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Apple Seeds Second tvOS 17.2 Release Candidate to Developers

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Apple today seeded the second release candidate version of an upcoming tvOS 17.2 to developers for testing purposes, with the update coming several days after the first tvOS 17.2 RC.

Apple-TV-2022-Feature-Blue.jpg

Registered developers are able to download the tvOS 17.2 update by opting in to the beta through the Settings app on the Apple TV. A registered developer account is required.

tvOS updates are often minor in scale compared to other operating system updates, focusing primarily on bug fixes and smaller improvements rather than notable outward-facing changes, but tvOS 17.2 introduces an overhauled Apple TV app.

The app now includes a sidebar that houses content from both Apple's services and streaming services that integrate with the tvOS Watch Now feature. There are dedicated sections for Search, Watch Now, ‌Apple TV+‌, MLS Season Pass, Sports, the Store, and the Library at the top of the sidebar, along with dedicated sections for streaming services like ABC, CBS, Comedy Central, Hulu, ESPN, Discovery, Peacock, Prime Video, and more.

You can click into each streaming service to see content that's available specifically on that service, and there's also a new My TV section that replaces "My Channels."

In the prior RC, Apple began the process of sunsetting the iTunes Movies and iTunes TV Show apps. Attempting to use these apps redirects customers to the Apple TV app for movie and TV show purchases. In the future, Apple plans to remove these apps, leaving the Apple TV app as the hub for viewing and purchasing content.

Apple has also released a new release candidate for the HomePod 17.2 software. Both tvOS 17.2 and HomePod 17.2 are expected to be released next week alongside iOS 17.2.

Article Link: Apple Seeds Second tvOS 17.2 Release Candidate to Developers
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2023/12/08/apple-seeds-tvos-17-2-release-candidate-2/
I wonder if we’ll get a second RC for iOS, iPadOS and macOS.

I think Apple wants this version to be as polished as possible, with the holidays being around the corner.
 
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I hope MR posts a fairly comprehensive video of how tvOS now looks and operates so we can see if we want to update to this version. They made one for watchOS 10 and saved me from updating to it.
 
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Populus said:
I wonder if we’ll get a second RC for iOS, iPadOS and macOS.

I think Apple wants this version to be as polished as possible, with the holidays being around the corner.
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macOS 2nd RC happened yesterday, and you’re missing watchOS on your list - what gives?
 
cjcampbell said:
I disliked it when they removed the Trailers app and buried it several levels down in the AppleTV app. It was far less convenient, rather than more.
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I expect that the TV app will keep changing as feedback continues. The library functional usefulness has always been problematic. They need expand upon its basic hierarchy such as not constrain TV as having no genres for iTunes digital store purchases compared to Movies with several genres. They also need to have a list view rather than images to scroll through. Apple has not improved TV app anywhere as much as their Apple Music for comparisons. Of course the Classical app isn't ported to tvOS either (available for iOS/IPadOS). So there is work to be done by Apple on both topics.
 
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Jamie0003 said:
…..what?
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Back in the earlier days of iOS 9 and 10, iPhone pestering to update was out of control. You’d get popup screens several times a day nagging you to update the OS (which surely would slow down the phone).
Luckily, when the tvOS beta profile got installed on the iPhone, the pestering would stop completely. It was great.
 
Blows my mind that Apple has done basically the bare minimum for the Photos App on AppleTV. Most of us take pictures and video on our phones, with many storing it in our iCloud accounts. One of the best places to consume all this content is on the TV!!!! But beyond simply allow us to scroll and browse existing albums on the TV, there's nothing else. No search etc like on the phone. I would be awesome to simply say show Christmas Day videos, or show pictures of camping etc. This is all on the phone. Airplay sort of works form the phone, but like most things Apple, it's great when it works which is 70% of the time, and seems to trip up at the most frustrating times. This would be a great feature and maybe drive some iCloud subscritions.
 
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Populus said:
I wonder if we’ll get a second RC for iOS, iPadOS and macOS.

I think Apple wants this version to be as polished as possible, with the holidays being around the corner.
Click to expand...
It sounds like tvOS is getting some of the biggest changes this x.2 update. Thus it likely has the biggest risk for bugs.

Just because tvOS had a last minute bug fix does not mean that iOS or anything else also has the same bug.
 
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Rhodes187 said:
Blows my mind that Apple has done basically the bare minimum for the Photos App on AppleTV. Most of us take pictures and video on our phones, with many storing it in our iCloud accounts. One of the best places to consume all this content is on the TV!!!! But beyond simply allow us to scroll and browse existing albums on the TV, there's nothing else. No search etc like on the phone. I would be awesome to simply say show Christmas Day videos, or show pictures of camping etc. This is all on the phone. Airplay sort of works form the phone, but like most things Apple, it's great when it works which is 70% of the time, and seems to trip up at the most frustrating times. This would be a great feature and maybe drive some iCloud subscritions.
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Careful. Those are actually useful & relevant features. If Apple adds those, it could knock out tvOS for months. 😀
 
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Rhodes187 said:
Blows my mind that Apple has done basically the bare minimum for the Photos App on AppleTV. Most of us take pictures and video on our phones, with many storing it in our iCloud accounts. One of the best places to consume all this content is on the TV!!!! But beyond simply allow us to scroll and browse existing albums on the TV, there's nothing else. No search etc like on the phone. I would be awesome to simply say show Christmas Day videos, or show pictures of camping etc. This is all on the phone. Airplay sort of works form the phone, but like most things Apple, it's great when it works which is 70% of the time, and seems to trip up at the most frustrating times. This would be a great feature and maybe drive some iCloud subscritions.
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Just because the TV is large doesn't make it one of the "best places" to consume that content. Photos generally look worse on the TV than they will on every other display (iPhone, iPad or Mac). Video I suppose makes sense, but I usually save that for after I've edited something together, as no one wants to watch every second of the video clips you've taken.
 
1 - I'm not excited to have the content I own buried in the TV app? The dedicated apps always made it quick to find the specific movie I wanted to rewatch a 10th, 15th time, especially around this time of year. The TV app is starting to feel as disorganized and overloaded as people always complained iTunes felt to them (I never minded iTunes, but ... oh well)

2 - Can anyone testing tell if they've finally changed it so it stops calling sporting events that aren't games... "Games".. motorsports events, ice sliding events, downhill skiing, etc.. It's such lazy UI.. It's a freaking race, not a game. Yes, I'm being pedantic but it's freaking annoying, and it's been annoying since day one. SMFH.

3 - Is "Computers" still there for shared libraries on the same LAN?
 
CMoore515 said:
I hate the fact that there isn't a toggle or option to search just TV shows or just Movies. At least with the two apps you could hone in on what you're looking for. Maybe it'll grow on me, but right now, no.
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The cross OS Apple TV app is still too simple against searching and navigating indeed. Anyone with a fairly sizable collection is always at a disadvantage.
 
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