tvOS 9.0 Code Hints at iOS-Like Folder Support for New Apple TV [Updated]

Developer Steve Troughton-Smith has explored the code and found that HeadBoard, tvOS' UI, includes support for folders. Yesterday, Apple seeded the first beta of tvOS 9.1 to developers, the first software update to tvOS 9.0.

AppleTVfolders

Image via Steve Troughton-Smith

Folders on tvOS currently work in a similar way to iOS, notes Troughton-Smith. A user would just have to drag one app over the other to create a folder. Users would also have the ability to rename folders. Troughton-Smith was able to activate the folders using the LLDB software debugger. The folders appear to use a 3 x 3 layout and sit alongside apps on the Apple TV's home screen, just like folders do in iOS.


In recent days, Apple has been updating the Apple TV's new App Store with Top Charts and Categories for better discoverability. However, those updates were server-side updates that didn't require users to update their software. Folder support would require a software update, but it's unclear which software update Apple would enable it in. Last year, iOS 8 code pointed to split-screen multitasking, but the feature didn't become official until iOS 9 almost a year alter.

Correction: An earlier version of this story wrongly indicated that Steve Troughton-Smith had found the code for tvOS folders in tvOS 9.1. He found the code in the public, released tvOS 9.0.

Related Roundup: Apple TV
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Caution)

Top Rated Comments

haruhiko Avatar
110 months ago
I just need Bluetooth keyboard support and an update of the remote app.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
garylapointe Avatar
110 months ago
I just need Bluetooth keyboard support and an update of the remote app.
Twenty-four letters between A and Z? This is probably the worst on-screen keyboard I've EVER seen.

Seriously, I've had this thing for 4 hours now and I'm pretty much ready to send this thing back.

It's like someone was intentionally trying to make it bad.
And just so no one could be happy, they threw away the bluetooth support for keyboards and didn't bother to update the Apple Remote App! I can use my iPhone to type on my TiVo, how does it not work on the Apple TV?!?

Gary
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kwikdeth Avatar
110 months ago
3x3 huh? I see we're still focused on wasting as much screen real estate as possible. I'm sure the icons will look great on a 70" HDTV...

Attachment Image
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
newyorksole Avatar
110 months ago
It's sad that we get excited over such small things. Folders that should've been standard?...
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ErikGrim Avatar
110 months ago
In Apple new products are developed in secret separate teams so usually these first-gen products (e.g. iPad 1 - stuck in iOS 3.2 for a long time even after release of iOS 4, Apple Watch - native apps, and of course, all sorts of problems with the new Apple TV) seem to be out of place with the current lineup.
I feel like someone put the AppleTV dev team in a locked windowless shed for the last three years, and they just recently came out for air, and was puzzled as to why no one had told them about TouchID, iCloud Keychain, iCloud Photo Library and Apple Music.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ErikGrim Avatar
110 months ago
Pretty inevitable with the forthcoming rush of apps.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

reset password request iphone

Warning: Apple Users Targeted in Phishing Attack Involving Rapid Password Reset Requests

Tuesday March 26, 2024 4:34 pm PDT by
Phishing attacks taking advantage of Apple's password reset feature have become increasingly common, according to a report from KrebsOnSecurity. Multiple Apple users have been targeted in an attack that bombards them with an endless stream of notifications or multi-factor authentication (MFA) messages in an attempt to cause panic so they'll respond favorably to social engineering. An...
iPhone Home Screen Gradient Blank Spaces 1

Sources: iOS 18 Lets Apps Be Placed Anywhere on Home Screen Grid

Sunday March 24, 2024 1:33 pm PDT by
iOS 18 will give iPhone users greater control over Home Screen app icon arrangement, according to sources familiar with the matter. While app icons will likely remain locked to an invisible grid system on the Home Screen, to ensure there is some uniformity, our sources say that users will be able to arrange icons more freely on iOS 18. For example, we expect that the update will introduce...
Generic iOS 18 Feature Purple

iOS 18: What to Expect From 'Biggest' Update in iPhone's History

Wednesday March 27, 2024 11:10 am PDT by
At least some Apple software engineers continue to believe that iOS 18 will be the "biggest" update in the iPhone's history, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Below, we recap rumored features and changes for the iPhone. "The iOS 18 update is expected to be the most ambitious overhaul of the iPhone's software in its history, according to people working on the upgrade," wrote Gurman, in a r...
maxresdefault

Apple Announces WWDC 2024 Event for June 10 to 14

Tuesday March 26, 2024 10:02 am PDT by
Apple today announced that its 35th annual Worldwide Developers Conference is set to take place from Monday, June 10 to Friday, June 14. As with WWDC events since 2020, WWDC 2024 will be an online event that is open to all developers at no cost. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. WWDC 2024 will include online sessions and labs so that developers can learn about new...
apple maps 3d feature

Apple Maps May Gain Custom Routes With iOS 18

Tuesday March 26, 2024 3:10 pm PDT by
Apple may be planning to add support for "custom routes" in Apple Maps in iOS 18, according to code reviewed by MacRumors. Apple Maps does not currently offer a way to input self-selected routes, with Maps users limited to Apple's pre-selected options, but that may change in iOS 18. Apple has pushed an iOS 18 file to its maps backend labeled "CustomRouteCreation." While not much is revealed...
iPad Pro 2024 Landscape Camera Feature

New iPad Pro Again Rumored to Feature Landscape Front-Facing Camera

Monday March 25, 2024 5:43 am PDT by
The next-generation iPad Pro will feature a landscape-oriented front-facing camera for the first time, according to the Apple leaker known as "Instant Digital." Instant Digital reiterated the design change earlier today on Weibo with a simple accompanying 2D image. The post reveals that the entire TrueDepth camera array will move to the right side of the device, while the microphone will...
sonoma desktop wwdc

Apple Releases macOS Sonoma 14.4.1 With Fix for USB Hub Bug

Monday March 25, 2024 10:10 am PDT by
Apple today released macOS Sonoma 14.4.1, a minor update for the macOS Sonoma operating system that launched last September. macOS Sonoma 14.4.1 comes three weeks after macOS Sonoma 14.4. The ‌‌‌‌macOS Sonoma‌‌ 14.4‌.1 update can be downloaded for free on all eligible Macs using the Software Update section of System Settings. There's also a macOS 13.6.6 release for those who...