At WWDC 2022 this week, Apple never mentioned Apple TV or tvOS during the keynote. Despite this, Apple will be releasing a new update for the set top box, with tvOS 16 with support for the Apple TV HD and Apple TV 4K models. The first beta release was made available to developers on Monday. A public beta will go live in July for everyone else.
There are five new features coming to the Apple TV with tvOS 16, including better support for apps that run between other Apple devices and the Apple TV, support for more game controllers and more.
With ‘Cross-device connectivity’ Apple is making the work of integrating apps from iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch with Apple TV easier, such as workouts, games and more. With games in mind, Apple is making sure more third party game controllers work with tvOS, this year the Nintendo Joy-Cons and Pro Controller are added.
Some televisions don’t support Dolby Vision, with the alternative being HDR10+, so with tvOS 16 Apple has added support for this.
Another good addition is user profiles. Third party apps such as Netflix and Prime Video have their own user management, with tvOS 16 individual profiles won’t need to be selected thanks to it being stored in a shared keychain.
