Andrew O'Hara
Despite no stage time at WWDC, Apple TV's tvOS 16 is still getting some new features this fall. We walk you through all of the changes you can expect to see on your devices.
More gaming
Gaming seemed to be a renewed focus for Apple this year at WWDC. During the macOS section of the keynote, Apple touted new games coming to the Mac as well as the all-new Metal 3.
On Apple TV, it had at least a couple of worthwhile additions. The biggest of which is support for many additional Bluetooth gaming controllers. That's a bit nebulous and Apple doesn't specify all the newly-supported controllers but it at least opens the door.
The one set of controllers Apple does point out is from Nintendo. Both the Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons and Pro Controller are supported with tvOS 16.
Smart home
Another change with tvOS 16 will be full support of Matter. Matter is a new unifying smart home stand that will allow certified products to work across HomeKit, Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and Samsung SmartThings among others.
Apple had initially supported it in beta with tvOS 15, but it wasn't available to consumers. Matter is scheduled to release this fall and Apple is ready with tvOS 16.
Visually, there isn't anything new with HomeKit or Matter support but Matter devices will be available to be controlled through the Apple TV and Apple's Control Center interface.
Cross-device compatibility
Another feature mentioned by Apple that is still a bit vague is improved support for cross-device compatibility. Here's how Apple describes it:
Integrate your tvOS app with your iOS, iPadOS, or watchOS app to unlock new experiences on Apple TV.
Apple is already using a version of this itself with Apple Fitness. It's how it pairs with your Apple Watch at the beginning of a workout. During a WWDC session, Apple went into further detail and gave some examples of how this could work.
Workout apps could deliver more personalized workout experiences and improved metrics by using motion data from Apple Watch. Video player apps can include timelines or real-time accompanying data on an iPhone or iPad as media plays. Or developers could create a second-screen experience for on iPhone as you play games on Apple TV, such as displaying maps.
Other changes and improvements
Other changes are a bit more minor. In the TV app, there are new rich video previews for Apple TV+ originals to boost discovery. Intensity levels are now called out on-screen during Apple Fitness+ workouts that vary from easy, to moderate, to hard, to all-out.
Additional family members are now suggested inside of Control Center. Under Settings > General there is a new toggle for 24 or 12 hour time formats. Accessibility has a new Hover Text option.
Finally, Apple added new SwiftUI elements for developers. New custom button styles and effects can improve the look, feel, and use of third-party apps.
Initially, tvOS 16 boasted support for HDR10+ but in the days following WWDC, these mentions have been removed. This could signal the removal of the planned feature or a delay to a future release.
Coming soon
Apple says tvOS 16 will support:
- Apple TV fourth gen
- Apple TV HD
- Apple TV 4K
- Apple TV 4K second gen
At the moment, tvOS 16 is currently in developer beta. A public beta is scheduled to be released in July before a full release this fall. Stay tuned to AppleInsider as we walk through more features for Apple's upcoming software updates.
William Gallagher
Christine McKee
AppleInsider Staff
Chip Loder
Malcolm Owen
17 Comments
Assuming they care, they could have had a short 15 minute run down of everything at least.
And Apple TV 4K 2nd gen was outdated the day it came out. Hope they announce something with a modern chip September.
My prediction:
1. Apple will keep focusing having the TV app on as many major smart TV’s as possible to ensure mass access to their services.
2. Apple will sunset the Apple TV hardware
3. Apple will introduce a gaming / smart home hub / TV device with an M2 Pro for serious gaming power and wide controller support
4. In conjunction with (3) Apple will announce major exclusive partnerships with gaming studios to attract AAA gaming titles.(Or: AppleTV keeps being a ‘hobby project’)
Trouble with that Mr Freeze is there needs to be a low end streamer as well for anyone not into games and with a TV more than two years old. Which is a very large number of people. And it would require Apple to actually be interested in games.
I suspect the ATV 4K looks great on that Samsung monitor. An example of why Apple needs to be a tad more flexible in its resolution setting for its MacOS and ipadOS devices.