Round-up: Our 10 Favorite Features of tvOS 15 Featured

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tvOS 15 received little attention from Apple during WWDC 2021, but the update still offers some interesting improvements. Those new features in tvOS 15 mainly have to do with the improvements in other devices, such as AirPods. You will need iOS 15 and the other new software versions for many of the improvements, but you will also notice a number of functions immediately as soon as you install the update later this year. These are our favorite features of tvOS 15.

  • HomeKit Cameras
  • HomePod
  • AirPods
  • Video Player
  • Game controller setup
  • Sign in with Face ID and Touch ID
  • Shared with you
  • SharePlay
  • Suggestions in TV -app
  • Screensavers

#1 HomeKit camera improvements
If you have a HomeKit camera in your house, you may know that you can view it on your Apple TV. Your favorite camera appears in the Control Panel and you can also request it with Siri. But in tvOS 15, Apple adds something useful if you have multiple HomeKit cameras. You can watch up to four streams at the same time and immediately start a scene or operate an accessory from the live stream. You can also set notifications, so that you receive a warning in the top right-hand corner (with camera images) as soon as a person, animal, vehicle or package (new!) is seen by your camera.

#2 Better collaboration with AirPods
In tvOS 15, your AirPods also work a bit better with the Apple TV. The biggest improvement is support for Spatial Audio in combination with the AirPods Max and AirPods Pro. When you watch movies or series on your Apple TV with these AirPods connected, you benefit from spatial audio. It then seems more like you are in the middle of it yourself, with the sound coming from multiple sides. This is a much requested feature by AirPods users, which is now finally being fulfilled.

Another improvement is that switching to the Apple TV is easier. If an Apple TV recognizes a set of AirPods nearby, a notification appears at the top right of the screen. With the push of a button on the remote, the Apple TV connects to the AirPods.

#3 HomePod Enhancements
If you're a lucky Apple fan with a HomePod, tvOS 15 offers you a number of improvements. First of all, you will soon be able to set a stereo pair of HomePod mini as standard speakers on the Apple TV 4K. That now only works with the large HomePod, but from tvOS 15 the smaller speakers are also suitable. Also new is that you can control your Apple TV with Siri on the HomePod. For example, you say to the HomePod “Hey Siri, play Ted Lasso”, and the Apple TV will turn on and play the latest episode for you. It is not yet clear whether this also works with content from other services.

#4 Sign in with Face ID and Touch ID
Logging into apps is now a lot faster. Applicable apps now display a notification on the Apple TV that you can use an iPhone or iPad nearby. A notification will then appear, after which you can log in with your data via Face ID or Touch ID. Normally this was done via the Apple TV keyboard on the iPhone, but with this new implementation it is just a bit smoother and more elegant.

#5 Updated Video Player
The default video player has been given a minor visual makeover. The title of the video will now appear at the bottom of the screen, immediately above the timeline. Subtitle, audio, and picture-in-picture buttons appear at the bottom right of the screen, also just above the timeline. You normally get these settings by swiping from top to bottom on the Siri Remote while watching, but now you see it immediately as soon as you pause or press the Siri Remote. This improvement only applies to the standard tvOS player and not, for example, to that of Ziggo.

#6 New game controller setting in Control Panel
In the Apple TV Control Center we find a new button for the game controllers. The new button at the very bottom allows you to instantly connect to any of the previously paired game controllers. You can also immediately link a new controller from this screen. So if you start up your Apple TV to play a game, you can use a controller right from this screen.

#7 Shared with you
In iMessage on the iPhone and iPad is a new feature called Shared with you. If someone in a conversation shares a link, this link is also saved in the corresponding app. Think, for example, of sharing a podcast, after which it also appears in the Podcasts app in a separate heading. On the Apple TV, this works with the TV app. So if someone sends you a link to a new movie or series on Apple TV+, you'll see it in the TV app on your Apple TV. This is especially useful if you prefer to watch the series on the big screen.

#8 Works with SharePlay
SharePlay in FaceTime is brand new in iOS 15. With this feature you can share your screen, watch movies or series together or listen to music with your conversation partner while FaceTime. On the Apple TV, SharePlay also works with your iPhone. A new SharePlay button has been added to the Apple TV Control Center, so you can easily transfer content you share from your iPhone or iPad via FaceTime to your Apple TV. So you watch a movie or series completely synchronously on your Apple TV, while using FaceTime on your iPhone.

#9 Suggestions in TV App
In the TV app, you also get suggestions for movies and series based on what you've watched. In tvOS 15, Apple improves on this feature by allowing you to see content that suits all tastes and preferences of Apple TV users. In the new menu in the TV app you can indicate which users should be included in the suggestions. For example, if you want to watch something with the whole family, you can tick everyone in the TV app for whom you have added a profile.

#10 New screensavers
Apple is also adding new screensavers to the Apple TV after skipping a version last year. We don't know exactly which theme Apple has chosen yet, but the one screensaver we've seen is about a mountain landscape. It's also possible that Apple has new screensavers in store for each theme. At the moment we don't see the new screensavers themselves, but it's something to look forward to.

More on tvOS 15
tvOS 15 is the big update for the Apple TV. The update will be available for both Apple TV HD and Apple TV 4K (2017 and 2021). We expect the official tvOS 15 release during September/October 2021. Find out what else was announced during the keynote in our WWDC 2021 recap!