Apple Announces New tvOS 16 Features Coming Later This Year

In addition to unveiling a new Apple TV 4K with an A15 Bionic chip and more, Apple today previewed several new Siri-related features coming to the Apple TV in a tvOS 16 update later this year. It appears that at least a few of the features are enabled in the tvOS 16.1 Release Candidate made available earlier today, while some might arrive with tvOS 16.2.

tvOS 16 Siri Compact
The new features announced:

  • Siri has been redesigned with a more compact interface that allows users to quickly view results at a glance in the bottom-right corner of the screen.
  • Siri voice recognition for up to six family members will allow the Apple TV 4K to understand who is talking and reply with custom recommendations tailored just for them based on their user profile.
  • Users wearing AirPods will be able to say "Hey Siri" instead of using the Siri Remote.
  • Siri on tvOS will be supported in Denmark, Luxembourg, and Singapore later this year. Support was recently added for Chile, Finland, and South Africa.

The new compact Siri interface and "Hey Siri" support for AirPods have already been implemented in the tvOS 16.1 Release Candidate, and the features should be available to all users when tvOS 16.1 is released next week.

Related Roundup: Apple TV
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Don't Buy)

Popular Stories

iOS 26

15 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.2

Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below. Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
Intel Inside iPhone Feature

Apple's Return to Intel Rumored to Extend to iPhone

Friday December 5, 2025 10:08 am PST by
Intel is expected to begin supplying some Mac and iPad chips in a few years, and the latest rumor claims the partnership might extend to the iPhone. In a research note with investment firm GF Securities this week, obtained by MacRumors, analyst Jeff Pu said he and his colleagues "now expect" Intel to reach a supply deal with Apple for at least some non-pro iPhone chips starting in 2028....
iPhone 14 Pro Dynamic Island

iPhone 18 Pro Leak Adds New Evidence for Under-Display Face ID

Monday December 8, 2025 4:54 am PST by
Apple is actively testing under-screen Face ID for next year's iPhone 18 Pro models using a special "spliced micro-transparent glass" window built into the display, claims a Chinese leaker. According to "Smart Pikachu," a Weibo account that has previously shared accurate supply-chain details on Chinese Android hardware, Apple is testing the special glass as a way to let the TrueDepth...
iOS 26

Apple Seeds Second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to Developers and Public Beta Testers

Monday December 8, 2025 10:18 am PST by
Apple today seeded the second release candidate version of iOS 26.2 to developers and public beta testers, with the software coming one week after Apple seeded the first RC. The release candidate represents the final version iOS 26.2 that will be provided to the public if no further bugs are found. Registered developers and public beta testers can download the betas from the Settings app on...
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Monday December 1, 2025 2:40 am PST by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...
Johny Srouji

Apple's Chipmaking Chief Johny Srouji Responds to Report About Him Potentially Leaving

Monday December 8, 2025 9:23 am PST by
Apple's chipmaking chief Johny Srouji has reportedly indicated that he plans to continue working for the company for the foreseeable future. "I love my team, and I love my job at Apple, and I don't plan on leaving anytime soon," said Srouji, in a memo obtained by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Here is Srouji's full memo, as shared by Bloomberg:I know you've been reading all kind of rumors and...
Johny Srouji

Apple Chip Chief Johny Srouji Could Be Next to Go as Exodus Continues

Sunday December 7, 2025 10:41 am PST by
Apple's senior vice president of hardware technologies Johny Srouji could be the next leading executive to leave the company amid an alarming exodus of leading employees, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports. Srouji apparently recently told CEO Tim Cook that he is "seriously considering leaving" in the near future. He intends to join another company if he departs. Srouji leads Apple's chip design ...
google pixel 10

Switching Between iPhone and Android Will Get Easier With New Apple and Google Collaboration

Monday December 8, 2025 11:10 am PST by
Apple and Google are teaming up to make it easier for users to switch between iPhone and Android smartphones, according to 9to5Google. There is a new Android Canary build available today that simplifies data transfer between two smartphones, and Apple is going to implement the functionality in an upcoming iOS 26 beta. Apple already has a Move to iOS app for transferring data from an Android...
Apple Fitness Plus expansion hero

Apple Fitness+ Coming to 28 New Regions With Digital Voice Dubbing

Monday December 8, 2025 6:19 am PST by
Apple today announced that Fitness+ is expanding to 28 new markets on December 15 in the service's largest international rollout since launch, accompanied by new language dubbing and a K-Pop music genre. Apple Fitness+ will become available in Chile, Hong Kong, India, the Netherlands, Singapore, Taiwan, and additional regions on December 15, with Japan scheduled to follow early next year....
top stories 2025 12 04a

Top Stories: iOS 26.2 Coming Soon, Apple Execs Depart, and More

Saturday December 6, 2025 6:00 am PST by
You'd expect things to be starting to wind down for the holidays by now, but that doesn't seem to be the case yet in the world of Apple news, with Apple just about ready to release iOS 26.2 and other operating system updates to the public. There was also a flurry of news this week about Apple executive departures, some expected and some not so expected, while we also learned that Apple and...

Top Rated Comments

antnythr Avatar
41 months ago

Trillion+ dollar company, 11 years later, and Siri is still the worst virtual assistant. How Apple? ”Here’s what I found on the web” is by far the most common response I get.
“Working on it”
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Joe Rossignol Avatar
41 months ago

Took long enough to post this Siri news. Earlier post ('https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/apple-announces-new-apple-tv-4k-with-a15-bionic-chip-and-hdr10-for-129.2366094/post-31635740').
Siri is really limited in tvOS for understood commands.
It's an extremely busy day. We can't post every news item right away. All of the Apple blogs are still catching up.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
anthogag Avatar
41 months ago
I would like the option to say "Siri" instead of "hey Siri"
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
topdrawer Avatar
41 months ago
they should make dismissing siri faster/easier. this is more aggravating because you have to hold down the button to speak, so why is siri still on screen when you let go of the button?

also why is it different from the iphone. you don't need to hold down the button to use siri.

UX designers at apple to reevaluate their careers.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
trip1ex Avatar
41 months ago
I am understanding this right: Later this year means next week?
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TigerNike23 Avatar
41 months ago
Any time Apple adds something to tvOS, the better.

They really need to put pressure on providers to use Zero-Sign-On. It's 2022 and we're still putting in the alphanumeric characters every month or so to watch a ballgame.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)