As of this morning, fourth-generation Apple TV owners running the tvOS 10.1 beta were given access to the new "TV" app, which is designed to be a one-stop destination for finding and watching television and movies across the Apple TV and iOS devices.
The TV app, which works hand-in-hand with features like Live Tune-In and Single Sign On, aims to make it easier for users to locate content that's spread across dozens of television and movie apps. In the video below, you can see that the TV app is now fully functional, with a dedicated store, recommended content, and an Up Next syncing feature.
The TV app is organized into several sections. Watch Now, the main menu, feature a collection of shows and movies available from iTunes and other apps. Up Next, a subsection of Watch Now, keeps track of the TV shows and movies you've watched, remembering which episode of a TV show you're on or where a movie was paused, even across multiple devices.
A library houses all of the content you've purchased from iTunes, while a store section lists recommendations on what you should buy based on other things you've watched. The store not only features content from iTunes, but also several third-party apps like Hulu, HBO Now, and Starz.
The TV app is also available on iOS devices running the iOS 10.2 beta, and it has an interface that's identical to the TV app interface on the Apple TV.
tvOS 10.1 is limited to developers, but is expected to see a public release this December. Apple has promised that tvOS 10.1 features, including Single Sign On and the TV app, will be available before the end of the year.
Top Rated Comments
(View all)Or has Apple still not remembered that the Apple TV isn't a "personal" device like iPhone and iPads?
I should be able to have my phone let me continue watching the show that I was watching, not the show my wife or daughter was watching.
Same thing with the remote app. When I open a search screen and start using the remote to type on screen, my phone buzzes and reminds me to use the remote app on my iPhone, but my phone also buzzes when my wife does it even though I'm not even in the same room. She should be able to switch to her account, which can be linked to her iPad and her iPhone.
This might take some getting used to though. If I want to get back to the real Home screen I need to train myself to press and hold the Menu button, instead of the "Home" button. NBD. That's how it was on the old ATV. Shouldn't take more than a few days to change that behavior.
The part I find interesting is that "the button formerly knows as Home" has the same graphic as the TV App icon. Which doesn't really make sense if it's a universal Home button. Why not use the the word "Home" just like "Menu" next to it? Or use the square with rounded corners graphic that used to be on the iphone home button?
I think it's safe to say that Apple intended to ship the ATV4 with the TV App but delayed it for whatever reasons. So was the TV Button on the Siri Remote was always intended to do what it does now - take you to the TV App landing page and NOT serve as a universal Home button? I believe the answer is yes. It certainly makes more sense than having 2 buttons serving the same function right next to each other.