Malcolm Owen
Apple has released an update bringing the Apple TV up to tvOS 12.2.1, one which is a maintenance release that fixes issues but does not add any new features to the operating system.
Apple originally released tvOS 12.2 on March 25, following six beta releases. The update, issued on Wednesday, arrives 17 days after the last publicly-released version for the set-top streaming device.
The release notes advise the update to tvOS 12.2.1 is purely introducing bug fixes and various performance improvements. It is believed there are no major or minor changes to the software, outside of making it run with fewer issues.
The update is also unusual as it did not pass through the usual beta process before its release. Apple has not specified what exactly the patch fixes.
The tvOS 12.2 release before the latest update introduced very few changes, with the main alteration being the ability to ask Siri from an iOS device to play content on the Apple TV.
Apple is currently beta testing tvOS 12.3, which recently saw its second build become available for testing by developers and members of the public. For that version, Apple is incorporating changes to the TV app, laying the groundwork for Apple TV Channels and the Apple TV+ services, with the iOS 12.3 beta having similar additions.
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10 Comments
Performance is absolutely the AppleTV’s (several versions) downfall. I frequently have to back out of a movie or TV show details page click because of the infinite spinner. Not occasionally—every day. It’s not a network issue: streaming is perfect and non-Apple apps work beautifully. But Movies and TV Shows lag/hang like 1990s internet. It’s absolutely maddening.
I have experienced Apple TV4k freezing when I changed the audio output in Settings. I have also seen an infinite spinner in Infuse 6 and blamed it on Infuse. Now it seems the culprit was tvOS 12.2
Unlike the other two earlier posters, my 3rd gen ATV has been a solid performer. I do on rare occasion get a single channel that will stop responding but in almost all cases, I can trace the spinner back to internet issues. I do have mine connected via Gig-E cable.
The one nagging problem I have is that while Airplay used to be persistent once set (ie between uses going into standby), several releases ago the behavior changed such that it for whatever reason, the ATV says it is unable to connect to the previously set Airplay device, yet, it will immediately connect to it when I make the change either thru the settings or the shortcut (ie hold play/pause while in main menu). The Airplay device is an original design Airport Express used solely to feed audio into an original Apple HiFI speaker (used on a second TV). The sound out of the old HiFi speaker is still amazing!
This update really did not want to behave well. The first attempt at download failed, the 2nd attempt it failed while "preparing" on the 3rd time, it finally installed properly. NO clue what was going on.
Update took three minutes here. No issues and none of the problems described by the first two posters.
I am having one issue that seems to be new with the update. When playing YouTube videos with the video going to my tv and the audio,going to my Homepod, I consistently hear a pause in the sound a few seconds after the video starts. I played the same videos with the sound going to the tv and there is no pause in the sound.