During its 2023 WWDC keynote address, Apple today announced tvOS 17. Now, tvOS obviously doesn’t have as high a profile as Apple’s other platforms, like iOS or macOS, but the update does bring about some significant new features and improvements, such as FaceTime and video conferencing, an all-new Control Center, and more.
FaceTime
Easily the most noteworthy new feature of tvOS 17 is its support for FaceTime. Bringing video conferencing to the biggest screen in the home has long been a dream of Apple and users alike, and now it’s coming to fruition. It accomplishes this via its Continuity Camera feature, which uses the camera on your iPhone or iPad to wireless stream video calls to your Apple TV. Users can initiate calls from their iOS devices, or directly on Apple TV, and it even uses Center Stage to keep everyone in the room perfectly framed on screen. And with the new Split View feature, users can enjoy watching shows or movies with their loved ones during a SharePlay session, while also seeing their real-time reactions on FaceTime.
Apple Music Sing
It’s not quite a full-blown karaoke app, but Apple Music Sing is a new feature for Apple TV that lets users sing along to their favorite tracks. Lyrics to their chosen song will appear on screen, animated along to the music, and using the Continuity Camera feature, users can even see themselves performing on screen, customized with entertaining filters. Apple doesn’t offer a lot of details here, and maybe there’s nothing more to add right now, but this feels like this could be a significant new feature if fleshed out a bit.
New Control Center
The new Control Center on Apple TV makes it easier for users to access key settings and information from anywhere within tvOS. CC now displays system status, including the time and current active profile, as well as other helpful details based on the user’s activity. So if you’re using AirPods paired with the Apple TV, you would be able to see their battery life status, and quickly access settings for them such as Spatial Audio.
Find My Siri Remote
tvOS 17 strengthens the integration of Apple TV and iPhone with the ability to locate the Siri Remote. Users can launch the Apple TV remote app from within the Control Center on their iPhone, and use it to locate their Siri Remote (second generation or later). Similar to other Find My products, as the user gets closer to their Remote, an onscreen circle grows in size to guide their movement.
Additional tvOS 17 features
- Auto-switching to your profile when using your iPhone to wake up Apple TV
- Screen saver enhancements such as a new curated Memories option and new stunning aerial locations
- Dolby Vision 8.1 support
- Enhanced Dialogue to more clearly hear what is being said when paired with a 2nd gen HomePod
- Apple Fitness+ enhancements including Custom Plans, Stacks, Audio Focus, and more
- Third-Party VPN support
Availability
The tvOS 17 beta is available to developers today, and will be available to public testers next month. The public release will land this fall as a free software update for Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD.