Apple Debuts New tvOS Features Including ‘Single Sign-On’, Enhanced Siri and More

Today at WWDC, Apple announced an updated version of tvOS that includes new functionality and features for Siri, single sign-on and more. Apple also announced that a few new apps will be arriving on tvOS, including Sling, Fox Sports Go, Molotov TV, and a handful of game-based apps like Minecraft Story Mode and Sketch Party.

Siri has gained a handful of new abilities, including the ability to search for movies by topic. For instance, a user can now ask Siri to find the latest superhero movies or documentaries about cars. Siri can even partner themes with other pieces of context, like searching for high school comedies from the 80s. Siri will also be able to search through YouTube later this month.

Siri can also be directed to tune-in to live channels within apps now. For example, if a user asks Siri to “Watch CBS News” or “Watch ESPN,” Siri will instantly open the live feed within the app, rather than transporting the user to the app’s home screen. Finally, Siri can also manage a user’s HomeKit devices via Apple TV.

Fourth-generation Apple TV users will no longer need to individually sign into each of their Pay-TV apps with the new tvOS update. tvOS now supports single sign-on, so when users sign into Apple’s new feature, they’ll never have to go through the process again. Once a user enters their credentials in one app, tvOS will automatically authenticate every other app that requires authentication. Additionally, when a user is entering their credentials for the first time they’ll be presented with a page featuring all the authenticated apps their pay-TV provider offers support for, allowing users to easily discover what other content they can watch.

Single Sign-On is available for any network-TV app, though it must be enabled by the developer. The feature will also be available for iOS 10, which the Cupertino company also announced and detailed at today’s WWDC keynote. Apple also debuted a new dark mode for Apple TV, making it easier for users with darker rooms.

The new Apple TV and tvOS are compatible with the revamped Remote app, which mirrors the abilities of the Apple TV’s Siri Remote on an iPhone. The app, like previous Remote apps, allows users to control their content, but it also allows users to use Siri to control the Apple TV. Users can also use the app to play games on Apple TV and enter text via the iOS keyboard.

Apple also announced a couple new tvOS APIs for developers, including support for PhotoKit and HomeKit. One of those APIs is ReplayKit, which allows developers to record live broadcasts from their apps. Apple TV apps can also badge their icons on the home screen, notifying users to potential changes within the app. The Apple TV can also support up to four game controllers as well.

Many of the new features coming to iOS and macOS have also come to tvOS. The newly redesigned Apple Music, with a simplified and more colorful design, is also available on Apple TV. The revamped Apple Music is easier-to-navigate and read, with bigger fonts and more emphasis on album art. It also includes a new “For You” tabled that has better-curated content. Finally, the new Apple Music also gained support for lyrics. Photos for Apple TV now has gained the new Memories feature debuted with iOS 10, allowing users to easily rediscover moments from their past. Universal apps will also automatically download when downloaded to an iOS device, and when a keyboard appears on the Apple TV, it’ll also appear on an iOS device signed in with the same iCloud account.

Related Roundups: Apple TV, WWDC 2016
Buyer’s Guide: Apple TV (Neutral)
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Apple Unveils macOS ‘Sierra’ With New Continuity Features, Window Tabs, Apple Watch Login, Siri, and More

Apple used its WWDC 2016 keynote on Monday to unveil macOS ‘Sierra’, the successor to its OS X 10.11 El Capitan operating system for the Mac, promising window tab support across multiple apps, copy and paste between devices, Siri integration, and more.

The announcement of a change in naming convention also means that Apple now has a consistent naming structure across all its software platforms: iOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS.

Apart from Siri’s introduction to the Mac desktop, Apple focused on a handful of new Continuity-themed features exclusive to macOS Sierra, one being the ability to access files on the desktop and in the Documents folder on any Mac, iOS device, or even a PC.

Sierra will allow users to access these files on an iPhone and iPad via the iCloud Drive app, through iCloud.com, or using the iCloud for Windows app. And if a user logs into a second Mac, their files will be automatically available on the Desktop and in the Documents folder, exactly where they were saved.

Another Continuity feature coming with macOS is ‘Universal Clipboard’, which enhances the traditional copy and paste functionality by enabling users to automatically copy text, photos, and more from an iPhone or iPad, and instantly paste them on a Mac.

In addition, a new security feature in macOS Sierra called ‘Auto Unlock’ allows Apple Watch wearers to gain access to their locked Mac simply by walking into its vicinity, whereby they become automatically logged into the desktop.

Apple is also extending the tabs feature in Safari to all apps that support multiple windows, including Maps, Mail, Pages, Numbers, Keynote, and TextEdit, as well as compatible third-party apps.

For example, tabs in Maps will mean users can browse multiple locations without losing their place, while tabs in Pages should allow users to copy and paste between Pages in fullscreen mode, or jump between multiple email drafts in Mail.

Sierra also brings the Picture-in-Picture feature found in iOS 9.3 to the Mac, making it possible to float video from Safari or iTunes in a window on the desktop while working on something else. Video windows will be resizable, draggable, and able to be pinned to the corner of the screen.

Meanwhile, the Photos app is getting a new intelligent Memories feature, which automatically creates curated collections of special occasions like birthdays, weddings, and vacations using people, object, and location recognition.

Bolstered by the new recognition technology, the People feature will automatically group photos into Albums based on who is in them, while Places will display photos on a world map so users can see where they were taken.

Additional features coming with macOS Sierra include: Optimized Storage, which frees up space when a Mac starts getting full by storing infrequently used items in iCloud; an enhanced Messages app, bringing the desktop version in line with all the new features exclusive to iOS 10; and an updated version of Apple Music in iTunes, which is likely to reflect changes to the iOS 10 Music app.

macOS Sierra is available to developers for testing today. Apple says a public beta will be launched in July, while the final public release is coming in the fall.

Related Roundup: WWDC 2016
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Apple Announces iOS 10 With Overhauled Messages App, Rich Notifications, and More

At today’s WWDC keynote, Apple unveiled iOS 10, the latest version of its mobile operating system that will launch in the fall. Apple’s list of new features for iOS 10 is extensive, focusing on revamping established apps (like Messages, Photos, and Apple Music), introducing new aspects of the user interface, and doubling down on privacy.

One of the more notable updates in iOS 10 centers around Messages. Apple hopes the handful of new Message features in iOS 10 will bring more “personal and expressive” ways to communicate with friends and family, with a roster of new text message abilities including text balloon animations, invisible ink, enlarged emoji, and handwritten notes.

“iOS 10 is our biggest release ever, with delightful new ways to express yourself in Messages, a native app for Home automation, and beautifully redesigned apps for Music, Maps, and News that are more intuitive and more powerful, making everything you love about your iPhone and iPad even better,” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering. “iOS 10 adds Siri intelligence into QuickType and Photos, automates your home with the new Home app and opens up Siri, Maps, Phone and Messages to developers — while increasing security and privacy with powerful technologies like Differential Privacy.”

On the lock and home screen side of things, Apple debuted a new “rich notifications” system that lets users get more information from various apps without unlocking their iPhone. The update will also introduce a “clear all” feature for Notification Center notifications, and a way to access the iPhone’s camera and widgets by sliding left or right, respectively, from the lock screen.

All of this will be even easier to glance at thanks to an Apple Watch-like “Raise to Wake” ability that wakes up the iPhone whenever users raise their device to eye level. Those users on iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus will also benefit from deeper integration of 3D Touch with the new rich notifications, which will let interacting with apps be “even easier.” Notes will be getting a new collaborative project feature and Live Photos will be able to go through an editing process in iOS 10.

The second phase of iOS 10’s new features focus on adding new abilities into Apple’s already well-known apps. The first is a new “Memories” tab in the Photos app that will intelligently draw out specific photos — thanks to facial recognition and geo filters — to dynamically group together family vacations and special memories. The app will also now create slideshows with the photos and videos users take within each album, without the need for intensive editing software.

Maps is getting a redesign in iOS 10 as well, featuring larger buttons and typefaces, with Apple saying that the new look makes it “simpler and even more intuitive to use.” The app has also been made more intelligent, scanning your calendar or assessing your routine and delivering directions proactively. Once a route is planned, the updated Maps app can search the route for gas stations, restaurants and more, even telling you how long a pit stop would affect your trip. Finally, Apple Maps is now open to third-party extensions, allowing you to make a restaurant reservation via OpenTable within Maps or calling a ride from service like Uber.

Next, Apple Music will get its long-rumored significant redesign in iOS 10, which is shared with an updated version of Apple News. Apple says the new design language allows the content of the apps to “become the hero,” making it even simpler for users to find the music or news they want. The Library, For You, Browse and Radio tabs in Apple Music have all been revamped with the new design language, and Apple has added a Search tab to make it easier to search for new music. Apple Music has also gained support for lyrics.

Meanwhile, the redesigned News app features a revamped For You section that’s broken down into sections that include trending news and specialized topics that users have indicated interest in. In addition, the news-centric app has gained support for subscriptions for select publications like The Wall Street Journal.

The Cupertino company also debuted a new Home app that allows users to easily manage and control all of their HomeKit devices in one place. The app allows users to either manage their accessories individually or by grouping them together in “scenes.” Scenes allow users to affect all of the devices with a single command.

iOS 10 will also include a public API for Siri, allowing developers to plug into Apple’s personal assistant. Users will now be able to use Siri to make VoIP calls, send messages through messaging apps like WhatsApp and hail cabs from services like Uber. Additionally, iOS 10 will include smaller updates like Split View within Safari for iPad and a new Bedtime Alarm mode in the Clock app that allows users to set a regular sleep schedule and reminders for bedtime.

Lastly, Apple has debuted a new privacy feature for iOS called Differential Privacy, which allows Apple to discover user habits to improve AI features without compromising privacy.

Starting with iOS 10, Apple is using technology called Differential Privacy to help discover the usage patterns of a large number of users without compromising individual privacy. In iOS 10, this technology will help improve QuickType and emoji suggestions, Spotlight® deep link suggestions and Lookup Hints in Notes.

The developer preview of iOS 10 is available today, and a public beta program will begin in July. Users interested in the public beta can sign up for information at beta.Apple.com. iOS 10 will be available in the fall for free for iPhone 5 and later and all iPad Pro and Air models. The fourth-generation iPad and the iPad mini 2 and later will also support iOS 10.

Related Roundup: WWDC 2016
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Apple Announces New Remote App for tvOS and Apple TV

Today at its WWDC keynote, Apple unveiled the updated Remote app for the fourth-generation Apple TV and tvOS. The new app mirrors the functionality of the Siri Remote.

Noting that its customers wanted an updated version of the Remote app, Apple SVP Eddy Cue said the new app allows users to use their iPhones to play games. The app also allows users to use Siri to command their Apple TV as well as input text via their iPhone’s keyboard.

Like previous Remote apps, the new Remote app will also allow users to control the content on the Apple TV, fast forwarding, pausing, playing and rewinding whatever they’re watching.

Related Roundup: Apple TV
Buyer’s Guide: Apple TV (Neutral)
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Apple Pay Coming to Safari With Touch ID Payment Confirmations Via iPhone

Apple today announced that Apple Pay will be coming to Safari on the newly-unveiled macOS Sierra platform. When shopping online on participating websites, users will be able to click a “Pay with Apple Pay” button and authenticate a purchase through an iPhone and even an Apple Watch.

Users love to shop online using their Macs and with macOS the shopping experience in Safari is now even better. Apple Pay on the web makes it easy to make secure and private purchases when shopping on participating websites. You no longer need to share credit or debit card numbers with an online merchant and actual card numbers are not stored on your device, nor on Apple servers.

During its keynote presentation, Apple said that many merchants have already agreed to include Apple Pay on the web, with more expected to launch down the line. From a security angle, Apple promised that Apple Pay on macOS is as strong and encrypted as it is on mobile, thanks to the fact that you no longer have to store credit or debit card information in a browser.

For an in-depth dive into all of the new features of macOS Sierra, check out our WWDC keynote round-up.

Related Roundup: WWDC 2016
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Apple Announces Siri for macOS Sierra With Web and File Searches

At its WWDC keynote today, Apple confirmed that Siri would be coming to the Mac with macOS Sierra. Siri’s icon will sit in the top menu bar next to the Notification Center toggle.

Siri can handle context-sensitive searches for things such as files, allowing users to search for files they worked on in the last week or just the files an individual co-worker sent a user. Siri for Mac, which can also work while a user is in a full-screen app, can search the web. Siri’s web searches can also be pinned to the Notification Center.

Like Siri for iOS, Siri for Mac can also be used to bring up music, send text messages and open apps. Siri can also be used in conjunction with other new macOS Sierra features, like the updated Continuity and Apple Pay.

Related Roundup: OS X 10.12
Tag: Siri
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Apple Opens Siri to Third-Party Developers With iOS 10

At its WWDC keynote today, Apple announced that it would open Siri up to third-party developers with a public API, allowing users to use Apple’s personal assistant AI to summon third-party services and apps hands free.

Siri now supports a multitude of app types, including popular third-party messaging apps like WhatsApp and WeChat. Like with iMessage, Siri can be used to send texts to contact by uttering voice commands like “WeChat Kevin and tell him I’ll be late.” Siri can also be used for payment apps, VoIP apps and ride-hailing apps like Uber or Lyft.

The public API for Siri will be available for developers in the iOS 10 preview today, and will be available for users when iOS 10 launches in the fall.

Related Roundup: iOS 10
Tag: Siri
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