Apple tvOS Update to Add Live Channels, Simultaneous Streams, Single Sign-On, and More

Shortly after the company unveiled a slew of new features coming to watchOS 3 this fall at Monday morning’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) keynote, Apple’s SVP of Internet Software and Services, Eddy Cue, took the stage to fill us in on a number of exciting new features coming soon to Apple’s set-top box.

First and foremost, Cue showed off a vastly enhanced Apple TV remote app for iPhone — which, similar to the 4th generation Apple TV’s Siri-enabled remote, will allow users to navigate the TV interface and search for content utilizing Siri and the sound of their voice.

The content search functions have been greatly enhanced, too, with the Apple TV remote for iOS now able to recognize and search for specific content by genre and other specific details. For instance, Cue showed us how we could search for “high school comedies from the 80’s,” at which point a slew of options appeared on screen — including the classic Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, among others.

In the next tvOS update, Apple will also be addressing a much griped-about issue concerning the sign-on credential issue on Apple’s set-top box. Enter tvOS’s new Single Sign-On feature, which will enable users to enter their sign-on credentials just once — as opposed to over and over again, as is currently the case, when users are attempting to access content from some of the major networks and content providers (like HBO, ESPN, NBC, and even YouTube).

According to Cue, the Cupertino-company’s new Single Sign-On feature will be coming to iOS this fall, too.

Cue also revealed on Monday morning that tvOS will soon be gaining a new feature that Apple is calling ‘Live Tune-in’, which will enable users to open live programming streams from various participating cable networks — including ESPN, Disney, or ABC, for instance, simply by commanding Siri to launch them. Even better yet, capability to stream from up to four separate channels at once is coming to Apple TV, a welcomed addition for sport fanatics everywhere.

Additional features that are coming soon to the Apple TV include an all-new dark mode function — which, when activated under Apple TV settings, will allow users to browse the set-top box for content without the inherent, super-bright app grid in the background scorching their retinas.

Additionally, tvOS and iOS will soon feature an automatic download function for apps. For instance, if an app for iOS is also available in a tvOS app, both will be downloaded simultaneously between your iOS Devices and Apple TV, so you’ll be able to access those apps and save content seamlessly between both devices.

In addition to these new features, Cue noted that Apple TV (since the 4th generation’s launch back in 2015) now features over 6,000 native apps – far surpassing the amount of any other TV streaming device currently on the market.

And of course, with all these new features and more coming to Apple TV soon, that number is only expected to grow even more, right?

What do you think about tvOS’s new features?