Apple Releases Sixth Beta of iOS 12.3 With New TV App [Update: Public Beta Available]

[David1964]

Low Power Mode drives me nuts! My gf is always switching my phone to lower-power mode! Grrrr!

Regarding the app, those buttons don't looks great on the semi-translucent material. Not a fan.

You can reduce transparency in the settings app.

 

[/macuser]

Apple today seeded the sixth beta of an upcoming iOS 12.3 update to developers, a few days after releasing the fifth beta and over a month after the launch of iOS 12.2, an update that introduced Apple News+, new Animoji, and more.

Registered developers can download the new iOS 12.3 beta from Apple's Developer Center or over-the-air once the proper configuration profile has been installed from the Developer Center.

iOS 12.3 and tvOS 12.3 introduce a new version of Apple's TV app, which has been updated with a new look and fresh functionality.

In the new TV app, "Watch Now" and "Up Next" are still front and center for keeping track of what you're watching, but there's a new machine learning-based recommendation engine that will suggest content based on your viewing preferences and history.

The app's interface has been streamlined with sections for movies, TV shows, sports, and kids content, and on iOS, there's a separate bottom bar for the library, search, and Watch Now options.

There's a new "Channels" feature in the TV app, which is one of the major new components of Apple's services push. Channels are subscription services that you can sign up for and watch within the TV app without having to open up another app.

So, for example, if you come across a show you want to watch on your iPhone or Apple TV that's on Showtime or Starz, you can tap to subscribe right in the TV app, and then you can watch that show without having to open another app.

Some of the new Channels that will be supported include CBS All Access, Starz, Showtime, HBO, Nickelodeon, Mubi, The History Channel Vault, and Comedy Central Now. During the beta, though, users can subscribe to Showtime, Starz, Smithsonian, EPIX, and Tastemade.

You'll still get recommendations for content from services that aren't a part of the Channels feature, but non-channel content will need to be watched in a third-party app. The TV app also houses iTunes TV shows and movies.

When Apple debuts its Apple TV+ service this fall, all of the company's original TV shows and movies will also be accessible in the TV app.

Apple has said that it plans to release the updated TV app in May, so this is potentially the last beta we'll get before iOS 12.3 is launched to the public.

Article Link: Apple Releases Sixth Beta of iOS 12.3 With New TV App [Update: Public Beta Available]

[doublepost=1557534886][/doublepost]Can anyone answer this question?

I subscribed to HBO through channels to watch GOT.

I must say it’s much nicer than the HBO app.

You can download episodes and the picture quality is better than the HBO app.

I can’t link to the HBO Now app. It fails when I click restore purchase within the app.

Something about not being able to find subscription.

But it’s there under subscriptions.

 

[travelsheep]

I hope they bring back switching off Wifi and Bluetooth in Control Center...

 

[Creek0512]

If "working things out" means giving Netflix personal data to mine and sell, then I frankly don't care if Apple shuts them out. They get enough money from the subscription fee.

That said, the beta is also publicly available also it seems. Installing now.

Netflix already had your viewing data. The reason they don't integrate with the TV app is because Netflix doesn't want to share access to their viewing data with anyone else.
[doublepost=1557623901][/doublepost]

[doublepost=1557534886][/doublepost]Can anyone answer this question?

I subscribed to HBO through channels to watch GOT.

I must say it’s much nicer than the HBO app.

You can download episodes and the picture quality is better than the HBO app.

I can’t link to the HBO Now app. It fails when I click restore purchase within the app.

Something about not being able to find subscription.

But it’s there under subscriptions.

HBO NOW does not work with an HBO Apple TV Channel subscription, and vice versa you can't watch HBO through the TV app with an HBO NOW subscription.

 

[d4cl00]

I actually prefer the new behavior. Since I use HDMI CEC, my ATVs turn on my TVs and soundbars when they wake from sleep. Many times I'd be in my living and bring up the app and it would automatically turn on my TV in the bedroom and vice versa.

Since now you have to choose the TV each time, no more of that.

I can see it being an extra unneeded step if someone only has a single ATV, but with a household with multiple units, this is so much better.

What Apple could do is to allow the user to select a favorite AppleTV device in Settings as an option, or learn-as-you-go by auto-selecting the device based on user proximity to the device.

More importantly it would make sense for Apple to use the phone’s strengths and - instead of mimicking a remote without the tactical feedback causing somewhat clumsy behavior - render a 9:16 version of what the TV is showing on the phone, so that the user can simply scroll or tap the desired element directly as if it where a regular iPhone app.

 

[freddiebarnes]

Idk about anyone else, but I HATE the new Apple TV remote in Control Center. It used to automatically load the last Apple TV that you used (in my case, only 1 ATV), but now you have to select the Apple TV EACH TIME! So annoying.

I use the control center remote all the time and do not have this issue. I also only have one Apple TV and it’s always selected when I open the remote.

 

[lec0rsaire]

Wonder how many (if any) providers Apple has signed up outside of the US. Based on their past form, I'm guessing... none.

It's too bad they can't work things out with Netflix too. It's the elephant in the room, the biggest provider by a mile and it's not included.

It’s very possible that either Apple, Netflix or both don’t want to work things out. Netflix is not interested in Apple taking some of their subscribers and Apple is trying to take Netflix’s. It would’ve been a different story is Apple weren’t launching their own service. My guess is that mainly apps from cable providers will be integrated into TV/TV+ like they sort of are now. Those are dependent on a cable/sat sub and isn’t competing with Apple in any way.

 

[klowy]

I can no longer add a pass on Wallet. Is anyone else seeing this? I tap on a pass and it opens the share sheet (which does not have Wallet as a choice).

 

[Abazigal]

Wonder how many (if any) providers Apple has signed up outside of the US. Based on their past form, I'm guessing... none.

It's too bad they can't work things out with Netflix too. It's the elephant in the room, the biggest provider by a mile and it's not included.

The issue isn’t Apple, it’s Netflix. There’s no way they are going to allow themselves to essentially be part of another app when they would rather have you using their app directly and consuming as much of their content as possible.

And I don’t blame Netflix, because they are making the right call (from their perspective) here.