tvOS

198 'tvOS' stories September 2015 - December 2015

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App Store now mentions when iOS apps have Apple TV versions

Benjamin Mayo Dec 11 2015 - 10:22 am PT

Update: The feature now appears to have propagated correctly, as the codename identifier is no longer visible. The app now correctly lists ‘Apple TV: Yes’ in the description for universal apps that support Apple TV.

Apple is rolling out a way to see if an app in the App Store also has an Apple TV version. From this morning, App Store listings have included ‘SF.UniversalAppleTV’ labels. If present, it means that the app in question also has a universal Apple TV app available in the tvOS App Store.

Evidently, the feature is not fully baked and is in the process of rolling out. The label is clearly an internal identifier not meant to seen by the public. When the feature is fully rolled out, expect it the left column to simply say ‘Apple TV’ which matches the language used for Apple Watch compatibility.

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Just over a month in, there are 2600 Apple TV apps, most priced just like iPhone apps

Ben Lovejoy Dec 10 2015 - 7:06 am PT

The AppFigures blog has been running the numbers on Apple TV apps, are there are no great surprises. It found that there were 2,624 apps in the store at the time of writing (in line with Eddy Cue’s statement yesterday that there are “more than 2000”), and that the vast majority of them fall into the games and entertainment categories.

So far, at least, developers seem to be pricing them very much like iPhone apps, with $0.99 the most common price, and 85% of them costing no more than $2.99. One slight surprise, though, is that almost 40% of them are paid, rather than free or with in-app purchases.

TV apps are currently growing at the rate of a little under 500 apps per week. Have you got any favorites yet? If so, let us know in the comments.

As Apple TVs streaming package seems delayed, Pandora Radio comes to tvOS

Zac Hall Dec 9 2015 - 12:53 pm PT

There’s a lot happening around the new Apple TV in the news this week. Just yesterday Apple released the first feature update to the tvOS software with version 9.1, adding Siri support for Apple Music plus Apple’s Remote app now works for both navigating and text input. But recent reports claim Apple’s rumored web TV package has been stalled during the deal-making process between Apple and the content providers. And while the expected content bundle seems further off than what was previously expected, new content including Pandora Radio is continuing to launch on the new Apple TV…

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tvOS 9.1 is now available on the new Apple TV, Siri now plays Apple Music + Remote app works

Zac Hall Dec 8 2015 - 10:03 am PT

Apple today released tvOS 9.1 for the new Apple TV. Betas have included Siri support for controlling Apple Music, which Apple first said would be available for customers by early next year. Update: tvOS 9.1 does indeed add Siri support for Apple Music to all users. Apple’s Remote app also works with the new Apple TV for the first time. That means text input from iPhones and iPads will make setup much easier (and on par with older Apple TVs). watchOS 2.1 lets Apple Watch’s built-in Remote app work with new Apple TVs as a D-pad too.

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Infuse video playback app makes its way to the new Apple TV

Mark Gurman Dec 3 2015 - 10:00 am PT

Infuse, a popular video library and playback application for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, is making its way to tvOS on the new Apple TV today. As with its iOS counterpart, Infuse on the Apple TV will serve as a way for users to store multiple video file types in a single library.

The application can stream video content from a computer, external wireless storage drives as well as apps like Plex, Kodi, and Servioo. This differentiating feature is handy for users who want a single view of all their video content stored across numerous devices and services.

Because the tvOS version of Infuse is tied to the iOS counterpart, the download is free for users of Infuse 3 on iOS devices. The tvOS version is labeled as Infuse 4.0, and the iOS client will be upgraded to the new version later this year, the developers tell us.

Infuse 4.0 on tvOS (and in the upcoming iOS version) adds automatically downloaded artwork and movie ratings, support for syncing how far along a user is into a video between devices, and support for downloadable subtitles.

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Apple TV apps can now support Facebook login w/ the company’s new tvOS SDK

Chance Miller Nov 25 2015 - 4:44 pm PT

Facebook today has unveiled its own SDK for the new Apple TV’s tvOS. In a blog post on its Developers site, Facebook says that using the Facebook SDK on tvOS will allow developers to build “immersive” social experiences on the platform including tools like login, sharing, and analytics.

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Apple TV expands App Store categories beyond games and entertainment

Zac Hall Nov 24 2015 - 11:25 am PT

Apple TV users should notice several new App Store categories when browsing for new content on tvOS. After initially launching without a dedicated categories section live in late October, Apple pushed the new section to new Apple TVs without a software update earlier this month. The latest expansion brings the total number of tvOS app categories to seven, up from five initially, which should further improve new app discovery.
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Apple shares new video highlighting Watch ABC on new Apple TV

Chance Miller Nov 18 2015 - 3:51 pm PT

Yesterday, Apple uploaded a handful of new 15 second videos to its YouTube channel highlighting the various apps that its new tvOS-powered Apple TV supports. Apple shared videos showcasing apps Netflix, HBO NOW, Asphalt 8, Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition: Star Wars, and Crossy Road. Now, the company has shared one more video to YouTube highlighting Watch ABC on the new Apple TV.

The video features characters from popular ABC show The Muppets. The video ends with Apple briefly showing the Watch ABC app in the tvOS interface, followed by the same multicolor graphic that opens the video.

In the description of the video, Apple again touts that the future of TV is apps:

Watch ABC and your favorite shows and movies on Apple TV. The future of television is apps.

You can view the latest video from Apple below. It is likely that as the tvOS App Store continues to expand, Apple will continue to share videos like the ones it has posted over the past two days. Apple is pushing apps on the TV as a primary reason to upgrade to the fourth-generation Apple TV box, so it makes sense for the company to push the most popular apps available on the platform. The tvOS platform allows for developers to have more freedom in making applications than with previous generation Apple TV models.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMNpMIZ9xmQ

tvOS 9.1 beta 3 is now available on Apple TV for developers

Zac Hall Nov 18 2015 - 10:46 am PT

There’s a new software update awaiting Apple TV developers today. tvOS 9.1 beta 3 is now available for registered developers testing apps against the upcoming software update to Apple TV. The initial iOS 9.1 beta for developers was released a couple weeks ago, but no visual changes have surfaced yet aside from Siri support for Apple Music, which Apple promises will be available early next year for all Apple TV 4th-gen owners.
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Apple releases tvOS 9.1 beta 2 for Apple TV to developers

Zac Hall Nov 10 2015 - 10:33 am PT

One week after the first tvOS 9.1 beta for Apple TV, developers now have access to an updated build of the software update to test. While the initial tvOS 9.1 beta contained no visual changes for users yet, Siri has since been enabled to work with Apple Music on the beta version of the software. Non-developer Apple TV users also recently saw the very first software update for Apple TV yesterday with the release of tvOS 9.0.1, which likely focused on stability and bug fixes as no visual changes were discovered. tvOS 9.1 beta 2 for developers and available to download from Apple’s developer center.
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Promised Siri support for Apple Music on Apple TV already present in tvOS 9.1 beta [Video]

Ben Lovejoy Nov 10 2015 - 4:48 am PT

Apple recently confirmed that the Apple TV will get Siri support for Apple Music from the beginning of next year, and iDownloadBlog‘s Jeff Benjamin found that it’s already present in the beta of tvOS 9.1.

You can now direct the remote assistant to play any song or album directly from Apple Music, even if the song or album isn’t in your library. Siri can even search for songs on Apple Music, play Play Beats 1 radio, and more.

Benjamin demo’d the functionality in a video (below) …
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Apple releases first tvOS software update for the 4th-gen Apple TV

Zac Hall Nov 9 2015 - 10:04 am PT

Just days after its initial release, Apple has already prepared a software update for the new Apple TV. tvOS 9.0.1 is now available for the fourth-gen Apple TV as an over-the-air update through the Settings app. Most Apple TV users will have automatic updates enabled, but you can manually download the update by going to Settings, System, and Software Updates.
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Apple TV (2015) vs NVIDIA Shield Android TV – Comparison [Video]

Dom Esposito Nov 7 2015 - 9:58 am PT

Today we’re comparing the forth generation Apple TV to the NVIDIA Shield. These are quite possibly the two best set top boxes out right now. I won’t be going into every little detail here, but instead the things that are most important for myself. But before we get in-depth with either option, let’s take a look at specifications between the two…

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New Apple TV hacked to run makeshift Safari browser

Mike Beasley Nov 6 2015 - 10:40 am PT

A new YouTube video (embedded below) showing the first browser designed for the new Apple TV has been published. The app uses a private API to render web content, so it’s not likely you’ll be seeing it on the App Store any time soon, but the project is open source and can be downloaded by anyone.

The browser takes advantage of the Siri Remote bundled with the new Apple TV hardware to navigate websites. Pressing the glass surface on the remote switches between two modes.

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New Apple TV tvOS hacked to show iOS-like app folders

Chance Miller Nov 4 2015 - 6:02 pm PT

Apple released the first tvOS 9.1 beta to developers earlier this week, but it lacked the addition of one major feature many have been calling for: folder support on the homepage. Now, well-known developer Steve Troughton-Smith has discovered that out of the box, the tvOS user interface features “pretty complete” folder support…

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Apple releases first tvOS 9.1 beta for new Apple TV

Mark Gurman Nov 3 2015 - 10:16 am PT

Just a few days after the retail launch of the fourth-generation Apple TV set-top-box, Apple has seeded the first beta of the device’s first software update to developers. The new version, labeled tvOS 9.1, is available for download via the developer center, much like iOS and OS X betas have been seeded. The release notes for tvOS 9.1 indicate improvements coming to WiFi network compatibility, in-app-purchases for App Store apps, and improved scrolling. This update needs to be downloaded to a computer and then installed to the set-top-box via a USB Type-C cable. Apple today also seeded the second betas of iOS 9.2 and OS X 10.11.2 to developers.

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Apple TV App Store adds Top Charts section, confirms popularity of games

Chance Miller Nov 2 2015 - 5:33 pm PT

When the new Apple TV launched last week, one notable omission in the tvOS App Store were Top Charts like we are used to seeing on iOS devices. The obvious reason for this omission seemed to be that Apple didn’t have enough data collected to populate top charts, but now that appears to have changed…

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Early tvOS App Store sales charts show popularity of games, app prices substantially higher than iOS

Benjamin Mayo Nov 2 2015 - 2:59 am PT

The new Apple TV has been available for three days now, with response to the product generally strong with seemingly good sales, based off some talks with Apple Store employees. A big part of the appeal of Apple TV is the tvOS App Store. What you see above is Apple’s press image for the store: in reality the Top Charts and Categories are currently unaccessible. Developer Steve Troughton-Smith has worked around this by accessing the web chart data directly, by spoofing the Apple TV headers when making the request. He has posted the Apple TV US Top Paid, Top Free and Top Grossing charts as of yesterday. There’s some interesting trends in the data ….

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The 10 best Apple TV apps to grab on day one (and honorable mentions)

Jeremy Horwitz Oct 30 2015 - 7:05 am PT

After years of waiting, the Apple TV finally has its own App Store, and it’s already populated with a surprisingly large number of worthwhile apps and games. We’ve been testing them and looking to see what’s hot and not for day one Apple TV buyers, including some titles compatible with third-party Apple-authorized game controllers.

Here are 10 of our top early picks, plus some honorable mentions that you may want to grab anyway despite some early issues. There are even several games that support 3DTVs (which are now heavily discounted), a little-known feature of the new Apple TV…

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Apple TV apps now appearing in tvOS search as first units begin to ship

Mike Beasley Oct 29 2015 - 12:49 pm PT

The first Apple TV shipments have started rolling out to customers in preparation for the device’s launch later this week. As seen in the screenshot above, users are now seeing their shipment statuses updated on Apple’s website.

At the same time, Apple has now enabled users with pre-release hardware to search for and find tvOS apps, though the platform’s dedicated App Store has yet to officially launch…

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BBC iPlayer coming to the new Apple TV

Cam Bunton Oct 29 2015 - 2:08 am PT

Fellow Britons, the wait is almost over. iPlayer is finally making its way to the Apple TV. The BBC announced via its official Twitter handle that its popular catch-up and live-streaming service is making its way to the brand new Apple TV in the coming months. The company didn’t confirm exactly when the iPlayer app for new Apple TV would arrive, and from the looks of things, it won’t be coming to the current Apple TV. Although it doesn’t say explicitly that iPlayer won’t be coming to the 2nd and 3rd generation Apple TVs, the fact it states ‘new Apple TV’ suggests pretty strongly that it will only be on the new, 4th gen model.

[tweet https://twitter.com/BBCiPlayer/status/659641075624226816 align=’center’]

For UK Apple TV owners, the lack of a native iPlayer app has been a constant source of frustration. Right now, customers are forced to use AirPlay from their iPhones or iPads if they want to view iPlayer content on their Apple TVs. Once the app launches for tvOS, we’ll be able to put our iPhones and iPads down, and just watch great programming right from the Apple TV. More important than the convenience is that we’ll undoubtedly save precious battery life.

Apple asking developers to submit their tvOS apps ahead of Apple TV launch next week

Benjamin Mayo Oct 22 2015 - 2:23 am PT

A couple of hours ago, Apple sent out emails asking registered Apple developers to submit their tvOS apps for the Apple TV, using the GM seeds of tvOS and Xcode 7.1.

Although several thousand developer kits are out in the wild, the App Store app is yet to appear for these users. It may come online over-the-air and just ‘appear’ like Apple TV channels do, or there may be a small software update in the next few days to add the application.

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Apple releases watchOS 2.0.1 for Apple Watch with battery life improvements and other bug fixes, tvOS GM for Apple TV

Benjamin Mayo Oct 21 2015 - 10:10 am PT

Alongside updates to iOS and OS X, Apple has released watchOS 2.0.1 with a whole host of changes and bug fixes. As well as including the new emoji character set like Apple’s other operating systems, watchOS 2.0.1 includes bug fixes for poor battery life, stalling software updates, Calendar event syncing and much more.

It has also seeded developers with the Gold Master release of tvOS for Apple TV. We’ll update with any changes …

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Apple issues new tvOS build to developers, iOS 9.1 beta 4 to devs and public testers

Mike Beasley Oct 6 2015 - 10:00 am PT

Apple has pushed out the fourth beta version of the iOS 9.1 mobile OS update. The software is designed to fix bugs that appeared in the public build of 9.1 and introduce a few new features, like a larger emoji set and an option to disable contact photos in the Messages app.

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