The hallmark feature of last year’s tvOS 17 update was FaceTime support on the Apple TV 4K. For the first time, you could FaceTime using the largest screen in your home.
Now, tvOS 18 is set to take greater advantage of that large screen with one key new feature.
Live Captions coming to FaceTime
Apple is bringing Live Captions to FaceTime on the Apple TV 4K. This means that everything said on a FaceTime call will be presented as a live, running transcript on your TV screen.
This feature will be particularly helpful for anyone who is hard of hearing or deaf. In mixed households especially, where some household members may have a harder time hearing than others, Live Captions could be a great way to make FaceTime calls more accessible for the entire household. It may also just prove a nice addition for any user looking to make better use of their TV’s huge display during a call.
Top comment by Mainframe
FaceTime on Apple TV has been an awesome feature so far. Love that I just put phone up on a stand on the entertainment center and talk to family. Let’s me continue to do chores around the house while ensuring I’m still in frame with center stage.
Sometimes the transferring of FaceTime from iPhone to Apple TV sometimes fails. But over all still reliable.
One feature I do wish Apple would add is an actual karaoke feature, not just vocal ducking. Allow us to connect a Bluetooth microphone or use the remote microphone to broadcast our voice though the speakers. Just singing without any feedback isn’t as fun as a dedicated karaoke machine. Also it would be cool if they could add a point system too like karaoke machines. For my Filipino family that would make the Apple TV the ultimate entertainment device.
Live Captions for FaceTime are also coming to the Vision Pro in visionOS 2, and it’s nice to see the feature extended to the Apple TV.
Supported devices and territories
Due to the processing requirements needed to power the feature, Live Captions for FaceTime will require an Apple TV 4K 2nd generation or later, with older Apple TV models unable to support it.
The feature will at first only be available in English in the U.S. and Canada, but should expand to other languages and countries in the future.
Do you use FaceTime on your Apple TV? What new features do you hope it will add in the future? Let us know in the comments.
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