Apple Seeds First Beta of tvOS 9.2 to Developers

by

Apple today provided developers with the first beta of an upcoming update to tvOS, the operating system that runs on the fourth-generation Apple TV and powers its built-in App Store. Today's tvOS beta comes just over one month after the release of tvOS 9.1, the first update to tvOS since it was released in October alongside the new Apple TV.

tvOS betas are more difficult to install than beta updates for iOS and OS X. Installing the tvOS beta requires the Apple TV to be connected to a computer with a USB-C to USB-A cable, with the software downloaded and installed via iTunes.

tvos_9_2_beta_1
We don't know what's included in the new version of tvOS, but it's likely to bring expanded features, bug fixes, and performance improvements to Apple's youngest operating system.

The first tvOS update, tvOS 9.1, introduced Siri support for Apple Music, allowing the personal assistant to play content from Apple Music when requested. Siri for Apple Music on the Apple TV works similarly to Siri for Apple Music on iOS devices, enabling queries like "What was the top song in 1980?" or "Play Adele's latest single." It also brought support for the iOS and Apple Watch Remote app, which is now compatible with the new Apple TV.


What's new in tvOS 9.2:

Bluetooth keyboard support - tvOS 9.2 now supports Bluetooth keyboards, allowing a keyboard to be paired to the Apple TV for text entry. This is a major feature that was missing from previous versions of tvOS and its addition should make it much easier to do things like enter passwords.

Folders - tvOS 9.2 includes support for grouping apps in the Home screen into Folders, much like one can do on an iOS device. Folders are a bit buggy on the Home screen, but this will improve in subsequent betas.

tvos_folder

tv_os_folder_1
MapKit - tvOS 9.2 supports MapKit, allowing developers to implement maps into their tvOS apps.

Siri - Siri now includes support for US Spanish (in the US only) and French Canadian (in Canada only). UK English, Australian English, and US English are now available in the UK, Australian, and US Storefronts when English is set as the tvOS language.

App Switcher - There's a new look for the App Switcher interface in tvOS.

tvos_switcher
Podcasts - The Podcasts app is now available on the fourth-generation Apple TV.

Related Roundup: Apple TV
Tag: tvOS 9.2
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Don't Buy)
Related Forum: Apple TV and Home Theater

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro 34ths Perspective

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 10 New Features

Sunday March 23, 2025 10:00 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of March 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
Read Full Article • 240 comments
macbook pro blue green

When Will Apple Release the M5 MacBook Pro?

Wednesday March 26, 2025 4:53 pm PDT by
Apple regularly refreshes the MacBook Pro models, and a new version that uses M5 series chips is in the works. Apple just finished refreshing most of the Mac lineup with M4 chips, and now it's time for the M5. Rumors suggest that we could see the first M5 MacBook Pro models this fall. Design There have been no rumors of a design update for the M5 MacBook Pro models that are coming this...
Read Full Article • 116 comments
Apple Lumon Terminal Pro

Apple's Mac Site Features Fictional 'Lumon Terminal Pro'

Wednesday March 26, 2025 12:19 pm PDT by
Apple is going all out with promotions for the popular Severance Apple TV+ show today, and as of right now, you'll find a new "Lumon Terminal Pro" listed on Apple's Mac site. The Lumon Terminal Pro is designed to look similar to the machines that Severance employees like Mark S. and Helly R. use for macrodata refinement. The Terminal features a blue keyboard, a small display with wide...
Read Full Article • 107 comments
Facebook Feature

Facebook's New iPhone App Feature Turns the Clock Back to 2007

Thursday March 27, 2025 1:59 pm PDT by
In the mid-to-late 2000s, Facebook was all about staying connected with friends and family. However, as the social media platform added new features and grew over time, that core experience began to get drowned out. That changes starting now, according to Meta, which today introduced a new feature that will "bring back the joy" of classic Facebook. Specifically, Meta has redesigned the...
Read Full Article • 105 comments
Generic iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Coming Soon With These New Features for Your iPhone

Tuesday March 25, 2025 6:45 am PDT by
Apple is expected to release iOS 18.4 to the general public as soon as next week, following more than a month of beta testing. Apple's website says some iOS 18.4 features will be released in "early April," so the update should be out as early as Tuesday, April 1. Apple this week seeded the iOS 18.4 Release Candidate, which is typically the final beta version, barring the discovery of any...
Read Full Article • 14 comments
iPhone 17 Pro 34ths Perspective

iPhone 17 Pro Supports 8K Video Recording, Suggests Leaker [Updated]

Wednesday March 26, 2025 4:06 am PDT by
Update 7:25 pm: Based on comments from our forums, it appears the original Weibo post may have been mistranslated and "8K" actually refers to the high price of the device rather than 8K video recording capabilities. The iPhone 16 Pro currently starts at 7,999 yuan in China. Our original article follows below. Apple's forthcoming iPhone 17 Pro models are capable of shooting 8K video, up...
Read Full Article • 94 comments
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature 1

'iPhone Fold' to Feature Metallic Glass Hinge That Resists Deformation

Thursday March 27, 2025 4:21 am PDT by
Last week, we covered a report claiming that Apple's book-style foldable iPhone (or "iPhone Fold," as we are provisionally calling it here) will use liquid metal hinges to improve durability and help minimize screen creasing. Today, a Chinese leaker provided more details on the properties of this hinge material that help to clarify why Apple chose it for its first foldable device. According...
Read Full Article • 106 comments
Generic iOS 19 Feature Mock

Gurman: Jon Prosser's iOS 19 Mockups 'Aren't Representative' of Redesign

Tuesday March 25, 2025 4:47 pm PDT by
The iOS 19 mockup images that leaker Jon Prosser shared today are not representative of the actual iOS 19 design, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said on social media. According to Gurman, the images that are "floating around" are based on "very old builds" or "vague descriptions," and are lacking key features. Gurman says that we can "expect more from Apple in June." Gurman made the same comment ...
Read Full Article • 132 comments
iCloud General Feature Redux

iPhone Users Who Pay for iCloud Storage Receive a New Perk

Thursday March 20, 2025 12:01 am PDT by
If you pay for iCloud storage on your iPhone, Apple has a new perk for you, at no additional cost. The new perk is the ability to create invitations in the Apple Invites app for the iPhone, which launched in the App Store last month. In the Apple Invites app, iCloud+ subscribers can create invitations for any occasion, such as birthday parties, graduations, baby showers, and more. Anyone ...
Read Full Article • 30 comments

Top Rated Comments

rdlink Avatar
rdlink
120 months ago
Bought a 64 GB AppleTv last week for 30 Euro less than retail price, should have waited, it's got a lot of potential but the OS still has some ways to go.
Improvements are always welcome, but I'm finding a ton of value in the ATV4. I have had every generation ATV since the first big white one. This one is already amazing, and it gets better with every update.

As more developers create apps it will get even better. Kick it in gear, Amazon.


I need the iOS remote!
Then why don't you download it?
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Rogifan Avatar
Rogifan
120 months ago
Bought a 64 GB AppleTv last week for 30 Euro less than retail price, should have waited, it's got a lot of potential but the OS still has some ways to go.
Should have waited for what? Don't need new hardware to get OS improvements.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Binarymix Avatar
Binarymix
120 months ago
When is the universal search API coming?

The AppleTV is kind of gimped until devs can use it.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SgtPepper23 Avatar
SgtPepper23
120 months ago
i just wish Apple would allows devs access to the storage! i can stream in HD from Netflix et all just fine, but somehow from my home network, if sharing anything, it has to buffer every few minutes...

Hyperbole much? Can really get why this was such a "horrible" experience for people.

I set up two of them, and it really wasn't bad at all. 5 minutes and done. And months of pleasurable usage since.
in my experience, it was difficult, typing up long email addresses and passwords... certainly enough to be called frustrating
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rdlink Avatar
rdlink
120 months ago
Setting this thing up before the remote app was supported and bluetooth keyboard was pretty frustrating.
Hyperbole much? Can really get why this was such a "horrible" experience for people.

I set up two of them, and it really wasn't bad at all. 5 minutes and done. And months of pleasurable usage since.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Norbs12 Avatar
Norbs12
120 months ago
Hyperbole much? Can really get why this was such a "horrible" experience for people.

I set up two of them, and it really wasn't bad at all. 5 minutes and done. And months of pleasurable usage since.
You're using quotes wrong. Never said "horrible" just frustrating.

I don't use simple/short passwords so the input method sucked. Then I was wasting time trying to get the remote app working to find out it doesn't work. After which I went for a bluetooth keyboard which also turned out not to work. Lots of time wasted on things I expected to work is frustrating.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments