tvOS 9.2 beta 1 adds support for app folders, Bluetooth keyboards

The upcoming tvOS 9.2 update for the fourth-generation Apple TV adds a number of new capabilities for the fresh platform, including the ability to stow apps in folders on the home screen, and to connect a Bluetooth keyboard for easier text entry.

The release notes for the first beta of tvOS 9.2 reveal that Bluetooth keyboard support is now baked into the operating system. tvOS 9.2 is currently available to developers for testing ahead of a public release.

The notes accompanying tvOS 9.2 also reveal that users will be able to group apps in folders on the home screen. Though the new Apple TV shipped without support for folders, developers found evidence in the tvOS code that app folders were in the works.

tvOS 9.2 also includes support for MapKit, allowing developers to utilize Apple's mapping tools for their third-party Apple TV apps.

Apple has also changed the user interface of its app switcher feature in tvOS 9.2. Users can invoke the app switcher by double-pressing the home button on the Siri remote.

With tvOS 9.2, Siri voice support has also been added for U.S. Spanish and French Canadian. In the U.K., Siri support for U.K. English, Australian English, and U.S. English are also available.

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29 Comments

daven

said about 8 years ago

Nice additions. I could see this being quite useful in Zillow and many travel apps. Search for a location or point on a map to find prices and travel deals.

lkrupp

said about 8 years ago

One by one the most bitched about features (or lack thereof) are being dealt with. For me it’s just icing on the cake. I have been thrilled with my ATV4 since I took one home on the day they were released.

ericthehalfbee

said about 8 years ago

lkrupp said:

One by one the most bitched about features (or lack thereof) are being dealt with. For me it’s just icing on the cake. I have been thrilled with my ATV4 since I took one home on the day they were released.

This would be expected by anyone with common sense. You'd have to be a complete idiot (or a hater) to not realize Apple would be adding new features regularly.

wood1208

said about 8 years ago

ericthehalfbee said:

lkrupp said:

One by one the most bitched about features (or lack thereof) are being dealt with. For me it’s just icing on the cake. I have been thrilled with my ATV4 since I took one home on the day they were released.

This would be expected by anyone with common sense. You'd have to be a complete idiot (or a hater) to not realize Apple would be adding new features regularly.

Give the commentator some slack. I myself was happy to see BT or USB Type-C keyboard support as Siri didn't take my input for keyboard input. We all know overtime Apple will add more features that we want/ask for and we may not know but happy/surprised to see.But, we have to agree this was fast update for tvos coming from Apple and I thank for.