The Apple TV will get an upcoming tvOS update this fall that will bring the home entertainment device a little closer to Apple’s promise that apps will be the future of TV. This includes support for Sling TV, a service offered by Dish and marketed to cordcutters willing to pay $20 monthly for an internet-based cable subscription.
Other new features in the next version of tvOS include homekit integration, synced App Store downloads between the iOS and tvOS App Stores, and expanded Siri functionality.
However, the biggest new feature in the upcoming tvOS update (and iOS 10!) will solve a problem dear to the heart of anyone who uses an Apple TV on a daily basis: Single Sign-on. This will allow Apple TV users to input the cable account login credentials needed to access video tvOS apps such as Comedy Central, HBO, Showtime, ABC and more just once.
This will go hand-in-hand with the Live Tune-in feature Apple has publicized lately, which allows Siri to open up the the live broadcast of a network, such as ESPN, via voice commands.
Regarding homekit integration, Apple has unveiled plans to make the Apple TV the command and control center accessing smart home operations. Why? Well, as Apple explained during the WWDC announcement, the Apple TV is always plugged in, always on and always connected to a network, rendering it the perfect switchboard for remotely dialing back home.
Synced App Store downloads will resolve some of the hassle that comes from reading about a tvOS app on the web, and actually installing it on the Apple TV, while Siri will be expanded to include YouTube as a search source for voice commands.
A new dark mode will be included in the upcoming tvOS, to cut down on visual eyestrain brought upon by the brightly colored UI in a dark room setting, and a revamped Apple TV Remote App has been announced as well.
What do you think about the new tvOS update? Excited, or disappointed? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!
