Apple didn’t announce tvOS 16 at this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference, but the television operating system is still getting some new functionality ahead of its public release later this year.
The company is putting a renewed focus on gaming, and will now support new Bluetooth gaming controllers. Right now, Apple hasn’t confirmed which newly-supported controllers have made the list other than the Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons and Pro Controller, but it’s thought a wide range has been added.
With tvOS 16, Apple will officially support Matter, a new smart home standard which allows products to work across platforms like HomeKit, Amazon Alexa, Google Home and more. The service has been unofficially supported since tvOS 15, though its features weren’t available to consumers, and now it seems as though the service will officially launch later this year, meaning many more devices will now work through and will be able to be controlled through Apple TV.
Whilst there are no major design changes for this year’s tvOS update, Apple has added some under-the-hood changes, like a new video preview pane for Apple TV+ video content, and Apple will also call out intensity levels during Apple Fitness+ workouts. Apple has also added more family members to the Contorl Center on the Apple TV, and it’s now possible to toggle 24 and 12 hour time formats.
Are you looking forward to trying out tvOS 16? Let us know and check back soon for the latest.