Apple announced several new updates for its popular platforms, including iOS 17, iPadOS 17, watchOS 10, and macOS Sonoma, during its WWDC 2023 Keynote event. The company also refreshed its Mac Pro and Mac Studio devices with the new M2 Ultra chips, and Apple unveiled the Vision Pro AR/VR headset, a new 15-inch MacBook Air,
The latest tvOS 17 update brings a few new features to the already well-established platform, and introduces new ways to communicate, support for VPNs and the Find My Network, Dolby Vision 8.1 support, new Apple Fitness+ plans, and other enhancements. The new features are great, although there’s not a whole lot to cover, so we’ll try to keep it short.
tvOS 17: Release Date & Supported Devices
The tvOS 17 developer beta is already available for users, and the public beta will be available in July. The tvOS 17 update will roll out later “this fall” as a free software update, and it’ll be available for the Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD streaming devices.
Supported devices:
- Apple TV HD (2015)
- Apple TV 4K (1st Generation, 2017)
- Apple TV 4K (2nd Generation, 2021)
- Apple TV 4K (3rd Generation, 2022)
FaceTime
The FaceTime app is coming to Apple TV devices, and users will be able to make calls directly from their streaming devices. Call can be started from an iPhone and iPad and handed off to Apple TV. The streaming box will use Continuity Camera to support the wireless connection between iPhones and iPads, and it’ll rely on the handheld smartphone or tablet to provide the microphone and camera. All participants will appear on the TV, making the experience seamless.
Center Stage will be supported, and Split View will let users watch TV shows and movies during SharePlay sessions. Third-party apps will also be supported, and Apple announced that Webex by Cisco and Zoom would launch on tvOS later this year.
Control Center
The new Control Center will make it easier for users to access key settings and information on a single screen. The new Control Center will display the system status, including the time, the active profile, and other key features and icons. The panel can be expanded to display more information, such as additional and added profiles.
Locate Siri Remote
tvOS 17 will make it easier than ever to find mislocated Siri Remotes. The new OS will enable users to find their Siri Remote using an iPhone. When a user gets closer to the remote, the onscreen circle will grow in size to guide the movement.
Using the iPhone as a remote device, Apple TV will automatically switch to the person’s profile, providing access to all recently watched shows, personalized recommendations, purchases, and more. It’ll be one less step to get on and start binge-watching movies and TV shows.
Screen Saver
The Screen Saver feature has received a slight enhancement, and it now allows users to use curated Memories from their personal libraries, shared libraries, or both. tvOS 17 comes with new aerial screensavers featuring Arizona’s Monument Valley and California’s coastal redwoods.
Other features coming to tvOS 17
- Enhance Dialogue, which lets users more clearly hear what is being said over the effects, action, and music in a movie or TV show on Apple TV 4K paired with HomePod (2nd generation) by separating the dialogue from the background noise and bringing it forward to the center channel.
- Dolby Vision 8.1 support, which offers Apple TV 4K users a more cinematic visual experience with dynamic metadata over a broader range of movies and TV shows.
- Apple Fitness+ enhancements, including Custom Plans, a new way for Fitness+ users to receive a custom workout or meditation schedule based on day, duration, workout type, and more; Stacks, which allows users to select multiple workouts and meditations to seamlessly do back to back; and Audio Focus, which gives users the ability to prioritize the volume of the music or the trainers’ voices.
- Third-party VPN support, which enables developers to create VPN apps for Apple TV. This can benefit enterprise and education users wanting to access content on their private networks, allowing Apple TV to be a great office and conference room solution in even more places.