash screen fills the whole TV, but the game only fills a quarter of the bottom left hand side. Jon Mayfield has promised it will be fixed in the next update.

We will probably see an update soon…

At the time of writing the current build is 1.0.21984. There will most likely be a new version within a week or so, so check back for an update after that.