Apple TV 4

Infuse for Apple TV gains custom Favorites graphics, new zooming/sorting options and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 4, 2018

Infuse for Apple TV, a versatile media center app by aTV Flash Black developer FireCore, has received an update in the App Store today, bringing a bunch of welcome additions to the experience. No longer are those media folders you add to Infuse represented by generic icons: you can now add custom artwork to them, letting you pretty up Infuse's menu.

New zoom options have been added for removing encoded black bars, you can now sort your media by filename and rename or remove a Favorite by long-pressing its icon. Read on for the full list of changes in this edition of Infuse.

Steampunk-themed Grave Matters comes to Apple TV

Lory Gil ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

Grave Matters is a Steampunk themed graveyard adventure where players dig up energy cells while trying to avoid being dragged to the underworld by a nasty machinelike Steamborg. We reviewed the game over a year ago when it first launched.

The game's developer, Ideonic, recently made a special edition that is exclusive to Apple TV 4. This big-screen version has updated graphics, a new control system, and a new soundtrack, while still maintaining the same, fun mechanics of the original.

The ATV 4 version has all the same, wonderfully steampunky graphics as the iOS version. The cut scenes, which were some of my favorite parts, are just a beautiful on the television screen, but in a bigger and better way.

Emoji Party is like Heads Up! with emojis… and on Apple TV

Lory Gil ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

Whenever I'm in a crowded area, especially where there are long lines (think: Disneyland) I see dozens of people playing Heads Up! It is hugely popular and a fun way to pass the time when you are with a group of people.

Emoji Party is similar to Heads Up!, but instead of just words on the cards, the app also uses thousands of iconic emojis. If you are really good at making faces, you can help the guesser with recognizable emoji looks. The best part is that this game is compatible with tvOS, so you can get hours of charades fun right in your living room.

All-new iHeartRadio app coming to Apple TV soon with live stations and podcasts

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 5, 2016

iHeartRadio Media announced today at CES 2016 in Las Vegas that a whole new radio-streaming app will be coming to the fourth-generation Apple TV. In addition to a redesigned interface, it will allow users to experience all of the core elements of the service and let them access thousands of live and custom stations, including podcasts.

Both registered and unregistered users will be able to play live and custom radio stations, view For You recommendations, save favorite stations to a brand new My Favorites Radio feature and more, all from the comfort of their couch.

Apple TV expands universal search integration to PBS and PBS Kids

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 3, 2016

Apple's begun allowing developers to implement tvOS's universal search features in their Apple TV apps, beginning with PBS. As first noted by AppleInsider, Siri content queries now produce deep links from both the PBS and PBS Kids apps.

For instance, a Siri query for a PBS show called “Curious George” brings up the regular search results page with a brand new PBS Kids app option alongside the usual iTunes and Netflix choices.

Patents hint that broadcast TV and presence detection features may be coming to Apple TV

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 28, 2015

Apple is researching a pair of interesting new features to give its fourth-generation Apple TV some new smarts and make the box more TV-like. Titled “User detection by a computing device” and “Input device & user interface interactions”, these inventions outline a fresh new user interface for changing channels on an iOS device and a presence-aware remote to keep playing content as long as someone is in the room.

The best apps and games for new Apple TV users

Lory Gil ∙ Updated April 19, 2018

If Santa (or maybe your hard-working, thoughtful spouse) brightened your holiday with Apple's fourth-generation set-top box this year, you've got a big surprise in store for you. Not only can you watch your favorite movies and television shows from such apps as Netflix, Hulu Plus, and HBO Go, but Apple TV 4 has also been updated with its own App Store full of interesting content for your big screen.

If you just unwrapped a new Apple TV and are wondering where to start, we've created a list of the 10 best apps and games for new users.

How to install Kodi on the new Apple TV 4

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 19, 2018

It's been a while in the making, but it is now possible to install Kodi on tvOS. Granted, this is a very early tutorial, and Kodi for Apple TV 4 is still in the pre-pre-alpha stages, but it does work, although not perfectly yet.

Still, the fact that we can even get Kodi on the Apple TV without jailbreaking is a win in itself. In this video tutorial, I'll show you how to install Kodi on the new Apple TV running tvOS.

Disney-funded Littlstar brings immersive 360-degree video to Apple TV

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 23, 2015

A Disney-backed virtual reality company, Littlstar, today launched an app for Apple's fourth-generation Apple TV box that lets users immerse themselves in a wide range of 360 video content from well-known brands, such as Showtime, Disney, Discovery, Fusion, PBS, Mountain Dew, National Geographic and Red Bull.

The app lets users control the videos’ angles using the Touch surface on the Siri Remote. Just like Littlstar’s other apps on the web, mobile and in virtual reality headsets (like the Samsung Gear VR), their Apple TV app lets your rotate videos in full 360 degrees.

VLC launches full support for iOS 9, watchOS 2, SMB and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 9, 2016

Cross-platform media player by VideoLAN, called VLC, has been rewritten from the ground up for watchOS 2. And on the iOS side, VLC comes with many new features.

VLC plays a variety of video/audio files in non-iOS-friendly formats without conversion, including MKV movies.

The app also includes support for multiple audio tracks with 5.1 surround sound and subtitle tracks. In addition, VLC for iOS has dropped support for iOS 6.1 and now requires an iPhone, iPod touch or iPad with iOS 7.0+.

UPDATE: The post originally stated that VLC is now available on the new Apple TV. Regrettably, that announcement was an oversight on part of VideoLAN, which has since removed mentions of the Apple TV app from their release notes.

How to access changelog for Apple TV app updates

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 8, 2023

In this quick tutorial, you'll learn how to browse recently updated apps on your Apple TV and access official changelogs from developers, which typically provide a treasure trove of information detailing new features, refinements, fixes, and other information.

BBC iPlayer now available on Apple TV 4

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 6, 2017

BBC iPlayer, the on-demand application for watching live television channels and exclusive content from BBC, is now available on the 4th generation Apple TV.

“Christmas is a popular time for viewers to come to BBC iPlayer, as they unwrap new devices and browse and discover the BBC’s fantastic Christmas programs,” said iPlayer chief Dan Taylor-Watt.

“With the launch of iPlayer on new Apple TV, I’m delighted we've been able to give people another way of accessing the full breadth and range of BBC programs.”