Apple ships tvOS 18 with new screen savers, improved subtitles, and more

While it's typically true that tvOS doesn't get the same robust yearly updates as iOS or macOS, Apple has brought big changes to its set-top box for the second year in a row.

InSight

Designed to function like Amazon's X-ray feature in the Prime Video App, InSight lets you see more info about the on-screen actors.

If an actor is on screen, they'll show up in InSight, allowing you to see additional information about the actor. This can include details about the actors and characters, background details, and filmography pages. Additionally, Apple allows you to identify the music being played and add it to an Apple Music playlist.

Currently, InSight is only available for Apple TV+ original movies and shows. We expect the feature to expand to other services.

Audio improvements and accessibility

This year, many of Apple's operating systems have gained new features powered by Apple Intelligence, including a handful of tvOS features, too. One such feature is the dialog enhancement feature.

While the feature existed previously, Apple Intelligence has now boosted it. This enables even better separation of dialog from background audio. The feature is also not limited to the HomePod lineup but to any connected speaker or even AirPods.

If the standard dialog enhancement feature isn't enough, a new option called Boost helps to separate dialog even more. And if that's still not enough, an accessibility option called "isolate" can be toggled on in tvOS's Accessibility settings.

Subtitles have gotten smarter, too. Now, when a user scrolls backward in the timeline, subtitles will be enabled for the duration they've skipped backward. If a user mutes the Apple TV, subtitles automatically appear on the screen.

FaceTime has also gained subtitles that will be live transcribed at the bottom of the screen, making it easier to understand friends and family while chatting.

SharePlay updates

Users can collaboratively create Apple Music playlists on Apple TV now. It works by playing music in the Apple Music app and selecting the SharePlay icon in the lower-right corner. A QR code will appear on-screen for others to scan.

The primary user must have an active subscription to Apple Music, but collaborators do not.

Screensavers

A new Snoopy and Woodstock screensaver has reached the Apple TV. The pair of classic characters drift through space, sit on the doghouse, and get into other mischief.

A new Portrait screensaver blends your photos with the current time, just like the Portrait face on Apple Watch. You'll be able to select people, cities, or nature.

And a new Movies and TV screensaver shows scenes from Apple's original content. You can expect panoramic space shots from Foundation among Apple's other properties.

Smaller updates

With tvOS 18, users can choose five or six icons in each row on the Home Screen. When five are chosen, the icons are larger and easier to see.

For the first time, Apple TV supports a 21:9 aspect ratio, which is commonly used with home cinema projectors.

You can now specify which of your devices is your preferred Home hub. This used to be done automatically; sometimes, you'd find that your oldest Apple TV or HomePod on the fringes of your network has been set as your default Home Hub, hurting performance.

Siri has moved on-device for certain tasks, though Apple hasn't disclosed which are run locally and which run in the cloud. It seems likely that many that have to do with your device or the home are carried out without having to hit a remote server.