Apple TV gains Pandora app, but tvOS 9.1 still lacks Bluetooth keyboard support

Image Credit: MacRumors

The new Pandora app eschews the service's normal interface for a grid-based layout consistent with tvOS design. A menu bar up top lets users quickly switch between Now Playing, My Stations, Create Station, and Account tabs.

Exploiting the greater screen space, album art is also featured more prominently. The Now Playing tab offers standard options for voting on a song or skipping it, as well as track information and a progress bar.

Pandora is already one of the most popular streaming music services in the world, and first place in the U.S., but could cement its hold through its recent takeover of Rdio, which will allow it to launch on-demand streaming on top of radio stations.

Bluetooth keyboards in absentia

AppleInsider can confirm that the fourth-generation Apple TV still doesn't support pairing a Bluetooth keyboard, even though the option was present on the third-generation set-top.

Typing has been one of the more frequent complaints about the new hardware, since tvOS' onscreen keyboard is separated into two rows at best and forces users to scroll back and forth repeatedly if they're using the Siri Remote. Voice commands don't work in all circumstances on the device, such as entering a password.

The tvOS 9.1 update did however restore compatibility with the iOS Remote app, allowing much faster text input via an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.