For the last week Sky has been rolling out a major update to Sky Q set-top boxes that brings along some major new features.

Undoubtedly the biggest change brought on by the update is that owners can finally use the voice control function of their Sky Q remote. On the side of the remote is a small button labelled with a microphone – hold it down and speak into the controller and you can control the box solely with your voice.

Not only can you navigate directly to movies or TV shows by simply saying their name, but you also don’t need to be that precise with your commands. Asking to see the “Manchester United game”, for example, will take you to their next televised fixture in the planner.

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You can also search films via a variety of criteria, such as director, leading star, or simply “something new”. In a fun Easter Egg from Sky, famous quotes will even work – “I’ll have what she’s having” will take you to When Harry Met Sally, for example.

This function is only available to those who have a Sky Q Touch remote, though. That should be all Sky Q 2TB owners – others may have the non-touch variant, which has the familiar Sky arrow buttons in its centre, rather than a touch-sensitive pad.

 Quality of life changes

Whilst the voice commands are a welcome addition, the changes that long-term Sky Q users may most be looking forward to are those made to the electronic programme guide (EPG).

The ‘My Q’ page is now the default homepage on the main menu. It offers a tailored set of recommendations depending on what you’ve been watching or recording, whilst the ‘Continue Watching’ option allows you to jump straight back in to whatever recorded or on-demand content you were in the middle of enjoying when you last switched on. Mercifully, the ‘TV Guide’ is only one swipe away from this new homepage, too.

Sky says that the update will reach all Sky Q customers by the end of Spring. Interested? Click the link to see our full Sky Q 2TB box review.

The new price caps won’t cover faster connections, which can reach 78Mbps and above thanks to G.Fast technology. However, the move is expected to benefit as many as 3 million customers, adding up to around £100 million of savings. The plan is to introduce a series of yearly savings from April next year, which will be completed by 2021.

The idea is simple: if Openreach makes less money from lower-tier broadband packages, it will be forced to invest in new technology and expand its G.Fast network to more of the country. “Our plans are designed to encourage long-term investment in future ultrafast, full-fibre networks, while promoting competition and protecting consumers from high prices,” said Jonathan Oxley, Ofcom’s Competition Group Director.

The announcement has been welcomed by BT’s rivals, but there are some reservations. In a statement, TalkTalk said that it supported price cuts and the continued commitment to improving Openreach’s service, but bemoaned the fact that customers must wait a year to see some savings and that only the slowest “superfast” speeds were included: “Ofcom’s decision to only regulate some products also risks entrenching a speed divide, with customers having to make a false choice between fair prices or higher speeds. Ensuring consumers enjoy low prices on all superfast products is the best way to maximise take-up and encourage investment in the pure fibre infrastructure of the future.”

Earlier this month, BT confirmed that it will finally split Openreach off into a separate company, following pressure from Ofcom to do so. It will continue to be part of the BT Group but it the new entity will be governed by an independent board, manage its own staff and set out its own strategy.

As part of the agreement, Openreach will also need to consult with Sky, TalkTalk and Vodafone regarding future “large-scale” investments and the BT logo will be removed from all Openreach branding in order to reduce public confusion.