Apple appears to have updated the tvOS App Store to add a new Categories section, which should make it easier for new Apple TV owners to discover apps on their devices. Like the iOS App Store, the new Categories section arranges apps into different sections based on purpose, like Games and Entertainment.
First noted by iDownloadBlog on an Apple TV running the new 9.1 tvOS beta, the new Categories section appears to be rolling out to Apple TV users now. We were able to get the Categories feature to show up on an Apple TV running tvOS 9.0 following several device restarts.
Shortly after the Apple TV was released, there were multiple complaints about the state of the tvOS App Store. At launch, the App Store displayed only a list of featured apps, leaving the rest to be discovered through searches. Apple has been improving the tvOS App Store over the past few days, with the Categories section joining a Top Charts section that was added to the App Store on Monday.
Apps that are displayed when selecting the "Entertainment" category
Game and app developers were previously concerned with app discovery on tvOS when the App Store was limited to featured apps, but the inclusion of the Top Charts and the Categories section will go a long way towards bolstering the discovery process.
Wednesday February 19, 2025 8:02 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple today introduced the iPhone 16e, its newest entry-level smartphone. The device succeeds the third-generation iPhone SE, which has now been discontinued.
The iPhone 16e features a larger 6.1-inch OLED display, up from a 4.7-inch LCD on the iPhone SE. The display has a notch for Face ID, and this means that Apple no longer sells any iPhones with a Touch ID fingerprint button, marking the ...
Tuesday February 18, 2025 12:02 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
Over the years, Apple has switched from an aluminum frame to a stainless steel frame to a titanium frame for its highest-end iPhones. And now, it has been rumored that Apple will go back to using aluminum for three out of four iPhone 17 models.
In an investor note with research firm GF Securities, obtained by MacRumors this week, Apple supply chain analyst Jeff Pu said the iPhone 17, iPhone...
Thursday February 20, 2025 5:06 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Now that Apple has announced its new more affordable iPhone 16e, our thoughts turn to what else we are expecting from the company this spring.
There are three product categories that we are definitely expecting to get upgraded before spring has ended. Keep reading to learn what they are. If we're lucky, Apple might make a surprise announcement about a completely new product category.
M4...
Wednesday February 19, 2025 11:38 am PST by Juli Clover
Following the launch of the iPhone 16e, Apple updated its iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia pages to give a narrower timeline on when the next updates are set to launch.
All three pages now state that new Apple Intelligence features and languages will launch in early April, an update from the more broader April timeframe that Apple provided before. The next major point updates will be iOS ...
Thursday February 13, 2025 8:07 am PST by Joe Rossignol
In a social media post today, Apple CEO Tim Cook teased an upcoming "launch" of some kind scheduled for Wednesday, February 19.
"Get ready to meet the newest member of the family," he said, with an #AppleLaunch hashtag.
The post includes a short video with an animated Apple logo inside a circle.
Cook did not provide an exact time for the launch, or share any other specific details, so...
Apple today announced its first custom cellular modem with the name "C1," debuting in the all-new iPhone 16e.
The new modem contributes to the iPhone 16e's power efficiency, giving it the longest battery life of any iPhone with a 6.1-inch display, such as the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16.
Expanding the benefits of Apple silicon, C1 is the first modem designed by Apple and the most...
Tuesday February 18, 2025 8:46 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple is permanently closing its retail store at the Northbrook Court shopping mall in the Chicago area. The company confirmed the upcoming closure today in a statement, but it has yet to provide a closing date for the location.
Apple Northbrook opened in 2005, and the store moved to a larger space in the mall in 2017.
Apple confirmed that affected employees will continue to work for the...
Took all of 6 days. Now will people still complain about how it's "unacceptable" that Apple didn't set up a series of empty shelves and therefore made it a little harder for them to cash in with their fireplace app? Or maybe we can listen to more complaints about how devs were forced to take time away from their families for their noble cause, and how Apple should think of the children? Oh and AS PREDICTED, it's done on their side, so those same people should maybe apologize for LYING and claiming that Apple was "screwing them" by making them wait for a tvOS update.
It is very frustrating! I too don't have either of the new options found the in the Apple TV App Store, and I have just restart the entire machine too. This sucks!
It sounds as if all is lost. Then again, it could change later tonight or tomorrow. Your pain must be immense and the struggle seems overwhelming. Good luck, and remember to always hold your head high, as you will get through this someday soon. We're all here for you.
Took all of 6 days. Now will people still complain about how it's "unacceptable" that Apple didn't set up a series of empty shelves and therefore made it a little harder for them to cash in with their fireplace app? Or maybe we can listen to more complaints about how devs were forced to take time away from their families for their noble cause, and how Apple should think of the children? Oh and AS PREDICTED, it's done on their side, so those same people should maybe apologize for LYING and claiming that Apple was "screwing them" by making them wait for a tvOS update.
Actually, it's the complaints that often keeps companies improving and innovating. If the people don't care about enjoying a better experience, then why should the companies care? :/
Just as I said, categories will come as soon as there are enough apps to fill them out and not make them look empty.
People need to learn to be a little patient and not cry like little girls at the drop of a hat.
Isn't the app number still relatively the same? Was there a huge influx in the past couple of days? Serious question b/c I have no idea.
Took all of 6 days. Now will people still complain about how it's "unacceptable" that Apple didn't set up a series of empty shelves and therefore made it a little harder for them to cash in with their fireplace app? Or maybe we can listen to more complaints about how devs were forced to take time away from their families for their noble cause, and how Apple should think of the children? Oh and AS PREDICTED, it's done on their side, so those same people should maybe apologize for LYING and claiming that Apple was "screwing them" by making them wait for a tvOS update.
Couldn't Apple have easily avoided the entire problem by having the app store fully fleshed out when the ATV went on sale? The number of apps hasn't increased exponentially. A bit disingenuous of you to claim "empty shelves". The app store had over 1000 apps. Hardly empty. It's pretty obvious the UI omissions should have been there when the ATV was released. A big part of the reason people like Apple is their attention to detail. That app store at release lacked detail.
To me it seems like Apple could have followed the old adage "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." Then we would have had to find something else to b***ch about.;) But at least it wouldn't have been about an unfinished app store UI.
