tvOS
 | |
 The tvOS user interface, with apps. | |
| Developer | Apple Inc. |
|---|---|
| Written in | C, C++, Swift, and Objective-C |
| OS family |
|
| Working state | Current |
| Source model | Closed source (with open source components) |
| Released to manufacturing | October 29, 2015 (2015-10-29) |
| Latest release | 11.4.1[1] (15M73)[2](July 9, 2018 (2018-07-09)) [±] |
| Latest preview | 12.0 Developer beta 9[3] (16J5360a)[4](August 27, 2018 (2018-08-27)) [±] |
| Marketing target | Television, casual gaming |
| Available in | Multilingual[which?] |
| Update method | Firmware-over-the-air |
| Platforms | Apple TV (4th generation and later) |
Kernel type | Hybrid (XNU) |
| License | Commercial proprietary software |
| Preceded by | Apple TV Software 7 (based on iOS 8) – 3rd generation Apple TV only |
| Official website | developer.apple.com/tvos |
| Support status | |
Supported | |
tvOS is an operating system developed by Apple Inc. for the fourth-generation and later Apple TV digital media player. tvOS was announced on September 9, 2015 at the Apple September 2015 event, alongside the 4th generation Apple TV.[5] On October 29, 2015, 4th generation Apple TV pre-orders began, and shipments began the following week.[6]
tvOS is extensively based on iOS whereas the system software for the 2nd and 3rd generation Apple TV were based on stripped-down versions of iOS. The 4th generation Apple TV, with support for third-party software via an App Store, was rumored prior to the Apple September 2015 Event held on September 9, 2015.[7][8]
Contents
1 History
2 Features
3 Accessibility
4 Development
5 Version history
5.1 iOS 4.1
5.2 iOS 5
5.3 iOS 6
5.4 iOS 7
5.5 iOS 8
5.6 tvOS 9
5.7 tvOS 10
5.8 tvOS 11
5.9 tvOS 12
6 See also
7 References
8 External links
History
On October 30, 2015, the 4th generation Apple TV became available, and shipped with tvOS 9.0. On November 9, 2015, tvOS 9.0.1 was released, primarily an update to address minor issues.
tvOS 9.1 was released on December 8, 2015 along with OS X 10.11.2, iOS 9.2, and watchOS 2.1.[9] Along with these updates, Apple also updated the Remote apps on iOS and watchOS, allowing for basic remote functionality for the 4th generation Apple TV (previously, said app only worked with past versions of Apple TV).[10]
On November 25, 2015, Facebook debuted their SDK for tvOS, allowing applications to log into Facebook, share to Facebook, and use Facebook Analytics in the same way that iOS applications can.[11]
On December 2, 2015, Twitter debuted their login authentication service for tvOS – "Digits" – allowing users to log into apps and services with a simple, unique code available online.[12]
On March 11, 2016, The Pangu Team announced on Twitter that they would be creating a new jailbreak tool for the Apple TV 4 running tvOS 9.0–9.0.1 and that it would be released the following week.[13]
On June 13, 2016, at WWDC 2016, Apple SVP of Internet Services Eddy Cue announced the next major version of tvOS, tvOS 10. tvOS 10 brings new functionality such as Siri search enhancements, single sign on for cable subscriptions, a dark mode, and a new Remote application for controlling the Apple TV.
Features
tvOS 9 shipped with several new features on the fourth generation Apple TV. One of the major features was the ability to move through the interface with the new touchpad remote using multi-touch gestures. It introduced a new App Store in which users can download and install new applications (such as apps and games) made available from developers that develop applications for the Apple TV and tvOS. tvOS 9 adds support for Siri, which lets users do a multitude of things such as a cross-application search for a movie/TV show, rewind, fast forward, name and actor/director of the current movie, and skip back 15 seconds. tvOS added support for an application switcher on the Apple TV, more application customization options, cinematic screensavers, and control the TV using the included Siri Remote with the built-in support for HDMI-CEC in tvOS. In addition, tvOS allows the user to control the Apple TV in many different ways. These include using the included Siri Remote, pairing a third-party universal remote, pairing an MFi Gamepad to control games, using the Remote app on iOS, and pairing a Bluetooth keyboard to aid in the typing experience of the user.
Accessibility
tvOS was designed based on iOS, as such tvOS inherited many of the accessibility features of iOS and macOS.
tvOS includes the Apple technologies of VoiceOver, Zoom, and Siri to help the blind and those with impaired vision. VoiceOver, Apple's screen reader, is available in more than 30 languages and enables visually impaired users to know what is on the visual display and input responses to on-screen prompts. VoiceOver uses gestures similar to other Apple products (flicks, taps, and the rotor).
Like other Apple products such as the iPhone with a three click sequence to the home button to activate accessibility features, with Apple TV's tvOS, a user can activate VoiceOver without any installation process. One needs only to triple-click the Menu button on the Siri Remote and the Apple TV will guide the user through the complete initial setup, a task that is non-trivial to the visually impaired in most comparable products on the market.
Another accessibility feature is to increase contrast on the screen which acts by reducing the transparency of background elements on Movie and TV Show pages, menu tabs, and other parts of the operating system. High-contrast can also be turned on, with a cursor to better delineate the focused content. The user can also opt to turn on Reduce Motion which in some screen actions, such as moving between app icons on the Home screen and launching apps are visually simpler which is of benefit to reduce strain on the eyes.
tvOS enables users to watch movies with audio descriptions of what is being shown on the screen. Movies with audio descriptions are displayed with the AD (Audio Description) icon in the iTunes Store for tvOS and in iTunes on a Macintosh or Windows PC.
Pairing a Bluetooth keyboard with the tvOS on the Apple TV enables another accessibility feature that also is an incorporation of VoiceOver. When typing, VoiceOver mirrors with an audio voice, each character pressed on the keyboard and repeated again when it is entered. The Apple TV is designed to work with the Apple Wireless Keyboard or the Apple Magic Keyboard. It will work however with almost any brand of Bluetooth keyboard.
Apple TV with and without tvOS supports closed captioning, so the deaf or hard of hearing can experience TV episodes and feature-length movies. Compatible episodes and movies are denoted with a CC (closed captioning) or SDH (subtitles for the deaf or hard-of-hearing) icon in the iTunes Store either on the Apple TV or in iTunes itself. The viewer can customize the captions in episodes or movies with styles and fonts that are more conducive to their hearing and/or visual impairment.
The Touch surface on the Siri Remote is customizable. Tracking when set to Fast adjusts the thumb movements made to amplify the distance in relation to how far the thumb has moved on the glass touchpad. Conversely when tracking is set to slow, larger movements of the thumb on the touchpad will tune down the distance that is traversed on the screen. This can help people with disabilities.
Apple's Remote app on iOS devices allows control of the Apple TV from an iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. The iOS remote app increases the accessibility of the Apple TV by enabling Switch Control. Switch Control is a unique Apple technology that enables navigation sequentially through onscreen items and perform specific actions such as selecting, tapping, dragging, typing using third party Bluetooth-enabled switch hardware made for those with handicaps.
Development
tvOS ships with all-new development tools for developers. tvOS adds support for an all-new SDK for developers to build apps for the TV including all of the APIs included in iOS 9 such as Metal. It also adds the tvOS App Store which allows users to browse, download, and install a wide variety of applications. In addition, developers can now use their own interface inside of their application rather than only being able to use Apple's interface. Since tvOS is based on iOS, it is easy to port existing iOS apps to the Apple TV with Xcode while making only a few refinements to the app to better suit the larger screen. Apple provides Xcode free of charge to all registered Apple developers. To develop for the new Apple TV, it is necessary to make a parallax image for the application icon. In order to do this, Apple provides a Parallax exporter and previewer in the development tools for the Apple TV.
Version history
| Legend: | Obsolete | Discontinued | Current | Beta |
|---|
Information about new updates to Apple TV (2nd generation) onwards is published on Apple's knowledge base.[14]
iOS 4.1
iOS 4.1 was the first version of iOS available on the Apple TV (2nd generation). It included Apple TV Software 4.0.[14]
| Table of versions: iOS 4.x – Apple TV (2nd generation) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| iOS Version | Apple TV Software | Build | Release date | Features |
| 4.1 | 4.0 | 8M89 | 2010-09-01 |
|
| 4.2 | 4.1 | 8C150 (1539) | 2010-11-22 |
|
| 4.2.1 | 4.1.1 | 8C154 (1553) | 2010-12-14 | Bug fixes
|
| 4.3 | 4.2 | 8F191m (2060) | 2011-03-09 |
|
| 4.2.1 | 8F202 (2100) | 2011-03-22 | Bug fixes
| |
| 4.2.2 | 8F305 (2203) | 2011-05-11 | Bug fixes
| |
| 4.3 | 8F455 (2557) | 2011-08-01 |
| |
iOS 5
On October 23, 2011, Apple TV (2nd generation) received the iOS 5.0 software, with My Photo Stream, AirPlay mirroring (from iPhone 4S & iPad 2), NHL, Wall Street Journal, slideshow themes and Netflix subtitles.[14][15] Contrary to rumors and code found in iOS 5, the release did not bring support for Bluetooth or apps to the Apple TV (2nd generation).[16]
| Table of versions: iOS 5.x – Apple TV (2nd and 3rd generations) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| iOS Version | Apple TV Software | Build | Release date | Features |
| 5.0 | 4.4 | 9A334v (3140)[17] | 2011-10-12 |
Upgrading from this version resets the device to factory settings as part of the upgrade process.[19] |
| 4.4.1 | 9A335a (3150) | 2011-10-17 | Bug fixes
| |
| 4.4.2[20] | 9A336a (3160)[21] | 2011-10-24 |
| |
| 5.0.1 | 4.4.3 | 9A405l (3323) | 2011-11-17 |
|
| 4.4.4 | 9A406a (3330) | 2011-12-15 |
| |
| 5.1 | 5.0 | 9B179b (4099) | 2012-03-07 |
|
| 5.1.1 | 5.0.1 | 9B206f (4224) | 2012-05-10 |
|
| 5.0.2 | 9B830 (4250) | 2012-06-05 |
| |
iOS 6
On September 24, 2012, Apple TV (2nd generation) onwards received the iOS 6.0 software update, with Shared Photo Streams, iTunes account switching, better AirPlay functionality, and Trailers searching, among other smaller improvements.
| Table of versions: iOS 6.x – Apple TV (2nd and 3rd generations) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| iOS Version | Apple TV Software | Build | Release date | Features |
| 6.0 | 5.1 | 10A406E (5201) | 2012-09-24 |
|
| 6.0.1 | 5.1.1 | 10A831 (5433) | 2012-11-29 |
|
| 6.1 | 5.2 | 10B144b (6010.96)[22] | 2013-01-28 |
|
| 6.1.3 | 5.2.1 | 10B329a (6025) | 2013-03-19 |
|
| 6.1.4 | 5.3 | 10B809 (6105) | 2013-06-19 |
Further channels added on August 27, 2013, without a software update: Vevo, Weather Channel, Disney Channel, Disney XD, and Smithsonian Channel[26][27][28] (some sources depend on country)[29] |
iOS 7
On September 20, 2013, Apple TV (second generation) onwards received the iOS 7.0 software update, with iTunes Radio and AirPlay from iCloud.
| Table of versions: iOS 7.x – Apple TV (2nd and 3rd generations) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| iOS version | Apple TV Software | Build | Release date | Features |
| 7.0.1 / 7.0.2 | 6.0 | 11A470e/11A502 | 2013-09-23 |
Third-party US-only content added on September 26, 2013, without a software update: Major League Soccer (MLS) and Disney Junior.[30][31] iMovie Theater app was added on October 22, 2013, without a software update.[32] |
| 7.0.3 | 6.0.1 | 11B511d | 2013-10-25 |
|
| 7.0.4 / 7.0.6 | 6.0.2 | 11B554a/11B651 | 2013-11-14 |
|
| 7.1 | 6.1 | 11D169b | March 10, 2014 (2014-03-10) |
|
| 7.1.1 | 6.1.1 | 11D201c | April 22, 2014 (2014-04-22) |
|
| 7.1.2 | 6.2 | 11D257c | June 30, 2014 (2014-06-30) |
|
| 6.2.1 | 11D258 | September 17, 2014 (2014-09-17) | Final release on Apple TV (2nd generation) As of May 2015, the YouTube app only works on newer Apple TVs that have software 7.2 or later due to an API change implemented by Google.
| |
iOS 8
On September 18, 2014, the third generation Apple TV received the iOS 8.0 software update, with a redesigned UI, Family Sharing and peer-to-peer AirPlay.
| Table of versions: iOS 8.x – Apple TV (3rd generation) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| iOS Version | Apple TV Software | Build | Release date | Features |
| 8.0 | 7.0 | 12A365b | September 17, 2014 (2014-09-17) |
|
| 8.1 | 7.0.1 | 12B410a | October 20, 2014 (2014-10-20) |
|
| 8.1.1 | 7.0.2 | 12B440 | November 17, 2014 (2014-11-17) |
|
| 8.1.3 | 7.0.3 | 12B466 | January 27, 2015 (2015-01-27) |
|
| 8.2 | 7.1 | 12D508 | March 9, 2015 (2015-03-09) |
|
| 8.3 | 7.2 | 12F69 | April 8, 2015 (2015-04-08) | As of May 2015, the YouTube app only works on Apple TVs that have software 7.2 or later due to an API change implemented by Google.
|
| Post-Apple TV (4th generation) updates | ||||
| 8.4 | 7.2.1 | 12H523 | February 25, 2016 (2016-02-25) |
|
| 8.4.1 | 7.2.2 | 12H606 | December 12, 2016 (2016-12-12) | Final release on Apple TV (3rd Generation/3rd Generation Rev-A)[33]
Amazon Video was automatically added to Apple TVs running 7.2.2 on December 6, 2017.[34] |
tvOS 9
tvOS 9 is an operating system that is 95% based on iOS 9, with adaptations made for a television interface. It was announced on September 9, 2015, alongside the new iPad Pro and iPhone 6S. Tim Cook took the stage and introduced tvOS saying that it was time for the Apple TV to gain a modern OS with support for apps as they are "the future of TV". It will only be available on the Apple TV (4th generation), released in October 2015. It adds a native SDK to develop apps, and an App Store to distribute them, and support for Siri and universal search across multiple apps.
| Table of versions: tvOS 9.x – Apple TV (4th generation) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| iOS Version | tvOS Version | Build | Release date | Features |
| 9.0 | 9.0 | 13T396 | October 29, 2015 (2015-10-29) |
|
| 9.1 | 9.0.1 | 13T402 | November 9, 2015 (2015-11-09) |
|
| 9.2 | 9.1 | 13U85 | December 8, 2015 (2015-12-08) |
|
| 9.2.1 | 9.1.1 | 13U717 | January 25, 2016 (2016-01-25) |
|
| 9.3 | 9.2 | 13Y234 | March 21, 2016 (2016-03-21) |
|
| 9.3.2 | 9.2.1 | 13Y772 | May 16, 2016 (2016-05-16) |
|
| 9.3.3 | 9.2.2 | 13Y825 | July 18, 2016 (2016-07-18) |
|
tvOS 10
| Table of versions: tvOS 10.x – Apple TV (4th generation) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
tvOS version | iOS version based on | Build | Release date | Features |
10.0 | 10.0 | 14T330 | September 13, 2016 (2016-09-13) |
|
10.0.1 | 10.1 | 14U71 14U100 | October 24, 2016 (2016-10-24) November 14, 2016 (2016-11-14) (14U100) |
|
10.1 | 10.2 | 14U593 | December 12, 2016 (2016-12-12) |
|
10.1.1 | 10.2.1 | 14U712a | January 23, 2017 (2017-01-23) |
|
10.2 | 10.3 | 14W265 | March 27, 2017 (2017-03-27) |
|
10.2.1 | 10.3.2 | 14W585a | May 15, 2017 (2017-05-15) | Security and Bug Fixes
|
10.2.2 | 10.3.3 | 14W756 | July 19, 2017 (2017-07-19) | Security and Bug Fixes
|
tvOS 11
| Table of versions: tvOS 11.x – Apple TV (4th and 5th generations) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
tvOS version | iOS version based on | Build | Release date | Features |
| 11.0 | 11.0 | 15J381 | September 19, 2017 (2017-09-19) |
|
| 11.1 | 11.1 | 15J582 | October 31, 2017 (2017-10-31) | Includes bug fixes and security improvements |
| 11.2 | 11.2 | 15K106 | December 4, 2017 (2017-12-04) | The update includes support for switching the Apple TV 4K display output to SDR for apps that are GPU-bound when running in HDR and it re-introduces the Unwatched category in Home Sharing for Movies, TV Shows, and Home Videos. |
| 11.2.1 | 11.2.1 | 15K152 | December 13, 2017 (2017-12-13) | Includes bug fixes and security improvements |
| 11.2.5 | 11.2.5 | 15K552 | January 23, 2018 (2018-01-23) | Includes bug fixes and security improvements |
| 11.2.6 | 11.2.6 | 15K600 | February 19, 2018 (2018-02-19) | Includes bug fixes and security improvements |
| 11.3 | 11.3 | 15L211 | March 29, 2018 (2018-03-29) | tvOS 11.3 beta provides Dolby Vision support for certain Sony 2017 4K HDR televisions with the X1 Extreme processor. |
| 11.4 | 11.4 | 15L577 | May 29, 2018 (2018-05-29) | AirPlay 2
|
| 11.4.1 | 11.4.1 | 15M73 | July 9, 2018 (2018-07-09) | |
tvOS 12
| Table of versions: tvOS 12.x – Apple TV (4th and 5th generations) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
tvOS version | iOS version based on | Build | Release date | Features |
| 12.0 developer beta 8 | 12.0 developer beta 9 | 16J5355a | August 20, 2018 (2018-08-20) | |
See also
Other operating systems developed by Apple Inc.
- iOS
- watchOS
- macOS
References
^ Juli Clover (July 9, 2018). "Apple Releases tvOS 11.4.1 for 4th and 5th Generation Apple TV Models". MacRumors. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
^ "tvOS 11.4.1 (15M73) - Releases - Apple Developer". Apple Developer. Apple Inc. July 9, 2018. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
^ Juli Clover (August 27, 2018). "Ninth Beta of tvOS 12 Now Available for Registered Developers [Update: Public Beta Available]". MacRumors. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
^ "tvOS 12 beta 9 (16J5360a) - Releases - Apple Developer". developer.apple.com. August 27, 2018. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
^ Welch, Chris. "New Apple TV announced with Siri and App Store, coming in October for $149". The Verge. Retrieved November 16, 2015.
^ "Apple TV: Everything We Know". MacRumors. Retrieved November 16, 2015.
^ "Apple New Apple TV to Start at $149". MacRumors. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
^ Gurman, Mark (August 30, 2015). "Apple TV 4 coming in October for under $200, Apple TV 3 stays & gets new streaming service".
^ "Mega-Apple update day brings upgrades to OS X, iOS, WatchOS, and tvOS". Retrieved December 9, 2015.
^ "Your new Apple TV finally works with the Remote app". Retrieved December 11, 2015.
^ "Facebook Announces tvOS SDK With Login Support". Retrieved December 9, 2015.
^ "Introducing Digits for tvOS". Digits Blog. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
^ "How-To: Prepare for the Apple TV 4 jailbreak". 9to5Mac. Retrieved March 14, 2016.
^ abcdefghijklmnopqrs "About Apple TV (2nd and 3rd generation) software updates". Apple Inc. October 9, 2015. Retrieved October 13, 2015.
^ "Apple TV 4.4 (3140 9A334v) update adds Photo Stream, NHL, and more". www.macworld.com. October 12, 2011. Retrieved October 12, 2011.
^ "Apple TV to gain Bluetooth keyboard support in iOS 5". www.9to5mac.com. July 12, 2011. Retrieved October 13, 2011.
^ "Talk:Firmware Keys/2011". www.theiphonewiki.com. October 13, 2011. Retrieved February 19, 2017.
^ "Apple - iOS 5 - See new features included in iOS 5". Archived from the original on September 23, 2011.
^ ab "Apple TV (2nd generation): Upgrading from Apple TV software version 4.4 or 4.4.1". Support.apple.com. October 24, 2011. Retrieved July 3, 2013.
^ "Apple TV 4.4.2 (9A336a) Update Now Available For Download". Redmondpie.com. October 25, 2011. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
^ "Talk:Firmware Keys/2011". TheiPhoneWiki.com. October 24, 2011. Retrieved October 24, 2011.
^ Hollington, Jesse (January 30, 2013). "Instant Expert: Secrets & Features of Apple TV 5.2". iLounge.com. Retrieved February 24, 2013.
^ "Apple TV: Using the Apple Wireless Keyboard". Apple. February 7, 2013. Retrieved February 24, 2013.
^ Caldwell, Serenity (March 19, 2013). "Apple TV 5.2.1 brings redesigned Hulu Plus app, security fixes". Macworld. Retrieved March 19, 2013.
^ "About the security content of Apple TV 5.2.1". Apple. March 19, 2013. Retrieved March 19, 2013.
^ Slivka, Eric (August 27, 2013). "Apple TV Adds Apps for Vevo, Weather Channel, Disney, and Smithsonian Channel". MacRumors. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
^ Apple Insider staff (August 27, 2013). "Apple TV update adds channels for Vevo, Disney, Weather & Smithsonian". AppleInsider. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
^ Gurman, Mark (August 27, 2013). "Apple TV updated with Vevo, Disney Channel, Disney XD, Weather Channel, Smithsonian apps". 9to5mac. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
^ Keller, Joseph (August 27, 2013). "Apple TV adds even more channels, including Disney, Weather, Smithsonian". iMore. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
^ Slivka, Eric (September 26, 2013). "Apple Adds Major League Soccer and Disney Junior Channels to Apple TV". MacRumors. Retrieved September 27, 2013.
^ Welch, Chris (September 26, 2013). "Apple adds Major League Soccer and Disney Junior channels to Apple TV". The Verge. Retrieved September 27, 2013.
^ Clover, Juli (October 22, 2013). "Apple Adds iMovie Theater Channel to Apple TV". MacRumors. Retrieved October 25, 2013.
^ Caldwell, Serenity (September 9, 2015). "Sadly, tvOS won't be coming to a third-generation Apple TV near you". iMore.
^ "Amazon Prime Video app rolling out to Apple TV App Store". 9to5Mac. December 6, 2017. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
^ Hall, Zac (February 23, 2016). "tvOS 9.2 solves major user experience issue with Siri Remote for Apple TV". Retrieved February 19, 2017.
^ Clover, Juli (February 22, 2016). "Apple Seeds Fourth Beta of tvOS 9.2 to Developers". Retrieved February 19, 2017.
^ "tvOS Preview". Apple Inc. Archived from the original on July 10, 2016.
External links
 | Wikimedia Commons has media related to iOS software. |
Apple TV – official site for Apple TV
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