Will 2021 be the year of the Apple TV? This month, the new Apple TV 4K 2021 & eacute; n the renewed Siri Remote will be on the doorstep of the first buyers. It's the first new Apple TV since 2017, with a newer chip and some other improvements. But will we also see some of those improvements in tvOS 15? And are there any improvements from previous years on the shelf that Apple can add this year? We also share our wishes for tvOS 15 with you and you can read about the recent rumors.
- Kids Mode and Screen Time
- Custom design
- 120Hz on new model
- Spatial audio
- Siri in Belgium
- Other wishes
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To begin with, there have not been many rumors about possible functions for tvOS 15. The improvements in this article are therefore mainly based on our wishes and the improvements that Apple has already implemented in recent years.
# 1 Kids Mode and Screen Time
As early as March 2020, there was talk of the arrival of a children's mode and Screen Time on the Apple TV in tvOS 14. That has not happened yet, but with tvOS 15, Apple has a new opportunity for this. It certainly sounds like a logical step: the Apple TV offers all kinds of games and content, not all of which are suitable for all ages. As a parent, to control how many children watch the Apple TV, Screen Time could, for example, be linked to a child account. Apple already introduced a children's mode on the Apple Watch last year, and streaming services often have a children's environment themselves. An overarching system in which you as an administrator can choose which apps can and cannot be used, can therefore only be a nice extra addition.
# 2 Custom design
Over the past few updates, Apple has renewed the design of the Apple TV interface on a number of points. The biggest update was in tvOS 13, including full screen previews from the home screen and a Control Panel with more buttons. The standard apps were also updated with a redesigned menu. In tvOS 14 the improvements were a bit more subtle, with slightly adjusted app icons which gave the whole a more friendly look. But as far as we are concerned, it can now be a lot more drastic. Basically tvOS is still the same: a screen with all apps placed together in a grid. Only the top five apps can show a little more thanks to the large previews, but it doesn't really go further than that. Several concepts have already been made in which the home screen has been significantly upgraded. Although we wonder how big the update in the design is this time, there are certainly good ideas between these concepts.
# 3 Spatial audio with AirPods
With Spatial Audio, Apple has a feature that AirPods Pro and AirPods Max owners are raving about. The function, also called Spatial Audio, provides a kind of surround effect while you listen with the earbuds or headphones. The result is impressive, especially with films and series that support high-quality audio. It is therefore such a shame that spatial audio does not work on the Apple TV, even on the very latest model. What's stopping Apple? The AirPods work perfectly with the Apple TV, also for audio sharing and auto switching. Maybe Apple doesn't want to add the feature because spatial audio only works with one set of AirPods, while you usually watch with several people via the Apple TV.
# 4 120Hz on new model
The latest Apple TV 4K supports HDMI 2.1, which, according to Apple, enables High Refresh Rate HDR. To this end, Apple will work with content companies to offer suitable films, series and sports streams. But before the announcement of the new model, there was also a rumor that this Apple TV would support 120Hz. To date, it does not seem that this is the case, because the specifications do not even mention 120Hz. But it is no longer the hardware, because thanks to HDMI 2.1, the latest model is suitable for this. At 120Hz, games in particular look more impressive, because images are smoother. Of course you need a suitable television vision, but Apple could add this in tvOS 15.
# 5 Siri in BelgiumWhy Siri on the Apple TV in Belgium still doesn't work is a big mystery to us. It works in France, it works in the Netherlands and Siri doesn't even have to talk back: why can users in Belgium? then not use Siri on Apple TV? As far as we're concerned, it's one of the many strange choices Apple sometimes makes. Now we don't use Siri on the Apple TV that often for searching for content, but it comes in handy for activating HomeKit scenes and devices, for example. Come on Apple, don't let the Belgian Apple TV user down!
If you can't wait anyway, you can always try this method that a reader once sent us. We are not sure whether it will still work in 2021, but it is worth a try.
# 6 Other wishes
We have a number of other wishes for tvOS 15 on the menu, which we would like Apple to implement features:
- Home App : Now you can quickly activate scenes and view the images from your HomeKit camera via the Control Panel. We actually use that quite often, but a real Home app would not be out of place in our opinion. Especially if you have several HomeKit cameras, it can come in handy if you can view the images all at the same time with one glance on your television.
- More new screensavers : Almost every year, Apple adds a series of new Apple TV screensavers. This concerns the well-known bird's-eye views, with which you fly through space, over cities and nature reserves or through the ocean. Last year, Apple didn't add a new category, but it did give you the option to choose which themes you want or don't want to see. For this year we especially hope more new screensavers.
- Improvements for multiple accounts : Last year we already got improvements in this area, because some games from Apple Arcade, for example, already support switching profiles to save your progress. We hope Apple will make the Photos app work with this too. In any case, the app could get an update, with some more and better functions.
- Support for Handoff : With Handoff you can continue with one push of a button go on one device with where you left off on another. We hope that Apple will also bring this to the Apple TV, so that you can, for example, quickly transfer your favorite series, movie or music song from your iPhone to your Apple TV. Watch or listen without too much hassle, so.
Do you have any wishes for tvOS 15? Are there features that you have wanted to see for years on the Apple TV that Apple should really add this year? Then let us know in the comments. Read our overview of tvOS 15 for more info and check out our earlier preview in this series:
- Outlook for iPadOS 15
- WWDC 2021: All about Apple's developer conference in 2021
- tvOS 15: this is what we can expect from the Apple TV update