The next version of tvOS for Apple TV has been announced with new features such as on-device Siri on Apple TV, InSight for Apple TV+, 21:9 support, new screensavers, and more.
Updated July 17, 2024: Apple has released the first public beta of tvOS 18. It can be installed by everyone on an Apple TV by first enrolling through
beta.apple.com, then navigating on your Apple TV to Settings -> System -> Software Update -> activate 'Get Beta Updates'. Our original article about tvOS 18 follows below. Not all planned features (i.e. 21:9 support) are available in the current tvOS 18 beta.
Updated June 18, 2024: More new features coming with tvOS 18 have been discovered, thanks to
Reddit and
Sigmund Judge.
- With tvOS/iOS 18, any Apple TV can be set as the 'Preferred Home Hub', instead of Apple's auomatic selection.
- The new 'Portraits' screensavers can be customized to show specific people from your photos, in addition to pets, nature and cities.
- You can now manually switch between having 5 or 6 icons per row on the homescreen.
- Users can set an iPhone as a persistent 'Dedicated Camera' for Apple TV.
- Under Accessibility you can enable 'Isolate' for even stronger voice isolation, in addition to the 'Boost' and 'Enhance' options under 'Enhance Dialogue'.
- The Apple TV app now has live sports previews in the background.
- There is a new 'Audio Ducking' feature under Accessibility to reduce the volume of media and calls when using VoiceOver.
- Apple is deprecating TVML, meaning that the design language of new and existing tvOS apps will eventually migrate to SwitftUI.
Updated June 12, 2024: The article has been updated with more details and pictures of the new features in tvOS 18. Apple has also announced that SharePlay in Apple Music is coming to Apple TV and HomePod with tvOS 18.
The new features were announced today at Apple's annual developer conference, WWDC 24. The company focused on a few key features but expect more new features once tvOS 18 shows up this fall.
One of the new features is 'InSight' to let you get information on actors and music from a movie or show on Apple TV+ to begin with – much like Amazon's X-Ray.
- "This fall, tvOS 18 and our services take entertainment in the home to the next level by bringing timely information to fans about their favorite characters and scenes," said Stan Ng, Apple’s vice president of Apple Watch, Audio, Health, and Home Product Marketing
The new InSight feature for Apple TV+ content. Photo. Apple
Improved audio, offline Siri
Apple said that tvOS 18 will add on-device Siri support for Apple TV, meaning that some voice requests will be handled on the device rather than in the cloud.
The Enhance Dialogue feature, which does exactly what it says, will expand from HomePod and HomePod mini to TVs, HDMI-connected speakers, receivers, AirPods and Bluetooth speakers. It is now powered by machine learning for even better voice isolation, Apple said. There is also a new Boost mode.
Enhanced Dialogue will expand to TVs, HDMI speakers, AirPods and more. Photo. Apple
Furthermore, Apple is introducing personalized Spatial Audio for gaming, but it does not appear to work with Apple TV 4K at launch. Today, personalized Spatial Audio uses your iPhone's camera to scan your ears to create an HRTF (Head-related transfer function) for an improved spatial audio experience with headphones. It currently requires AirPods Pro, AirPods Max or AirPods 3rd Gen.
There are improvements to subtitles too:
- "For even more convenience, subtitles now automatically appear at just the right moments with tvOS 18, including when the language in a show or film does not match the device language, when users mute, or when they skip back while watching something."
Here are the new 'Automatic Subtitles' options in tvOS 18. Photo: FlatpanelsHD
Support for 21:9 projectors
Apple TV will also gain native support for the 21:9 aspect ratio for use with projectors. 21:9 is even wider than 16:9 widescreen. In cinema terms it is also known as 2.37:1 or CinemaScope
In theory, 21:9 format support should also benefit ultrawide monitors, although there was no specific mention of those. It is unclear exactly how it works at this time.
- "tvOS 18 also brings 21:9 support for playing movies and shows on projectors, and introduces stunning new screen savers like Portraits, TV and Movies, and even Snoopy, who takes over the screen with Woodstock in a delightful animation before coming to a rest in various locations, including his doghouse," the company said.
Here are some of the new screensavers:
There are new screensavers in tvOS 18
There are new screensavers in tvOS 18
SharePlay in Apple Music, redesigned Fitness+
Update: Apple has confirmed that SharePlay in Apple Music, after several delays, will finally find its way to Apple TV and HomePod with tvOS 18. It will also work when the music is played over Bluetooth speakers. SharePlay in Apple Music allows multiple users to control the music and collaborate on a shared playlist. Only the main user is required to have a subscription to Apple Music. Others can get started by holding their iPhone close to the main user's iPhone or by scanning a QR code with their device's camera.
A small tweak in the Apple TV app is that tvOS 18 finally lets you 'Go to Movie' page from the library section. Just long-press the movie poster.
You can finally 'Go to Movie' in the Apple TV app's library section. Photo: FlatpanelsHD
In addition, tvOS 18 will include many more small features and updates to existing features, including Fitness+ and FaceTime. Apple explained that FaceTime will introduce Live Captions for English in the US and Canada, so users can read what others are saying on a FaceTime call on the TV screen.
Also read: AirPlay to gain Dolby Atmos support for third-party speakers
Apple Fitness+ has been redesigned in tvOS 18. Updates include a personalized For You space, Explore and Library spaces, search features, and enhanced awards.
updating...
tvOS 18 will be available this fall for Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD.
The redesigned Fitness+ app in tvOS 18. Photo: Apple
Previous tvOS updates have added features such as a multi-user function, Dolby Atmos, HomePod integration, Spatial Audio, AirPlay 2, Apple Arcade, support for Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo controllers, picture-in-picture, VPN support, FaceTime, and Find Siri Remote.
There is still no news about upgraded Apple TV hardware. The latest Apple TV 4K (3rd gen) was launched in 2022.
Also read: Review: Apple TV 4K (2022)
