Apple’s newest replace to tvOS 17.2 is sort of a recent coat of paint in your front room – it’s the identical room, however one thing feels a bit completely different, a bit snazzier. The headliner here’s a redesign of the Apple TV app (that’s the app with Apple’s content material on the bodily Apple TV), which brings a sidebar-centric navigation to the forefront.
In tvOS 17.2, the sidebar now blends content material from Apple’s personal pantry (Apple TV+, MLS Season Cross) with third-party goodies like Disney+ and Max (previously HBO Max). The intention? To make discovering your subsequent binge-watch a bit much less like a treasure hunt. However, not all third-party content material companies are getting invitations to this celebration. One huge exclusion is Netflix. So, should you’re somebody who flits between a bunch of various companies, you would possibly discover this a tad restrictive. It’s a bit like throwing a celebration and solely serving one model of crisps – a bit limiting, isn’t it?
Shifting on, the sidebar now contains consumer profiles on front room gadgets. It’s a good transfer, letting you turn between profiles to get extra customized suggestions. However it’s considerably complicated when every app makes you choose a profile once you launch. And that continues to be the case even should you enter the app by way of Apple TV. Apple additionally determined to jazz up the Watch Now tab, now known as House. It’s a bit like renaming your ‘Dwelling Room’ to ‘The Lounge’ – sounds fancier, nevertheless it’s primarily the identical factor.
One other huge shake-up is the booting out of the iTunes Motion pictures and TV Reveals apps on tvOS. Now, the Apple TV app’s Retailer tab is the place you’ll splash your money on motion pictures and TV reveals. It’s like Apple’s streamlining their store, placing every thing in the identical app and ditching the outdated ones. And hey, now you can reply FaceTime calls in your Apple TV 4K. It’s fairly nifty should you’re deep within the Apple ecosystem. Think about chatting together with your mates on the massive display screen – it’s like they’re proper there in your front room, minus the necessity to supply them a cuppa.
However it does elevate a query. If simplifying is the sport, why shuffle every thing behind the Apple TV app? Wouldn’t simply plopping all of it on the house display screen be easier? It’s a bit like being advised to undergo the kitchen to get to the john – not precisely probably the most direct route. I’m all for this simplification, nevertheless it looks like we’re going midway there. Accessing your content material needs to be faster, with fewer buttons to press and screens to skip by way of. So let’s simply go all the way in which there.
tvOS 17.2 isn’t going to knock your socks off, nevertheless it’s a step in the appropriate route. The redesign makes navigation a bit smoother, and the mixing of FaceTime is a pleasant contact. However restricted third-party content material integration and the curious determination to cover every thing behind the Apple TV app does make you surprise if Apple may need missed a trick in really simplifying the consumer expertise. It’s like they’re nearly there, however somebody determined to take a detour on the final minute. Perhaps in tvOS 18?