Apple appears to have updated the tvOS App Store to add a new Categories section, which should make it easier for new Apple TV owners to discover apps on their devices. Like the iOS App Store, the new Categories section arranges apps into different sections based on purpose, like Games and Entertainment.
First noted by iDownloadBlog on an Apple TV running the new 9.1 tvOS beta, the new Categories section appears to be rolling out to Apple TV users now. We were able to get the Categories feature to show up on an Apple TV running tvOS 9.0 following several device restarts.
Shortly after the Apple TV was released, there were multiple complaints about the state of the tvOS App Store. At launch, the App Store displayed only a list of featured apps, leaving the rest to be discovered through searches. Apple has been improving the tvOS App Store over the past few days, with the Categories section joining a Top Charts section that was added to the App Store on Monday.
Apps that are displayed when selecting the "Entertainment" category
Game and app developers were previously concerned with app discovery on tvOS when the App Store was limited to featured apps, but the inclusion of the Top Charts and the Categories section will go a long way towards bolstering the discovery process.
Monday December 1, 2025 4:37 pm PST by Juli Clover
We're getting closer to the launch of the final major iOS update of the year, with Apple set to release iOS 26.2 in December. We've had three betas so far and are expecting a fourth beta or a release candidate this week, so a launch could follow as soon as next week.
Past Launch Dates
Apple's past iOS x.2 updates from the last few years have all happened right around the middle of the...
Tuesday December 2, 2025 11:09 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple is encouraging iPhone users who are still running iOS 18 to upgrade to iOS 26 by making the iOS 26 software upgrade option more prominent.
Since iOS 26 launched in September, it has been displayed as an optional upgrade at the bottom of the Software Update interface in the Settings app. iOS 18 has been the default operating system option, and users running iOS 18 have seen iOS 18...
Monday December 1, 2025 3:00 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Apple is expected to launch a new foldable iPhone next year, based on multiple rumors and credible sources. The long-awaited device has been rumored for years now, but signs increasingly suggest that 2026 could indeed be the year that Apple releases its first foldable device.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.
Below, we've collated an updated set of key details that ...
Tuesday December 2, 2025 9:44 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple's iPhone 17 lineup is selling well enough that Apple is on track to ship more than 247.4 million total iPhones in 2025, according to a new report from IDC.
Total 2025 shipments are forecast to grow 6.1 percent year over year due to iPhone 17 demand and increased sales in China, a major market for Apple.
Overall worldwide smartphone shipments across Android and iOS are forecast to...
Wednesday December 3, 2025 10:33 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple today seeded the release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 updates to developers and public beta testers, with the software coming two weeks after Apple seeded the third betas. The release candidates represent the final versions of iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 that will be provided to the public if no further bugs are found during this final week of testing....
Thursday December 4, 2025 9:30 am PST by Joe Rossignol
In a statement shared with Bloomberg on Wednesday, Apple confirmed that its software design chief Alan Dye will be leaving. Apple said Dye will be succeeded by Stephen Lemay, who has been a software designer at the company since 1999.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that Dye will lead a new creative studio within the company's AR/VR division Reality Labs.
On his blog Daring Fireball,...
Monday December 1, 2025 5:00 am PST by Tim Hardwick
2026 could be a bumper year for Apple's Mac lineup, with the company expected to announce as many as four separate MacBook launches. Rumors suggest Apple will court both ends of the consumer spectrum, with more affordable options for students and feature-rich premium lines for users that seek the highest specifications from a laptop.
Below is a breakdown of what we're expecting over the next ...
The iPhone Air has recorded the steepest early resale value drop of any iPhone model in years, with new data showing that several configurations have lost almost 50% of their value within ten weeks of launch.
According to a ten-week analysis published by SellCell, Apple's latest lineup is showing a pronounced split in resale performance between the iPhone 17 models and the iPhone Air....
Thursday December 4, 2025 5:18 am PST by Tim Hardwick
iPhone 17 Pro models, it turns out, can't take photos in Night mode when Portrait mode is selected in the Camera app – a capability that's been available on Apple's Pro devices since the iPhone 12 Pro in 2020.
If you're an iPhone 17 Pro or iPhone 17 Pro Max owner, try it for yourself: Open the Camera app with Photo selected in the carousel, then cover the rear lenses with your hand to...
Tuesday December 2, 2025 3:30 pm PST by Juli Clover
OpenAI is deprioritizing work on advertising as it focuses on improving the quality of ChatGPT, reports The Information. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman declared a "code red" on Monday, and told employees that the company needs to improve ChatGPT so it doesn't fall behind competitors like Google and Anthropic.
Altman said that OpenAI needs to work on personalization for each user, image generation,...
Took all of 6 days. Now will people still complain about how it's "unacceptable" that Apple didn't set up a series of empty shelves and therefore made it a little harder for them to cash in with their fireplace app? Or maybe we can listen to more complaints about how devs were forced to take time away from their families for their noble cause, and how Apple should think of the children? Oh and AS PREDICTED, it's done on their side, so those same people should maybe apologize for LYING and claiming that Apple was "screwing them" by making them wait for a tvOS update.
It is very frustrating! I too don't have either of the new options found the in the Apple TV App Store, and I have just restart the entire machine too. This sucks!
It sounds as if all is lost. Then again, it could change later tonight or tomorrow. Your pain must be immense and the struggle seems overwhelming. Good luck, and remember to always hold your head high, as you will get through this someday soon. We're all here for you.
Took all of 6 days. Now will people still complain about how it's "unacceptable" that Apple didn't set up a series of empty shelves and therefore made it a little harder for them to cash in with their fireplace app? Or maybe we can listen to more complaints about how devs were forced to take time away from their families for their noble cause, and how Apple should think of the children? Oh and AS PREDICTED, it's done on their side, so those same people should maybe apologize for LYING and claiming that Apple was "screwing them" by making them wait for a tvOS update.
Actually, it's the complaints that often keeps companies improving and innovating. If the people don't care about enjoying a better experience, then why should the companies care? :/
Just as I said, categories will come as soon as there are enough apps to fill them out and not make them look empty.
People need to learn to be a little patient and not cry like little girls at the drop of a hat.
Isn't the app number still relatively the same? Was there a huge influx in the past couple of days? Serious question b/c I have no idea.
Took all of 6 days. Now will people still complain about how it's "unacceptable" that Apple didn't set up a series of empty shelves and therefore made it a little harder for them to cash in with their fireplace app? Or maybe we can listen to more complaints about how devs were forced to take time away from their families for their noble cause, and how Apple should think of the children? Oh and AS PREDICTED, it's done on their side, so those same people should maybe apologize for LYING and claiming that Apple was "screwing them" by making them wait for a tvOS update.
Couldn't Apple have easily avoided the entire problem by having the app store fully fleshed out when the ATV went on sale? The number of apps hasn't increased exponentially. A bit disingenuous of you to claim "empty shelves". The app store had over 1000 apps. Hardly empty. It's pretty obvious the UI omissions should have been there when the ATV was released. A big part of the reason people like Apple is their attention to detail. That app store at release lacked detail.
To me it seems like Apple could have followed the old adage "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." Then we would have had to find something else to b***ch about.;) But at least it wouldn't have been about an unfinished app store UI.
