Whilst browsing the App Store in desktop iTunes or via your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad, you now get a notation for iOS apps that are also available on the fourth-generation Apple TV, but that’s about it.
The iOS App Store, for example, doesn’t permit you to view screenshots of Apple TV apps nor does it provide version history or changelogs.
If you’re like me, you want to learn about any changes as your favorite Apple TV apps get updated so you don’t miss out on cool new features.
In this quick tutorial, you’ll learn how to browse recently updated apps on the Apple TV 4 and access official changelogs from developers which typically provide a treasure trove of information detailing new features, refinements, fixes and other items of interest.
How to access changelog for Apple TV app updates
Step 1: Launch App Store on your 4th generation Apple TV.
Step 2: Using the Touch surface on the Siri Remote, access your Purchased section in the top navigation bar.
Step 3: Now highlight Recently Updated in the lefthand column. This will populate your view with the most recently updated apps, sorted by date.
Step 4: In addition to the app icon, each item in the list gets a super-short excerpt taken from the full changelog, along with the current version number and the date the update was released in the store.
Step 5: For some apps, the changelog fits a few lines. If not, highlight the excerpt and press the Touch surface.
Step 6: This will take you to a scrollable view of the full changelog, listing everything that has been changed versus the previous version.
As you can see, I would have missed a bunch of useful information pertaining to Infuse’s most recent update had I not taken the extra step of opening the full changelog.
Can I disable automatic updates on Apple TV?
By default, third-party tvOS apps are automatically updated when new versions are released and I’m fine with that. On iOS, however, I prefer to update my apps manually.
To turn off automatic app updates, go to Settings → Apps → Automatically Update Apps and disable the feature. When automatic updates are disabled, you can select any tvOS app in the App Store to check if an update is available and manually update there.
Unlike the iOS App Store, apps on your Apple TV won’t let you access their changelogs from their App Store pages. On iOS, you just check out a What’s New section, right below the app description.
Furthermore, if you scroll down you’ll see a Version History section which provides a breakdown of every update since the app’s inception on the App Store along with complete changelog for each version.
We hope you like this little tip and will be making a habit of visiting the Purchased section to learn about enhancements in your updated Apple TV apps.