Apple Seeds Second Beta of iOS 12.3 With New TV App to Developers

[MacRumors]

Apple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming iOS 12.3 update to developers, a week and a half after releasing the first beta and two weeks 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 what you like to watch.

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. 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, you can tap to subscribe to Showtime right in the TV app, and then you can watch that show without leaving the 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, and Tastemade.

You'll still get recommendations for content from services that aren't a part of Channels, you'll just need to watch non-channel content in a third-party app. When Apple debuts its Apple TV+ service this fall, all of the company's original TV shows and movies will be accessible in the TV app.

iOS 12.3 will be in beta testing for the next few weeks ahead of a May launch, the month when Apple said the new TV app will be released.

Article Link: Apple Seeds Second Beta of iOS 12.3 With New TV App to Developers

 

[smaffei]

What about if I already have Starz and HBO Go through other promotions? Will they work in the TV app too, or will they only work in the TV App if I purchase them through Apple?

 

[Solver]

Backing up all my Apple devices...

 

[fortepianissimo]

Is the palm rejection bug fixed on iPad?

 

[orbital~debris]

I don’t think I like that Apple seem to have eliminated the traditional ‘movie poster’ style image for purchased movies…

It appears - from the screen shots here, and in previous example images from the ‘Show Time’ event - that movies’ posters are destined to be replaced with the ‘brick’ used to promote the film on the store.

This isn’t good for quick recognition when scanning the library visually, since a film’s poster (colours, layout, characters etc.) often becomes a visual shortcut aiding recognition, and the store ‘brick’ images are sometimes quite distinct from the movie’s original poster (not to mention landscape over portrait orientation, which, aside from cutting down on the number of assets for content, is the likely reason for this change as it allows more items to be displayed vertically).

 

[Tozovac]

I don’t think I like that Apple seem to have eliminated the traditional ‘movie poster’ style image for purchased movies…

It appears - from the screen shots here, and in previous example images from the ‘Show Time’ event - that movies’ posters are destined to be replaced with the ‘brick’ used to promote the film on the store.

This isn’t good for quick recognition when scanning the library visually, since a film’s poster (colours, layout, characters etc.) often becomes a visual shortcut aiding recognition, and the store ‘brick’ images are sometimes quite distinct from the movie’s original poster (not to mention landscape over portrait orientation, which, aside from cutting down on the number of assets for content, is the likely reason for this change as it allows more items to be displayed vertically).

Amen. And isn’t it time to move on from space wasting large poster layouts, if not also move on from the amateurish and unfinished looking light blue on all white look?

 

[cgibson190]

What about if I already have Starz and HBO Go through other promotions? Will they work in the TV app too, or will they only work in the TV App if I purchase them through Apple?

The answer is no. I found out the hard way. I signed up for Showtime through the TV app, and assumed it worked with the regular Showtime app, so I signed in there to view a show. That re-activated an old subscription, and I was charged for two subscriptions this month. I’m waiting for refund now.

 

[NMBob]

Harry Potter and the G. Harry Potter and the D. Harry Potter and the P. That ol' theme. They waste all of that screen space with nothing but blank screen and then make titles like that all over the place. Music, TV shows, Movies. Some bunch of programmers at apple should be slapped HARD.

 

[stiligFox]

I don’t have any bloody streaming services - I miss the old Videos app when I could open the thing without seeing any “suggested content” and only see what I synced to my device from my personal library.

At least let me turn it off! Same for Apple Music, you can turn it off but it’s always there haunting you in the Music app.

 

[heyjude011]

Is the palm rejection bug fixed on iPad?

It’s working again for me!

 

[tazinlwfl]

How is the TV App on an iPhone / iPad working with iTunes & HomeSharing?

I don't subscribe to many services, I use my own library encoded specifically for iTunes. Obviously the "Computers" app is FINE for the AppleTV (though I wish it was better integrated into the TV App), but did this new version of the app on iOS break anything (or make things better)?

 

[DevNull0]

Harry Potter and the G. Harry Potter and the D. Harry Potter and the P. That ol' theme. They waste all of that screen space with nothing but blank screen and then make titles like that all over the place. Music, TV shows, Movies. Some bunch of programmers at apple should be slapped HARD.

It wasn't that long ago that Apple would take someone else's crappy semi-functional product, refine it, make it magical and release something fantastic that "just works". Now they're taking other companies' decent products that "just work" and releasing an Apple version that breaks everything good.

 

[fhopper]

I wish Apple would do something that I could be excited about, this is so meh.

 

[tothemoonsands]

How does home sharing work with this update? Still the same?

Hopefully the bugs for home sharing on iOS are ironed out too...

 

[DevNull0]

Is Netflix going to work with this TV app? Because this is a case where Apple needs Netflix to seamlessly work more than Netflix needs to work on the TV app.

 

[DNichter]

Is Netflix going to work with this TV app? Because this is a case where Apple needs Netflix to seamlessly work more than Netflix needs to work on the TV app.

No, Netflix won't participate.

 

[Freida]

Macrumors, do you really need to put 6 iphone images to that news so the article is so long and we have to scroll like crazy? Wouldn't 2 be just enough?

 

[sw1tcher]

The answer is no. I found out the hard way. I signed up for Showtime through the TV app, and assumed it worked with the regular Showtime app, so I signed in there to view a show. That re-activated an old subscription, and I was charged for two subscriptions this month. I’m waiting for refund now.

Apple doesn't want you to leave their walled garden.

 

[cmaier]

They sure as heck better do something in iOS 13 about multiple users. Especially given the TV app stuff.

 

[Tozovac]

I don’t think I like that Apple seem to have eliminated the traditional ‘movie poster’ style image for purchased movies…

It appears - from the screen shots here, and in previous example images from the ‘Show Time’ event - that movies’ posters are destined to be replaced with the ‘brick’ used to promote the film on the store.

This isn’t good for quick recognition when scanning the library visually, since a film’s poster (colours, layout, characters etc.) often becomes a visual shortcut aiding recognition, and the store ‘brick’ images are sometimes quite distinct from the movie’s original poster (not to mention landscape over portrait orientation, which, aside from cutting down on the number of assets for content, is the likely reason for this change as it allows more items to be displayed vertically).

It’s sadly too common with today’s Apple, where ellipses that provide no help to discern options are too often used in place of helpful text that’s instead pushed offscreen due to the mis-prioritization of fashion over form.

 

[cmaier]

It’s sadly too common with today’s Apple, where ellipses that provide no help to discern options are too often used in place of helpful text that’s instead pushed offscreen due to the mis-prioritization of fashion over form.

I do wish that Apple would appoint a UX czar to fix this stuff. It doesn’t even matter what conventions they choose as long as they put a tiny bit of thought into it and actually make it consistent.

 

[techdetention]

While the Apple Seed test plans have updated I have not seen a new test plan or notes indicating any changes. Has anyone had any MDM enrollment issues? I've noticed certain payloads not pushing correctly.

 

[Tozovac]

I do wish that Apple would appoint a UX czar to fix this stuff. It doesn’t even matter what conventions they choose as long as they put a tiny bit of thought into it and actually make it consistent.

Things were “already fixed” and pretty great with ios6; they knew what Just Worked then. It wasn’t the skeumorphism but rather, the use of good, proven uIX principles that helped subconsciously guide the user to intake and interact with the content. They could have just scaled back on the green felt, leather stitching, and wood grain and all the moaners would have been quieted while great uIX based upon decades of learning would have continued. Instead all the change for sake of change in iOS 7 along with the imaginary “issue” of needing to distract the user less via barely differentiable uIX cues started the downfall of new bad uIX and the need for lots of adaption and unnecessary re-learning and accommodation to these new made-up practices.

Additionally sad is how many of the world’s designers lemmingly follow Apple’s lead, right over the cliff.

SimpliSafe app. iOS circles and light blue/white Microsoft/Android-phone-wannabe flat design in a space-wasting configuration galore. Even found their way into the simplisafe hardware redesign!

Ellipses...why?

These frequent ellipses are made even worse since ellipses can also act as a pressible action initiator (instead of an obvious button). So now there’s a pause to question if we have an optional available action or just a dumb uIX method, further chiseling away the once Apple-specific instant It Just Works-ness.

 

[calstanford]

So there is nothing new for people who live outside the US or don‘t want to pay for even MORE subscriptions?

Cool Apple...

 

[Tozovac]

Macrumors, do you really need to put 6 iphone images to that news so the article is so long and we have to scroll like crazy? Wouldn't 2 be just enough?

Scroll madness is sadly key in Apple’s/The Industry’s responsive design mobile-first approach. I hate it too.