Virgin Media has just posted new advice about a swathe of features customers aren’t using but definitely should. The update is aimed at helping those who subscribe to the firm’s TV platform, with Virgin saying, “6 cool features on Virgin TV you’re not using (but should). We want to make sure you’re using Virgin TV to its full potential, so we’ve pulled together some of its coolest features.” There are a whole bunch of useful tips and tricks to know about, including ways to open apps faster and find new things to watch without ploughing through endless menus.

The first thing that TV users might want to try is voice search. “Skip the faff, search with your voice and dive into great telly faster,” Virgin explains. Users can open apps, see recommendations, change channels or turn on accessibility settings like subtitles just by talking into the remote.

Here are some things to ask your Virgin box.

• Saying “iPlayer” will open BBC iPlayer

• Just say “TNT Sports” to go to TNT Sports 1 HD

• Love reality TV, simply say the word “reality” to find the best shows

• Say “Watchlist” to go to your My Watchlist

• Ask to pop “Subtitles on” to switch on subtitles

• Love an actor? Just say their name to find content. For example, saying “Stephen Graham” will find movies and TV shows featuring the English actor.

The same goes for shows. Just say “Gogglebox” to find available episodes of the popular Channel 4 show.

So that’s voice search, but what else can you try?

Setting up your very own personal home screen is another top tip, as this will let you dive into all the shows, movies and apps you love rather seeing things that don’t interest you. Virgin says that it will also offer recommendations tailored just for you.

From the personalised home page, you can see Virgin’s “Top Picks” along with the “Recommended for You” suggestions.

Want to pick up where you left off? Head to Continue Watching to find the shows you’ve been enjoying or rented films you’ve been watching.

Next, it’s a good idea to set up Profiles on Virgin Media TV. These ensure the experience matches each family member.

Six profiles are up for grabs, so everyone in the household has a space to make the TV their own. Sign in to carry on watching where you left off, skip right to your favourite channels, and create your own channel list containing your personal favourite channels.

How to set up profiles

• Press the Profiles button on the side of the remote.

• From here, you can select your Profile or add a new one by scrolling to New.

• To switch into another Profile, simply hit the Profiles button again and select a different Profile.

• Remember, your personalised recommendations aren’t affected by what the rest of the family watches, so you get straight to the TV you actually like

Need to nip out or grab a quick cuppa? With pause, rewind and Startover, Virgin TV lets you make your own TV schedule. And it’s as easy as a click of a button – or just telling your box what to do. You can skip back to the beginning of shows on most channels. Here’s all you need to do:

Press the Guide button on the remote, or press the Home button and navigate to Guide, or hold the mic button and say “guide”.

Navigate to a programme. If it has the white Startover symbol, it’s available.

Select it, and the programme or movie will offer the option to watch live or begin from the start.

You can use the Guide to catch up on shows aired in the last seven days. Or watch your faves up to 30 days after they’ve aired under TV Shows and Movies.