Do you remember tvOS 16? Apparently, neither does Apple. The company talked during the WWDC 2022 keynote all about iOS 16, iPadOS 16, macOS 13 Ventura, and watchOS 9, but not a single word about tvOS 16. OK, you might have heard about new “Home” features, but, once again, Apple completely forgot about the Apple TV and HomePod’s operating system. Luckily, we have not.
Apple is making it very tricky to gather information about tvOS 16. While other operating systems have their own preview page, Apple TV’s software doesn’t. This is what we could find thanks to the release notes, developers, and more.
Nintendo Switch controllers compatibility: tvOS 16 will finally support Nintendo Switch’s Joy-Cons and Pro Controller. We feature this story here at 9to5Mac. Apple says “many additional Bluetooth and USB game controllers are supported by the Game Controller” starting with tvOS 16.
HomePod Software 16 public beta testing: For the first time, Apple will make available HomePod beta software available to public testers. While even the developer beta build isn’t available, it’s interesting to know that this is finally happening.
HDR10+ support: The latest generation of high dynamic range technology is now supported in the Apple TV app on tvOS 16.
Video-forward featuring on the Apple TV+ tab: Rich video previews at the top of the Apple TV+ tab help users discover their next favorite Apple Original.
Matter support: Matter is a new smart home connectivity standard that will enable compatible accessories to work together seamlessly, across platforms. Matter will allow you to choose from even more compatible smart home accessories and control them with the Home app and Siri on Apple devices. It will require tvOS 16 and an Apple TV or HomePod running as a home hub.
Apple Fitness+: With tvOS 16, at key moments in the workout, Intensity Metrics are called out and will appear on the screen for motivation. The intensities are Easy, Moderate, Hard, and All Out.
New Remote Control app: With iOS 16, when you open the Remote toggle from the Control Centre, Apple now opens an app so you can control your Apple TV.
Twitter user Sigmund Judge also shared a few of his findings while testing tvOS 16:
- Family members are now suggested as users in prompts within Control Centre;
- There’s a new option to choose between 24-hour and 12-hour format;
- There’s a new accessibility feature called Hover Text.
Wrap up
These are the features we found so far about tvOS 16 on Apple TV. The operating system works with all existing Apple TVs that support tvOS 15. We’ll let you know more once new betas are available.
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