Beats Music comes to Apple TV alongside flat user interface, iOS 8 integrations

Apple iOS devices weren't the only products to receive updates Wednesday, as the company also rolled out new software for the Apple TV that brings a flatter user interface, a new Beats Music app, and support for Family Sharing.

Beats Music allows users to sign up for a 14-day free trial directly from the Apple TV, configuring their favorite genres and artists much like the flow on the iOS app. USer-centric curation largely matches the iOS app as well, though Beats's famous "The Sentence" feature is missing.

Also arriving is support for Family Sharing. With the feature, users can access songs and movies purchased or rented with any Apple ID associated with the set-top streamer.

The updated UI was first spotted early last month. Each of the default icons has been reworked with a more modern veneer, eschewing the now-defunct iOS "gloss" effects for a matte appearance, and the background starburst effect has given way to gradients that match those found in iOS 8.

The pictographs themselves have also been made more sleek. The "Settings" icon underwent the most radical change, gaining the same nested gears icon found in Apple's newest mobile and desktop operating systems.

Apple TV version 6.2.1 is available now as an over-the-air update from the Apple TV's Settings menu. Unfortunately, the new UI and Beats Music app appear to be limited to the third-generation Apple TV.