Hands on with all the changes in tvOS 13

Posted:
in iOS
With the steadily approaching launch of Apple TV+, the Apple TV set-top box itself is more important than ever. To help bolster its place in the living room, Apple brought a slew of changes with tvOS 13. Here is a first look at what you can expect.

Apple Arcade in tvOS 13
Apple Arcade in tvOS 13


Starting out, you are met with a refreshed Home screen. There is a new semi-opaque dock at the top of all the app icons which sits atop a new, more immersive background.

The background now encompasses the entire screen and not just the portion above the bar. Apps need to be updated to take full advantage of this but it certainly looks better. You can see how it looks right now thanks to the new Apple Arcade app.

Apple Arcade in tvOS 13
Apple Arcade in tvOS 13


Yes, Apple's upcoming gaming subscription service has received its own app icon here in tvOS 13. You can see the colorful background reaches edge to edge on the TV. Launching the app there isn't much to see at the moment as the service has not launched, but Apple does feature an assortment of characters promoting new titles like Oceanhorn 2.






Going along with Apple Arcade is support for more third-party controllers. Sony Playstation Dualshock 4 controllers and Xbox One S controllers will finally be natively supported with not only tvOS 13 but iOS 13 too. This will make gaming on Apple TV a much more fulfilling experience and feel more natural for serious gamers.

Refreshed Photos UI in tvOS 13
Refreshed Photos UI in tvOS 13


Next, several apps throughout tvOS have had their interfaces refreshed to go along with the new UI found in Apple's latest releases. This is particularly noticable in the Music and Photos apps which look cleaner and have new category selectors at the top.

Music syncs lyrics in tvOS 13
Music syncs lyrics in tvOS 13


Continuing to look at Music, there were many changes to the now playing UI. For starters, lyrics have now come to Apple TV and will automatically move with the song. Otherwise, you can access the AirPlay menu from the top left, tap the ellipsis in the top center for access to options, and other playback controls to the right.

Apple has always spent a lot of time crafting stunning screen savers for the Apple TV, venturing above cities and into the heavens. With tvOS 13 Apple has now gone below sea level with several underwater options. Currently, these aren't found in the first beta but will be there by the time tvOS 13 launches.

User account settings in tvOS 13
User account settings in tvOS 13


The biggest change coming to Apple TV, however, is likely support for multiple users. User accounts are automatically added when a user is added to the Home app. It syncs their profiles to the Apple TV so they have access to their own Apple Music libraries and preferences as well as their TV watch list and history. No longer will you see your spouse's TV recommendations in the TV app.

Accounts can also be manually added for those not added to the Home app within Settings.

Control Center in tvOS 13
Control Center comes to Apple TV with tvOS 13


It is easy to switch users thanks to Control Center which has made its way to the Apple TV. When invoked, Control Center slides in from the right side and brings access to the now playing content, switching users, the AirPlay menu, search, and the sleep button.

We are still digging through tvOS 13 and will continue to bring you coverage of any other features hiding within Apple's latest Apple TV update. Apple will release tvOS 13 as a free update this fall with iOS 13, macOS Catalina, iPadOS, and watchOS 6.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 12
    AppleExposedAppleExposed Posts: 1,805unconfirmed, member
    tvOS seems like an afterthought for Apple and I'm always disappointed with the lack of updates compared to other OSes...

    Correct me if I'm wrong but, that gaming app will house ALL Apple TV games correct? Sort of like "Movies" covers all purchased movies. If so that's brilliant. 90% of my home screen is cluttered with games and I often find myself moving them to a folder after the kids have gone on a free game downloading binge.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 2 of 12
    My one question is HOW does one invoke the Control Center for tvOS? If it is as easy to use, this could get me to buy multiple of these AppleTVs; one for each TV.
    AppleExposedwatto_cobra
  • Reply 3 of 12
    My one question is HOW does one invoke the Control Center for tvOS? If it is as easy to use, this could get me to buy multiple of these AppleTVs; one for each TV.
    Just a few guesses: it could be 'Keeping the menu button pressed' (as the latter operation is not of any use once on this screen) or 'Slide from the right side of the touch pad' for instance. Anyway, just guessing as I said.
  • Reply 4 of 12
    jabohnjabohn Posts: 582member
    My one question is HOW does one invoke the Control Center for tvOS? If it is as easy to use, this could get me to buy multiple of these AppleTVs; one for each TV.
    The same way that you Sleep in tvOS 12, except now it invokes the control centre which includes the Sleep button. Although I'm curious why it's remains light if you're using dark mode.
    libertyforallwatto_cobra
  • Reply 5 of 12
    AppleExposedAppleExposed Posts: 1,805unconfirmed, member
    jabohn said:
    My one question is HOW does one invoke the Control Center for tvOS? If it is as easy to use, this could get me to buy multiple of these AppleTVs; one for each TV.
    The same way that you Sleep in tvOS 12, except now it invokes the control centre which includes the Sleep button. Although I'm curious why it's remains light if you're using dark mode.

    Aw man that sucks. I like the simplicity of the sleep button.
  • Reply 6 of 12
    Andrew_OSUAndrew_OSU Posts: 573member, editor
    My one question is HOW does one invoke the Control Center for tvOS? If it is as easy to use, this could get me to buy multiple of these AppleTVs; one for each TV.
    You just hold the TV button on the remote and it slides into view.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 12
    StrangeDaysStrangeDays Posts: 12,821member
    It is easy to switch users thanks to Control Center which has made its way to the Apple TV. When invoked, Control Center slides in from the right side and brings access to the now playing content, switching users, the AirPlay menu, search, and the sleep button.
    Cool. I hope Control Center is universal and works even with horribly non-platform-compliant apps like YouTube. Currently, if not using my HomePods as the desired output target, there’s no way to select them during playback because YT chose not to implement the native ATV pull-down where one selects audio targets, captions, etc. Judging by the continued lack of native remote conventions, like the Play button beginning playback on a selected thumbnail, I’m guessing it’s because YT is still a crummy console port only. 
    AppleExposedwilliamlondonlolliverwatto_cobra
  • Reply 8 of 12
    petiegpetieg Posts: 24member
    I'm curious, with multi-user support now, if a different user logs into the AppleTV, do they in turn have to login to all the apps?  Netflix, Hulu, CBS, etc... Would be nice to have the choice... Share sub w/ other users? or not...

    I know apple is most likely thinking family, but what about for example... roommates, college students, etc...? In that regard, what about secure logins? Touch/FaceID on iOS device to login securely... Again, would be nice to have the choice. Maybe even be able to set ratings for userIDs to keep people in check. I know I don't want MY grandparents watching Fox News...!  LOL 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 9 of 12
    chelinchelin Posts: 106member
    YES finally multiuser support!
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 10 of 12
    EmptyBurgerEmptyBurger Posts: 3unconfirmed, member
    Is there support for multiple pairs of Airpods in tvOS 13?
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 11 of 12

    The current Apple TV app on the Apple TV is a little odd.

    On my iPhone, all my locally stored videos are a part of the Apple TV app. I can also access a library that is home-shared via iTunes on a Mac via the Apple TV app on my iPhone.

    However, on the Apple TV, I can only access purchased videos on the app. My home-shared libraries can still only be accessed via the Computer app on the Apple TV.


    watto_cobra
  • Reply 12 of 12
    libertyforalllibertyforall Posts: 1,418member
    How the heck do you get the control center to show up?!

    Update:  Found it in the post above.  ;)
    edited June 2019 watto_cobra
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