Apple Releases tvOS 16 With Expanded Game Controller Support, Cross-Device Connectivity, User Switching Improvements and More

Monday September 12, 2022 9:56 am PDT by Juli Clover

Apple today released tvOS 16, the newest version of the tvOS operating system that is available for the Apple TV 4K and the ‌Apple TV‌ HD.

apple tv 4k design blue
The tvOS 16 update 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 16 automatically.

‌Apple TV‌ software updates are more minor in scale than updates for other platforms like the iPhone, iPad, and Mac, but there are a few new features in tvOS 16 to be aware of.

The update brings game controller support for the the Nintendo Joy-Cons and the Nintendo Pro Controller. When Matter launches, the ‌Apple TV‌ with tvOS 16 installed will support it, for improved interoperability between smart home accessories from different companies.

tvOS 16 brings cross-device connectivity, a feature that lets developers integrate ‌Apple TV‌ apps with ‌iPhone‌, ‌iPad‌, and Apple Watch apps to unlock new experiences on ‌Apple TV‌. Multi-user profiles have also been improved through the use of a shared keychain, which means users won't need to sign in and choose their profile when launching an ‌Apple TV‌ app.

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Top Rated Comments

Think|Different

14 months ago

And the crowd goes mild! Shame they didn't do much with this one.

Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Benjamin Nabulsi

Wish Apple allows AppleTV to become home update server; it would download the latest version of iOS, WatchOS etc and let all devices update locally, I will never use the 32GB onboard to the fullest and it's a shame.

daniel_rodrigues

Anyone try the iOS 16 remote with TVos16? I’m unable to change TV volume using my iPhone volume buttons. It worked perfectly with iOS15/ TVOS15 before…

Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)

_Spinn_

I can't wait for Matter to launch.

Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Pezimak

Apparently this update fixes the audio problems the device has, where if you fast forward a video the audio stops and you have to restart the device sometimes to get it back. Their is a long thread related to the issue in Apples support forums, I'm affected so hope this fixes it as it's very annoying.

Subvet771

I can change using the volume buttons with iOS 16 remote on tvOS 16 but I do so from the Lock Screen on my iPhone. Last resort there’s one more way; hold over the volume bar and you can get toggle it back and forth to change the volume.

Hope this helps!

Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)

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