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Apple Releases tvOS 10 With New Siri Features, Improved Search, Dark Mode and More

Tuesday September 13, 2016 9:56 am PDT by Juli Clover
Apple today released tvOS 10, the latest operating system designed for the fourth-generation Apple TV, bringing a range of improvements that make it easier to locate and watch content on Apple's set-top box.

tvOS 10 can be downloaded over the air through the Settings app on the fourth-generation Apple TV by going to System --> Software Update. Those who have automatic software updates turned on will be upgraded to tvOS 10 automatically.

In tvOS 10, Apple has brought improved search, expanded Siri capabilities, a new dark mode, a Continuity option for using the iPhone for text input, automatic download of universal apps, and more.

tvossiritopics
With tvOS 10, Siri is able to search for movies by topic, bringing up content around a theme like "high school comedies from the 80s" or "movies about dinosaurs," and a new Live Tune-In feature lets Siri go directly to a live channel in a supported app.

A Single Sign-On feature for pay TV apps that lets users sign in once with their cable credentials to access all live cable content included in a cable subscription was supposed to be included in tvOS 10, but it appears Single Sign-On was not included in the first version of the operating system and will be coming at a later date.

Third-party apps can do more in tvOS 10 with developer APIs for recording and live broadcasting, accessing iCloud Photo Library photos, using HomeKit, and developing games with more complicated controls that necessitate a game controller.

iOS 10 features like the Apple Music overhaul and the new Photos "Memories" feature have been ported to tvOS, allowing users to access the new Apple Music interface and view favorite Photos memories.

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For additional details on what's included in the tvOS 10 operating system update, make sure to check out our full tvOS 10 roundup.

Related Roundups: Apple TV, tvOS 13
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Don't Buy)
[ 78 comments ]

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camnchar
41 months ago
Yeah, this is the one OS I've been most excited about.
Rating: 4 Votes
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adamjackson
41 months ago

SSO isn't available in tvOS 10 yet, but good job on that autopost!


I don't get why MacRumors' staff prewriting this and clicking Publish when it's available to download is a bad thing. Apple's TVOS 10 preview page shows SSO as being a feature:

http://www.apple.com/tvos-preview/
[doublepost=1473786773][/doublepost]Dark Mode is going to be great. The only app I use is Plex but HomeKit will be a big part of my life this year so that'll be a nice improvement.
Rating: 4 Votes
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Rigby
41 months ago
Finally, dark mode! No more

Rating: 3 Votes
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ipedro
41 months ago
I already loved tvOS but Dark Mode and the new Apple Music UI completes it for me. Everything looks very polished and snappy.
Rating: 2 Votes
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cerote
41 months ago

Single sign on... this should have been there from the beginning. What a PITA to do it for each app.


This feature was pretty much the feature I looked forward to with tvOS 10. Sucks it is not there.

Signing into every app is mainly a pain because the sign in seems to only last a week or two and you have to do it again.
Rating: 2 Votes
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ipedro
41 months ago
HomeKit via Siri on tvOS is fantastic! It's actually faster than on the iPhone or Watch. It's instant.

Red lights: BOOM! Turn off the living lights: BOOM! Set the temperature to 23: BOOM!

Siri has always been noticeably faster on AppleTV. My guess is that it can be always ready since it's always powered and doesn't have to save a battery. HomeKit reflects that speed. It's amazing.
Rating: 2 Votes
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carld
41 months ago
SSO isn't available in tvOS 10 yet, but good job on that autopost!
Rating: 2 Votes
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nburwell
41 months ago
I'm actually looking forward to this update the most (I beta tested iOS 10, so I already know what to expect there).
Rating: 2 Votes
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ipedro
41 months ago

I would not know to be honest. I've never had an Apple TV so I just didn't wanna buy one right before they announced an update.

Since Apple didn't actually announce the tvOS 10 launch date at the iPhone keynote and they recently discontinued Apple TV 3, it seemed like they might announce a new Apple TV plus release tvOS 10 with the potential Mac keynote next month. But now that they've released tvOS 10 with iOS 10, it's seems less plausible.


I can't think of any reason why they'd update the AppleTV until they're ready to announce a 4K video service. It's safe to buy now.
Rating: 2 Votes
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Rigby
41 months ago

Wasn't an autopost, but yes, we prepared a post ahead of time to let people know about the update right away. I've updated the post to to clarify that single sign on is not in this release of tvOS 10.

Do you know if it is really not included in tvOS, or is it just that the apps haven't been updated to use SSO? From the short video during the keynote, it looked like tvOS itself does not provide a UI for it. Instead, it seemed to be triggered when you sign in with a supporting app.
Rating: 1 Votes

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