Apple Releases tvOS 12 With New Aerial Screensavers, Zero Sign-On, Dolby Atmos Support and More

Apple today released tvOS 12, the latest operating system designed for the fourth and fifth-generation Apple TV models. tvOS 12 comes after a months-long beta testing period that saw Apple release a total of 10 tvOS 12 betas ahead of the golden master version of the software.

Like all tvOS updates, tvOS 12 is minor in scale, but it does bring some new feature improvements to the tvOS operating system.

tvOS 12 can be downloaded over the air through the Settings app on the Apple TV by going to System --> Software Update. Apple TV owners who have automatic software updates turned on will be upgraded to tvOS 12 automatically.

tvOS 12 introduces long-awaited support for higher-quality Dolby Atmos sound, and Apple has been adding Dolby Atmos support to some of its iTunes content. With the launch of tvOS 12, iTunes is home to the largest collection of movies that offer Dolby Atmos support.

iTunes customers who have previously purchased movies that gain Dolby Atmos support will see free upgrades to their titles to add the new feature, much like Apple upgraded HD movies with the rollout of support for 4K content.

Building on single sign-on, a new zero sign-on feature further simplifies the cable authentication process. With zero sign-on, the Apple TV can detect a user's broadband network and automatically sign them into supported apps they receive through an accompanying cable subscription.

Zero sign-on will be available for Charter Communications customers this fall and will expand to additional cable providers in the future.

In tvOS 12, Aerial screensavers include location information for the first time, and there are new screensavers captured in collaboration with the International Space Station.

Other tvOS-related improvements include AutoFill passwords from iPhone, an Apple TV Remote automatically added to Control Center on the iPhone or iPad, and Apple TV support on Home control systems like Control4, Crestron, and Savant.

For more information on everything that's new in tvOS 12, make sure to check out our tvOS 12 roundup.