Apple Reveals tvOS 13 With New Home Screen and Support for Multiple User Profiles

Monday June 3, 2019 11:10 am PDT by Mitchel Broussard
During the WWDC 2019 keynote Apple unveiled tvOS 13, the latest operating system update for Apple TV HD and ‌Apple TV‌ 4K devices. The update introduces a new Home screen, multi-user support, updates to Apple Music, new underwater screensavers, and more.

The updates start at the new Home screen, which Apple said is "designed for discovery." Apps on the dock can now play full-screen video previews on the Home screen, instead of just showcasing still images.


The big new addition to ‌Apple TV‌ with ‌tvOS 13‌ is support for multiple user profiles on the new ‌Apple TV‌ Control Center. With this feature, you can easily switch between family members and change entire aspects of the operating system depending on who is using it.

This means that individual family members will have their own Up Next list in the TV app, see their own TV and movie recommendations based on their tastes, and also receive their own curated suggestions in ‌Apple Music‌.

In regards to ‌Apple Music‌, Control Center will also include quick access to the currently playing song. A new lyric feature has been added as well, which showcases onscreen lyrics timed in sync with the track.

‌tvOS 13‌ is also adding support for the Xbox One S controller and the PlayStation DualShock 4 controller. This way, users who already own one of these controllers will be able to play a wide variety of games on the tvOS App Store with ease. It'll also enhance games available on Apple Arcade when that service launches in the fall.


Lastly, ‌Apple TV‌ 4K devices will gain new 4K HDR screen savers that were filmed in collaboration with the BBC Natural History Unit. These screen savers are focused on underwater locations and showcase the depths of the oceans around the world.

‌tvOS 13‌ will be available for Apple Developer Program members starting today, while the public beta of the software won't launch until later in June. For everyone else, ‌tvOS 13‌ will be available in the fall for free.

Related Roundups: Apple TV, tvOS 13
Tag: WWDC 2019
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Don't Buy)
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Avatar
farewelwilliams
8 months ago
Us 5 years ago:
"WE WANT MULTIUSER SUPPORT ON IPAD"

Apple Today:
"Here's multiuser support on tvOS!"
Rating: 15 Votes
Avatar
Dimwhit
8 months ago
Auto-play trailers? Way to take the worst feature of Netflix and implement it, Apple. Hopefully at least Apple will let us turn it off.
Rating: 13 Votes
Avatar
JoeShades
8 months ago

Conspicuously missing... any mention of "Computers" (even in the below-the-fold icons) or Home Sharing. Home Sharing not mentioned in any materials related to iTunes split-up either (that I've found).

"Houston, we (I) may have a problem."


Computers App is still in TVOS 13
Rating: 8 Votes
Avatar
spinedoc77
8 months ago
Multi user is awesome, finally I can install youtube back onto my Apple TV and let my kids log into a different account. What boggles my mind is how we still don't have multi user support for iOS. Both TVOS and iOS continue to need more parental controls.
Rating: 7 Votes
Avatar
Hanterdro
8 months ago

Auto-play trailers? Way to take the worst feature of Netflix and implement it, Apple. Hopefully at least Apple will let us turn it off.

I would be also interested to know if these can be turned of. Really that them on Netflix
Rating: 4 Votes
Avatar
JoeShades
8 months ago

I’ve seen from the Catalina beta. Home Sharing does still exist. It’s now activated in Settings> Sharing Tab and now called Media tab. With the separate apps you can now specify what type of Media library you want to share. So I am expecting the Computers app still exists unless they roll it into the TV app.


Computers App still there

[MEDIA=youtube]M2Tm4wGd9RM[/MEDIA]
Rating: 4 Votes
Avatar
mpainesyd
8 months ago

Computers App is still in TVOS 13

A developer has installed macOS 10.15 and has posted this screenshot of the Media Sharing pane in System Preferences:
https://forums.macrumors.com/attachments/screen-shot-2019-06-03-at-5-08-25-pm-png.840459/
It refers to Home Sharing and Sharing photos with Apple TV so, for now, it looks OK. Note however that it refers to "downloaded music...".
Rating: 4 Votes
Avatar
KazKam
8 months ago
Conspicuously missing... any mention of "Computers" (even in the below-the-fold icons) or Home Sharing. Home Sharing not mentioned in any materials related to iTunes split-up either (that I've found).

"Houston, we (I) may have a problem."
Rating: 3 Votes
Avatar
ignatius345
8 months ago

Apps on the dock can now play full-screen video previews on the Home screen, instead of just showcasing still images.


Autoplay crap like this (with sound, even) is what keeps me from launching the Netflix app unless I know exactly what I'm looking for.

I did recently discover there are options in tvOS to shut off autoplay at least in some situations -- they're under Accessibility along with a bunch of other useful stuff...
[doublepost=1559616930][/doublepost]

Auto-play trailers? Way to take the worst feature of Netflix and implement it, Apple. Hopefully at least Apple will let us turn it off.

Check the Accessibility controls -- there's a setting in there that at least kills it on the home screen and in Apple's apps.
Rating: 3 Votes
Avatar
mjharwaz
8 months ago
Hoping improvements to the way family shared purchases are handled come along with the multi-user support. If it prompts you to buy/jump through hoops for each episode in a TV series that a family member has purchased, it's going to still be pretty painful.
Rating: 3 Votes

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