Apple ships tvOS 17 with FaceTime and Apple Fitness Plus changes

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in tvOS

Apple's new tvOS 17 has dropped -- here are many of the new features contained within.




It's a well-documented fact that tvOS doesn't get the same robust yearly updates as iOS or macOS -- but this year has changed that. Apple has overhauled significant parts of the Apple TV's operating system with tvOS 17, adding a breadth of new features to the set-top box.

FaceTime, Continuity Camera, Reactions



With the advent of tvOS 17, those running a second-generation Apple TV 4K or newer updated to tvOS 17 will be able to use FaceTime. This is done via Continuity Camera, which allows users to use an iPhone or an iPad as a dedicated webcam for the Apple TV.

With this update, Apple has brought full Continuity Camera API support to the Apple TV, enabling video integration into apps. Popular video conferencing platforms Cisco WebEx and Zoom have promised to hit the set-top box by year's end.

Apple TV now includes a new feature called Reactions. These are video effects that can be activated through hand gestures. Although Apple hasn't disclosed a complete list of supported gestures, we triggered a thumbs-up bubble by simply giving a solo thumbs-up. Additionally, two thumbs up led to full-screen fireworks appearing behind us.

Control Center



Control Center has received significant updates as well. In the top-right corner of the Home Screen, there is a persistent display that shows various system information. This display shows the current time, any connected AirPods, if music is playing, and which profile is currently active. To open it, simply hold down on the TV button.

Available controls include the power button, Wi-Fi access, Do Not Disturb mode to mute notifications, Spotlight search, and AirPlay output options.

There are new options for managing gaming controllers, accessibility settings, and restrictions. A new sleep mode can turn your TV off after 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, or two hours.

Apple Fitness Plus



Apple Fitness Plus gets some notable changes in tvOS 17, too.

Now, users can prioritize between the trainer's motivational instructions or the background music while working out. This feature is called Audio Focus and can be accessed through the in-video audio menu. Users can select their preferred focus to enhance their training session.

Additionally, the update introduces Stacks, which are groups of workouts that can be completed in succession without interruption. This eliminates the need to search for and start a new workout session after completing one.

Other changes to tvOS 17



Now, Apple TV users have the option to add a VPN directly to their device. By using third-party apps, your data on Apple TV can be masked, providing better privacy and security. Additionally, a VPN can help you adjust the "location" of your Apple TV, which can be useful in bypassing location-based blackouts on sports events.

If you often misplace your remote, you now have the option to use your iPhone to locate it. Accessing the Remote app through Control Center in iOS 17 allows you to track down the lost remote if it is close. While you can't activate any audio, the Bluetooth signal will help you get closer to it.

Read on AppleInsider

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 9
    dewmedewme Posts: 5,746member
    For whatever reason, the tvOS 17 update is brutally slow - even after you get through the extremely slow "Preparing" phase. I've updated my iPhone and 4 iPads and my Apple Watch is nearly done updating, and progress bars on the Apple TVs (4K models and one HD) are moving at a sub-snail pace, like an elderly snail with a dry foot pad and cracked shell. Incredible, in a bad way.

    Update: The ultra slow ATV 4K seems to be a unique case. All of my other 4Ks and one HD updated fine. Not terribly slow. The one malcontent ATV is still in a updating state after about 90 mins. It must have lost its marbles so I'll do a factory reset on it and start over again.

    Update 2: After doing a soft reset by pressing the ATV remote Home and Menu at the same time for >5 seconds the Apple TV restarted, immediately restarted the post-preparation process. The progress bar that was previously stopped near the end point reset to the binning and gradually progress to completion after a few minutes. Update to tvOS 17 completed and the device seems to be working fine. Must have been a electron clot or something like that.
    edited September 2023 muthuk_vanalingamwilliamlondonlotonesFileMakerFellerAlex1Nappleinsideruserwatto_cobra
  • Reply 2 of 9
    auxioauxio Posts: 2,763member
    dewme said:
    For whatever reason, the tvOS 17 update is brutally slow
    ...
    Must have been an electron clot or something like that.
    Likely the update servers were getting slammed, some network operation timed out, and it never recovered. Typically why I don't jump on major OS updates for a day or two.
    williamlondonFileMakerFellerAlex1Nbeowulfschmidtwatto_cobra
  • Reply 3 of 9
    One thing I wish Control Centre on tvOS had was an icon showing you how much charge the remote has.
    dewmeFileMakerFellerAlex1NJapheyappleinsideruserwatto_cobra
  • Reply 4 of 9
    dewmedewme Posts: 5,746member
    dagaz said:
    One thing I wish Control Centre on tvOS had was an icon showing you how much charge the remote has.

    I thought I was past the point where the ATV install needed to be talking to the server. But you never know. 

    I am impressed with how resilient Apple's update process has become over the years. The people who do this work for Apple probably don't get the credit they deserve. Other than the first beta of macOS that rolled out APFS and borked my Fusion drive, I've not had to do a clean rollback and reinstall. I'm very impressed with how robust the installation processes have been, even on the Beta releases. 

    I did run into a problem trying to install the iPadOS 17 Beta on my iPad Pro. That turned out to be an issue on my side because I was trying to install a Beta image that was linked to one Apple ID over the installed version that was linked to a different Apple ID. I'm one of those unlucky souls that has two Apple IDs because of the move from MobileMe to iCloud. Apple has promised to merge my two Apple IDs on the day after the sun completely envelopes the Earth with plasma and turns it into a charcoal briquette.

    I'm kind of glad that Apple staggered today's releases with the macOS release. Yeah, I would have installed those today as well. I'm not afraid to run with scissors as long as I know the scissors are dull by virtue of having tried the Betas. The only Beta I didn't try (on secondary machines) is the Apple Watch and Apple TV because I don't have extras of those devices.
    lotonesStrangeDaysFileMakerFellerAlex1Nwatto_cobra
  • Reply 5 of 9
    I’m not seeing Enhance Dialog in tvos17.  I have all the requirements. 2 HomePod (2nd gen) set as the default audio output with my Apple TV 4K. I played Foundation just to make sure it wasn’t what I was watching. Anybody seeing this feature?
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 9
    JapheyJaphey Posts: 1,772member
    dagaz said:
    One thing I wish Control Centre on tvOS had was an icon showing you how much charge the remote has.
    Yes. I came to say the same thing. It seems like such an obvious and simple addition. 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 9
    JapheyJaphey Posts: 1,772member
    dewme said:
    For whatever reason, the tvOS 17 update is brutally slow - even after you get through the extremely slow "Preparing" phase. I've updated my iPhone and 4 iPads and my Apple Watch is nearly done updating, and progress bars on the Apple TVs (4K models and one HD) are moving at a sub-snail pace, like an elderly snail with a dry foot pad and cracked shell. Incredible, in a bad way.

    Update: The ultra slow ATV 4K seems to be a unique case. All of my other 4Ks and one HD updated fine. Not terribly slow. The one malcontent ATV is still in a updating state after about 90 mins. It must have lost its marbles so I'll do a factory reset on it and start over again.

    Update 2: After doing a soft reset by pressing the ATV remote Home and Menu at the same time for >5 seconds the Apple TV restarted, immediately restarted the post-preparation process. The progress bar that was previously stopped near the end point reset to the binning and gradually progress to completion after a few minutes. Update to tvOS 17 completed and the device seems to be working fine. Must have been a electron clot or something like that.
    For me it was my Apple Watch that took the longest. Approaching 2 hours now…
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 8 of 9
    dewme said:
    For whatever reason, the tvOS 17 update is brutally slow - even after you get through the extremely slow "Preparing" phase. I've updated my iPhone and 4 iPads and my Apple Watch is nearly done updating, and progress bars on the Apple TVs (4K models and one HD) are moving at a sub-snail pace, like an elderly snail with a dry foot pad and cracked shell. Incredible, in a bad way.

    Update: The ultra slow ATV 4K seems to be a unique case. All of my other 4Ks and one HD updated fine. Not terribly slow. The one malcontent ATV is still in a updating state after about 90 mins. It must have lost its marbles so I'll do a factory reset on it and start over again.

    Update 2: After doing a soft reset by pressing the ATV remote Home and Menu at the same time for >5 seconds the Apple TV restarted, immediately restarted the post-preparation process. The progress bar that was previously stopped near the end point reset to the binning and gradually progress to completion after a few minutes. Update to tvOS 17 completed and the device seems to be working fine. Must have been a electron clot or something like that.
    I always force quit my apps and Restart my Apple TV from the System Menu after every OS update. Seems to help things.  
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 9 of 9

    Apple TV now includes a new feature called Reactions. These are video effects that can be activated through hand gestures. Although Apple hasn't disclosed a complete list of supported gestures, we triggered a thumbs-up bubble by simply giving a solo thumbs-up. Additionally, two thumbs up led to full-screen fireworks appearing behind us.

    • Heart - Heart emoji
    • Thumbs up - Thumbs up emoji
    • Two thumbs up - Fireworks
    • Single thumbs down - Thumbs down emoji
    • Two thumbs down - Cloud
    • Peace sign with one hand - Balloons
    • Peace sign with two hands - Confetti
    • "Rock on" sign with two hands - Laser
    watto_cobra
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