Sky Q finally gets voice search, allowing people to watch TV just by shouting at it

Sky has finally rolled out voice search, letting people control their TV just by talking to it.

Until now, the feature had only been hinted at by a strange, mysterious button on the side of the remote. Now, when that's pressed, people will be able to ask their TV for whatever they want to watch.

That doesn't simply mean asking for the name of films and TV shows, though the Sky Q box will handle those. They can also ask for something like the "Liverpool game", categories like "films featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone", or even asking for ratings, such as "Tom Hanks movies rated five stars".

In addition to all of those, the remote will recognise quotes. Saying into the remote "Say hello to my little friend" or "I'll have what she's having" will bring up the films that they're from, ready to watch.

Luke Bradley-Jones, Sky’s brand director of TV and content products, said: "'May the force be with you' with your new voice search. Just ask Sky Q to 'show me the money' by pressing the side of the touch remote, making it even easier and faster to find, discover and watch the TV you love.”

As well as voice search, Sky has also added new updates to the My Q section that is the centre of the Sky Q menus. It will now offer more personalisation and advice, recommending shows based on what people have watched in the past and picking out the top new series from all channels. That also comes with a redesign to the way the menus work to make them more simple.

It has also added the option to watch Facebook videos from within the My Photos application, one of the various separate apps that are built into the Sky Q system.

Since Sky Q was released at the beginning of 2016, the company has added a host of features and promised many more. This year, it will add the option to control the box with your voice, for instance, and a new mode it calls "sport restart".

Next year, it will also allow people to get Sky TV without needing a sky dish, instead sending it through the internet.