During the last edition of WWDC that Apple organized at Apple Park in California, we saw a lot of news related to new versions of operating systems that are still to come, see iOS 16, iPadOS 16 or macOS 13 Ventura.
However, little or nothing was said during the two hours that the opening speech opening event, about tvOS and the company’s plans for its current Apple TV devices.
We now know that the biggest changes to come tvOS 16 this fall are modest improvements to the user profile, exercise tracking that appears on the screen associated with the Fitness+ Membership and a way for iPhone apps to display related information on the TV.
For all current users of AppleTV 4K, as is my case, this seems like bad news, since for the Material what the device has inside, it is clear that Apple is not getting the most out of the product.
Next, we wanted to tell you everything we’d like to see Apple implement on its Apple TV via tvOS, once the company takes the product much more seriously.
Apps in the App TV Store
Today, the Apple TV 4K comes with two home screens. By default, clicking the home button takes you to the Apple TV app, which includes a row of movies and shows followed by suggestions on what to watch next.
Clicking the home button a second time takes you to a more traditional app grid, where you can launch apps for streaming services individually.
This somewhat bifurcated approach can be confusing, which is why Apple should also include an app launcher in the TV app. A single queue for your favorite apps would also help clear up the interface.
I’m not saying the app grid should go away, and I’m not saying the TV app should be completely ignored, but Apple TV should make it clear that the TV app is the best place to start using the device .
A more precise content grid
The Apple TV app has a section for live and upcoming sporting events, but sometimes you just want to see what’s happening on your favorite channel (news, sports, or whatever) without launching the app first.
To that end, Apple should take note of the Google TV and Fire TV page when it comes to offering a live TV guide to your home screen, letting you preview what’s happening on services like Sling. TV, Hulu + Live TV or Fubo TV. .
The Apple TV 4K is such a fast and powerful digital streaming player that it could have the best lineup of content that’s about to happen, with greater responsiveness when it comes to the ability to stream. user to inform and consult each event.
Enable the “Picture in Picture” option
The ‘Picture-in-picture’ option is one of Apple TV’s biggest differentiators, allowing you to display videos or playbacks in a thumbnail view, while you can browse other videos or just play to games in a different application.
So why isn’t Apple building the future on this? In addition to the picture-in-picture option, Apple could offer Split View, similar to what’s available on the iPad, or it could let users save their favorite apps for quicker access.
Even better, it seems to me that Apple might allow users to start picture-in-picture modes with commands from siri voicebuilding on what is already a powerful voice assistant for mobile and TV.
Simultaneous audio on speakers and headphones
The Apple TV audio source selector should allow us to choose between the possibility of using headphones or speakers and driving them simultaneously.
And it’s that Apple TV already has a great interface for routing TV audio to Bluetooth headphones, AirPods there AirPlay altavoces external. You can even select multiple AirPlay-enabled speakers to play audio simultaneously.
However, if you try to play audio from speakers and headphones at the same time, it just won’t work. I suspect people with hearing loss would like this ability to turn up the volume as needed.
Apple is in the best position for this to happen, as it has control of the Apple TV device, as well as the ability to manage the capabilities of its playback devices, aided by the H1 or similar smart chip.
Netflix as a ‘continuation player’
The absence of the video platform in diffusion netflix in the Apple TV app is still a big nuisance for most users who have an account for this service.
If you want to see what’s on Netflix or even resume a show you’re already watching, you always have to go back to Apple’s grid guide to launch the actual Netflix app without its content being indexable.
This is probably Netflix’s fault, as other universal guides also have limitations on viewing Netflix content. But if GoogleTV may still include Netflix content in its content lineup, Apple TV should be able to do the same.
maybe next year
The new version of tvOS 16 it is not devoid of useful functions, as it has acquired a whole set of functions from previous versions. Concretely, applications will be able to take advantage of Apple TV’s support for user profiles, which will allow them to automatically connect to a specific user.
HDR10+ support is also a new addition that’s now handy for compatible TVs, along with greater interaction between iPhones and Apple TV that could lead to some interesting use cases.
However, none of these features help with the foundations we’ve laid that would allow the AppleTV to be a better product in terms of user experience and inclusion. We can only hope that tvOS 17 is able to do better.
If you’re considering upgrading your Apple TV, check out our Apple TV buying guide: Which one to buy?
Article produced by Jared Newman and published in TechHiveFoundry publication.
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