Shop E Store Get the most out of your Sky Glass or Sky Stream
Sky launched Sky Glass back in 2021, so it’s been around for a few years now and during that time it’s seen a number of updates and improvements that have improved your experience. Meanwhile, Sky Stream arrived on the scene in 2022. It’s a streaming device that connects to your TV via HDMI, giving you access to Sky services but without the need for a satellite dish.
Sky Glass and Sky Stream run on the same interface and operating system, which means that many of the tips and tricks from Sky Glass also apply to Sky Stream. So whether you’re looking for the fastest way to find content or want to try the low latency feature on Sky Sports Main Event that reduces streaming lag, here are our top tips for Sky Glass and Sky Stream.
1. Find your remote control
If you’ve ever owned Sky Q, you may have known that deal’s remote trick where you press the Sky button in the middle of the box to make your Sky remote beep. Well, for Sky Glass, just say “Hey Sky, where’s my remote” and it will start ringing. If you have Sky Stream and can’t find your remote, we highly recommend looking on the side of the sofa.
2. Use voice control
Sure, talking to your TV doesn’t come naturally, but if you have an Alexa in your home or a Google Assistant smart speaker, you should already be used to talking to devices. It’s the quickest way to find what you might be looking for on Sky Glass or Sky Stream, as well as go back or forward.
For Sky Glass, the microphones are built into the TV, so you can simply say “Hello Sky,” followed by the name of the TV show or movie you’re trying to find, or something like “rewind” to go back. For Sky Stream, press and hold the button on the Sky remote and speak.
3. Reduce latency when watching sports
Sky announced a series of updates to its entertainment operating system in April 2024, and more in December 2024, including reduced latency when watching sports on Sky Sports Main Event. That feature began rolling out in mid-November, allowing you to choose to improve your viewing experience. The feature will reduce transmission delay by about 22 seconds.
To watch the low latency channel on Sky Glass or Sky Stream, you can choose to use the Live Sync button on Sky Sports Main Event or use the dedicated channel: 921 for HD clients or 922 for UHD. You can also use the voice button on your Sky remote and say “Sky Sports Main Event Low Latency” or “Sky Sports Main Event Live Sync” to access.
4. Add to playlist
Playlist is one of the best features of Sky Glass and Sky Stream, allowing you to have up to five personal playlists to which you can add any TV show or movie you want. Think of it as the alternative to recordings on Sky Q, but separate for different users and all available to stream when you’re ready to watch them.
To add a show to your playlist, find the show or movie and press “Add”, or press “+” on your Sky remote. You can also add specific actors and actresses to your playlist, which launched with the December update, allowing you to watch TV shows and movies featuring your favorite actors and actresses.
You’ll find playlists at the top of the home screen in the Entertainment OS interface, just below the recommended programs.
5. Use categories
Sky’s content offering is one of the best out there, and that applies to both Sky Glass and Sky Stream. If you’re not looking for recommendations and you know what you want (good for you), head to TV Guide. From here, press left on the circular panel of your Sky remote to access content by category. Makes it easier to find specific topics, like movies or kids.
6. Find out what’s on next week
Sky Glass and Sky Stream are all about streaming content ‘On Demand’, as Sky calls it. That means you can stream something from last week, from six months ago, or you can stream it live while it’s showing. Speaking of what’s shown, you might want to know what’s on next Saturday night at 8pm and with Sky Glass and Sky Stream, you can fast forward up to 7 days. When you’re in TV Guide, press and hold the right button on the remote’s circular panel and you’ll look ahead up to a week.
7. Sign in to all streaming services
It may seem obvious, but it’s probably the best advice we can give you, except for the remote control, which is pretty good for Sky Glass users. If you have accounts with multiple streaming services, make sure you’re logged into all of their respective apps on your Sky Glass or Sky Stream. There are many available from Netflix and Disney+, to BBC iPlayer and ITVX. The more you log in, the better your recommendations will be.
8. Skip ads
Sometimes we quite enjoy an ad, but there are times when you just want to keep watching whatever you have your eyes glued to the TV for. Press and hold the right button on the circle control on your Sky remote to fast forward, or simply press and hold the microphone button on the remote and say “fast forward (number of minutes the average advert lasts for the program you are on). seeing)”. .
9. Access quick settings, well, quickly
The Sky Glass and Sky Stream settings aren’t the quickest to access, as you have to scroll through all the content options in the left-hand menu bar before accessing them. However, there is a faster way: press the three dots on the Sky Glass and Sky Stream remotes. A bar will then appear at the bottom of the screen, giving you access to quick settings, such as changing the display mode and turning night mode on or off on Sky Glass.
10. Use night mode
Some sound bars like Sonos have specific features to reduce louder sounds and improve speech and dialogue so you don’t wake up the kids upstairs or the neighbors next door. If you’re on Sky Stream and using a soundbar with your TV, check your settings to see if night mode or similar is offered.
If you have Sky Glass and are using the built-in speaker, open “Settings” and go to “Picture & Sound.” From here, you will see “Night Mode”, tap on it and turn it on or off. There’s also an option to enhance voice quality to help make dialogue clearer, although it doesn’t offer the same level of control as the Sonos Arc Ultra and its advanced speech enhancement feature.
11. Search based on actor/actress
If you love a particular actor or actress (Ryan Reynolds is one of our favorites in The Ambient), you can search based on them to watch content on Sky Glass or Sky Stream with them. Press and hold the microphone button on your Sky remote and say the name of the actor or actress.
12. Activate subtitles
One of the features added with the Sky Entertainment OS 1.3 update was the option to have subtitles on UHD content. To quickly turn on subtitles, press the three dots on your Sky remote and you’ll see the subtitles option appear in the quick settings bar.
13. Use AirPlay for music or photos
If you have an Apple device, Sky Glass and Sky Stream added AirPlay support with the Entertainment OS 1.3 update, allowing you to play music from an iPhone, iPad or Mac through Sky Stream or Sky Glass. You can also display family photos on your TV using AirPlay or stream content, so if you don’t have an Apple TV, this is a great trick.
14. Skip those ads
The Entertainment OS 1.3 update introduced a single button that allows you to skip ads in the ITVX, STV Player and All4 TV apps. The button will automatically appear on supported services (as long as you have the £5 a month ad-skip subscription), allowing you to click straight to the next part of whatever you’re watching.
