The Apple TV didn’t get much attention during the WWDC21 keynote, and yet the tvOS 15 update promises some exciting new features. Whether you’ve got yourself a shiny new Apple TV 4K (second generation) or are hanging on to the good old Apple TV HD, these new features will appeal to you.
We’re going to highlight which Apple TV models will get the tvOS 15 update and then talk about the best features coming to this platform.
Which Apple TV Models Will Get tvOS 15?
Although Apple hasn’t officially confirmed which models of the Apple TV will be getting tvOS 15, it’s safe to assume that if your device runs tvOS 14, then it’ll get the upgrade. This means that the following devices will probably get tvOS 15:
- Apple TV 4K (second generation)
- Apple TV 4K (first generation)
- Apple TV HD
tvOS 15 is expected to release this fall, around the same time that iOS 15, iPadOS 15, and watchOS 8 are made available. With that clarified, let’s take a look a the best new tvOS 15 features coming to your Apple TV.
1. Use the HomePod mini as Default Stereo Speakers
Up until now, you could use one or two HomePods as default speakers for your Apple TV, but the same feature didn’t work with the HomePod mini.
tvOS 15 is about to change that, and you’ll be able to use two HomePod mini speakers as the default audio output for your Apple TV. You don’t have to hunt for the original HomePod any longer—your HomePod mini stereo pair will serve you just as well.
2. Automatically Connect AirPods
While you can manually connect your AirPods to the Apple TV even now, wouldn’t it be nice to have this process take fewer taps? tvOS 15 is bringing that feature.
If you’re wearing AirPods while using your Apple TV, you’ll see a tvOS 15 notification asking if you want to start listening via AirPods.
3. Shared Video Watching
SharePlay is a big feature for iOS 15 and that’s being integrated nicely with tvOS 15 too. It allows you to watch movies or listen to music together with your friends, and it works using FaceTime for the call.
With tvOS 15, you’ll be able to talk to your friends using FaceTime on your iPhone, enjoying the movie with SharePlay on your Apple TV. This will allow you to make the most of the bigger screen attached to the Apple TV for the movie while using the camera and mic on your iPhone for the group call.
4. Shared With You
Speaking of shared video experiences, another neat iOS 15 and tvOS 15 integration is called Shared with You. When someone sends you a link to a show or a movie via iMessage, you’ll see a thumbnail of the show in a new row on Apple TV, labeled Shared with You.
Of course, you need to be on iOS 15 and tvOS 15 for this to work. And once you start using it, you’ll find this to be a much better experience than constantly trying to search for shows or movies recommended by your friends.
5. Recommendations for the Entire Family
If multiple people are using the same Apple TV with different user profiles, a new section called For All of You will show up in the Apple TV app. This section aims to make it easier for you to find something the whole family will enjoy.
If it works well, the long debates over what to watch together will be shortened considerably.
6. Spatial Audio
If you have AirPods Pro or AirPods Max, you’ll be able to enjoy spatial audio on the Apple TV. Spatial audio is pretty good at simulating surround sound using your AirPods Pro (or Max).
This feature could allow people to enjoy surround sound on the Apple TV, without disturbing others in the house.
7. Better Way to Authorize Purchases on Apple TV
The tvOS 15 update will allow you to use Face ID or Touch ID on your iPhone or iPad to authorize purchases made on the Apple TV. Another neat feature here is the ability to sign in to tvOS 15 apps using Face ID or Touch ID on the iPhone or iPad.
This feature should be available in your favorite third-party apps too, but it depends on whether they choose to implement it or not.
8. New UI for the Video Player
The tvOS 15 video player has a new UI that makes it easier to access controls and other settings while you’re watching videos on the Apple TV. Of course, you’ll only enjoy this in apps that use the native tvOS player, such as the Apple TV app.
There are lots of Apple TV apps that use their own custom video players, which tend to look a lot worse and don’t implement nice tvOS features like this one. Don’t expect to use the new video player UI in those apps.
9. New Remote App UI on iPhone and iPad
The Apple TV remote, available via the Control Center on iPhone, has a new design, which you can use if you update to iOS 15. This mimics the new Siri Remote that ships with the second-generation Apple TV 4K.
You can use Siri on the Apple TV by long-pressing the side button on your iPhone. The large Menu button has become the Back button. There’s even a Power button in the top-right and a Mute button on the top-left, above the trackpad in the app.
Sure, this is more of an iOS 15 feature than that of tvOS 15, but we included it here because it’s most relevant to people who use Apple TV.
10. HomeKit Camera Improvements
If you have multiple HomeKit-compatible cameras around the house, you’ll be able to view them all at the same time using your Apple TV, as long as you have tvOS 15.
The Way Forward for Apple TV
Even though this is a relatively minor update for the Apple TV, tvOS 15 still has a lot of nice quality-of-life improvements that’ll please many people.
In the future, it’d be nice to see features like picture-in-picture modes, or the ability to stream multiple videos in parallel on the Apple TV. When there are multiple sports games that you want to keep an eye on, the Apple TV doesn’t really do the job very well.
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