New Apple TV app is here
Apple’s new app offers Family Sharing, access to 150 streaming apps, and offline viewing.
Apple has released the redesigned version of the Apple TV app, which it first announced back during its 25 March event. It’s a wide roll-out, as Apple lets you access more than 150 different streaming apps, and it’s extending it to 100 countries on iOS along with releases for Apple TVs and Samsung’s latest smart TVs.
Notably, the update includes Apple’s subscriptionbased Channels feature, which is the first big step toward making the Apple TV app more appealing
in preparation for the launch of Apple TV+ sometime this autumn.
On the iPhone, it’s rolled into the iOS 12.3 update, which comes with the usual ‘performance improvements’, but also fittingly lets you beam video or music content from your iPhone or iPad to smart TVs that support AirPlay 2. On the Apple TV, it’s available through tvOS 12.3.
The Channels feature is the star of the show, and it’s the biggest service rollout we’ve seen from Apple since Apple News+ dropped back in March. Up until now you’ve had to subscribe to services such as Sky through a separate app, but Channels lets you subscribe to them straight through the Apple TV app itself (allowing Apple, of course, to get a tidy cut of the profits). If you have
already signed into Sky Go through the app though, clicking on GameofThrones through the Apple TV app will cause the Sky Go dedicated app to open.
The new app takes some heavy inspiration from Apple Music, and seemingly for the better. There’s now an ‘Up Next’ section, for instance, which lets you view content that’s synced across all your devices, and the app also now offers recommendations based on your viewing history. You’ll also find a new, curated section for content aimed at children, but it’ll send you to third-party apps rather than offering it through the new Channels.
The Apple TV app may have changed a lot, but many of the best features still remain. Along the bottom of the app, for instance, you’ll still find the Library tab, where you can watch all the movies and shows you’ve already bought from iTunes.