In addition to releasing a third beta of iOS 10 for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch to members of the Apple Developer Program, Apple on Monday morning also released a third beta of tvOS 10 for developer testing. tvOS 10 beta 3 (build “14T5296d”) can be deployed on fourth-generation Apple TVs that have an appropriate configuration profile installed and are running a prior beta of tvOS 10.
Aside from Single Sign-On for pay-TV apps and other new features and enhancements, tvOS 10 brings expanded Siri capabilities to the fourth-generation Apple TV, including searching across even more apps, YouTube search, topic search and tuning right into live channels.
Both existing and new Siri features will be available in four new new countries when tvOS 10 launches this fall. Here's our detailed preview along with a video hands-on of the above Siri features coming to your big screen via tvOS 10.
In addition to releasing a second beta of iOS 10 for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, Apple today issued a second beta of the tvOS 10 operating system powering the fourth-generation Apple TV. tvOS 10 beta 2 (build number “14T5284d”) is available on the fourth-generation Apple TVs that run a prior beta as an over-the-air download in Settings → System → Software Updates → Update Software.
A software replacement for the physical remote that came in the box with your fourth-generation Apple TV, Apple's entirely overhauled Remote application provides you with the full range of Siri Remote features complete with touch navigation, tilt-based control in games and voice input via Siri.
And in making tedious text entry on tvOS even easier than before, the new app lets you summon the keyboard right from the Lock screen of your iPhone by pressing a notification that automatically gets pushed every time you select a text field on the Apple TV.
In addition to helping you manage your HomeKit accessories remotely through the fourth-generation Apple TV, tvOS 10 beta also packs in expanded support for a wider variety of Bluetooth accessories. It's interesting that after connecting an accessory to the Apple TV, tvOS 10 puts up a prompt offering a user to download a companion App Store app.
The same hardware accessories download prompt first appeared on the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch following the iOS 3 software update back in September 2009, but this is the first time we've seen it implemented on tvOS.
Apple has dropped the requirement for tvOS games to use the Siri Remote, according to a refreshed version of the official Game Controller Programming Guide. With this change in place, games for the fourth-generation Apple TV are now permitted to require a 'Made for iOS' (MFi) controller without needing to also support the Siri Remote.
Today is a big day for Apple fans from around the world as the Cupertino firm telegraphed some interesting changes coming to its software platforms, among them tvOS, the operating system that powers the fourth-generation Apple TV. tvOS 10 is available now as a developer-only preview and everyone else will be permitted to install it on their set-top box this coming fall, said Apple.
In addition to iOS 10 and watch OS 3, Apple also unveiled tvOS 10 with an all-new Remote app during the WWDC 2016 keynote at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco. Here are some of the things you're going to like in tvOS 10.