New Features in tvOS 9.2 Beta 3: Dictation Support and App Store Siri Search

[Tech198]

wow. that's confusing.. "how down the Siri button to dictate" apart from the face its local, its the same as what Siri could just do.

Changing background would be eaiser on the eyes.... Black background like on the 3rd gen is much better as its stands out more than grey.

 

[JoeShades]

Just make the background dark. White is an awful background color for a TV application.

White is terrible , good thing the background is not white

 

[HiRez]

How about an Apple Maps app for the Apple TV? I think that would be great, except no pinch-zoom might be a problem.

 

[foxcub6]

How about an Apple Maps app for the Apple TV? I think that would be great, except no pinch-zoom might be a problem.

I use plane finder which is a interesting app in itself , but you can use the map on it pretty good tap the top of the control to zoom in tap the bottom to zoom out

 

[b1wils1]

Just make the background dark. White is an awful background color for a TV application.

especially when i'm trying to fall asleep on the couch!

 

[Craigy]

I would be happy if they could just be bothered to make Siri work at all in New Zealand..... Was very disappointed when I got the new ATV and found that it didn't work in NZ.

 

[xmlninja]

FINALLY!!!

Bluetooth keyboard support!!!

apple tv is not a word processor. lol. how much text do you guys type in to your apple tv?! i only struggled once, first setup. Since then I haven't entered any text at all. Using it to view entertainment.

 

[chrisone]

Anybody heard anything about the possibility to use Siri in English in other countries (e.g. Germany)?

As an expat living in another country, it's a major drawback that only the local language is supported by Siri. At a minimum, English should be an available option everywhere. I don't think this was fixed in an update earlier, or did I miss something?

 

[prowlmedia]

I don't have a new Apple TV but these all seem like extremely basic features that should be there from the start. What's happening at Apple these days?

Of course you have years of product development and hardware design to back that up right?

Siri is not easy to integrate. It's all back end.
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apple tv is not a word processor. lol. how much text do you guys type in to your apple tv?! i only struggled once, first setup. Since then I haven't entered any text at all. Using it to view entertainment.

Depends how much you install stuff doesn't it? Searching for things without siri is hard. Plex for example would be fantastic with it.

BUT what it does need is an iPhone and watch remote that are fully functional... by which I mean:

iPhone
Screen as remote
on screen Keyboard
Siri button
oh and how about reverse Airplay video. Mirror the TV on the Phone - perhaps a bit pointless for video... but for the interface would be great.

Watch
Screen as remote
Scroll wheel to scroll!
Siri button
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White is terrible , good thing the background is not white

Let me guess it's black and gold... It's white or near enough on the Hue/Sat/contrast scale. Definitely needs a Dark theme.

 

[fhall1]

It will get closer when the update includes 4K support instead of fuzz 1080. Apple beta product like the watch.

"Fuzz" - really? How quickly we forget when "DVD-quality" 480p was a major breakthrough over 480i.

 

[Bodycalming]

Throughout the tvOS 9.2 beta testing process, Apple has been steadily adding new features. Today's third beta introduced a pair of new features that are quite useful: dictation and App Store search for Siri. We've made a quick video that shows off the new features and how they work on the fourth-generation Apple TV.

With the new dictation option, it's now possible for Apple TV owners to dictate text and spell user names and passwords rather than typing them. After installing tvOS 9.2 beta 3, users are prompted to enable or disable dictation.

After dictation is enabled, the tvOS search bar alternates between a blank search field and an option to hold down the Siri button on the remote to dictate text. While speaking into the remote, a live levels meter is displayed on the screen so you can be sure the dictation feature is activated.

Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.​

The first version of tvOS had few options for entering text, requiring users to slowly type in passwords and user names with the on-screen text entry box with the Siri remote. Since then, Apple has added support for the Apple Remote app, with tvOS 9.2 bringing support for dictation and Bluetooth keyboards.

App Store search for Siri is the second new feature in today's beta. With the new Siri support, voice-based searches can be used to find specific apps or app categories, such as games, in the App Store. The feature greatly enhances the process of finding apps on the fourth-generation Apple TV, which was previously limited to text-based searches.

Along with App Store search for Siri, Bluetooth keyboard support, and dictation, tvOS 9.2 includes support for iCloud Photo Library and Live Photos, and allows users to group apps into folders on the Home screen like on iOS devices. It also includes a new look for the App Switcher interface, and brings MapKit for developers.

Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.​

tvOS 9.2 is currently available only to developers, but it should see a public release in the spring likely alongside iOS 9.3, OS X 10.11.4, and watchOS 2.2.

Article Link: New Features in tvOS 9.2 Beta 3: Dictation Support and App Store Siri Search

Apple be sure you include 'Subtitle/Closed Caption' compatibility with the BBC iPlayer on Apple TV this time, after all, it works on OS X and IOS so please get it working on Apple TV.

 

[Jsameds]

I don't have a new Apple TV but these all seem like extremely basic features that should be there from the start. What's happening at Apple these days?

It's not just Apple, it's a lot of major tech companies. PS4 has only just about managed to overtake PS3 in terms of features. It still can't play audio CD's, mind..

 

[criticalmind]

Weird. You can even dictate passwords. But the speech entry of your password is sent over the internet to Apple. Am I the only one who is concerned?

 

[shiseiryu1]

FINALLY Dictation. Its such an obvious feature that I'm amazed it didn't have that feature out-of-the-box. That's the tough thing about being an early adopter I guess; looks like they're moving in the right direction with it. Still, shame they didn't include a game controller and make it a more game-focused device. Looks like the App Store is going to be crap because of the limited input device. 🙁

 

[seadragon]

apple tv is not a word processor. lol. how much text do you guys type in to your apple tv?! i only struggled once, first setup. Since then I haven't entered any text at all. Using it to view entertainment.

Well, I also search entertainment in addition to viewing it. Searching YouTube videos is something I did all the time with my ATV3 and Logitech keyboard. I can now do that again with 9.2. I'm very happy to see BT keyboard support is back.

 

[azentropy]

Nice to see the little improvements, although some really should have been there before the release (like features that were in ATV3).

 

[frosty001]

Stupid question....

How do you dictate a password that includes non letter characters like these: £@;:>//* etc. ?

Any strong password is surely going to include some of these. The same of uppercase and lowercase lettering.

 

[CaTOAGU]

Whilst arguably these should have been in from the start, Apple do seem to be iterating faster thesis days.

 

[CarlJ]

Please, Apple! For the love of all that is holy, let the Siri remote control HomeKit!

You sit down to watch something, the remote is in your hand, you want to change the lights... it's so obvious, why it no work?

Siri can even parse the requests, and will politely tell you she can't help with HomeKit. And the AppleTV is already in charge of relaying HomeKit requests from the outside world. So, all the bits are there. Please, Apple, do the last 5% of the work to connect the dots.

 

[criticalmind]

Stupid question....

How do you dictate a password that includes non letter characters like these: £@;:>//* etc. ?

Any strong password is surely going to include some of these. The same of uppercase and lowercase lettering.

I guess upper and lowercase lettering can be dictated, at least in some languages. E.g. you say "Uppercase a" and it writes A.

 

[jujufreeze]

After all these years of anticipation and buildup, this is the latest Apple TV? You don't even bother to add dictation support or Siri search until after the fact, let alone offer any significant features or channels that differentiate you from equivalent or cheaper alternatives? Really Apple? REALLY?

 

[CobraPA]

Weird. You can even dictate passwords. But the speech entry of your password is sent over the internet to Apple. Am I the only one who is concerned?

The release notes say that single character password siri dictation is handled locally. Word based siri searches are sent to Apple for processing.

 

[jujufreeze]

This will be a great addition. It seems like Apple released an unfinished product with the ATV4.

Apple called it revolutionary in their press release, which is a big stretch. But maybe with some of these updates, it is getting closer.

I don't own any streaming devices and use a smart TV, but how exactly will any of these updates make the Apple tv revolutionary? You can stream your device with a $35 Chromecast, get an amazon fire stick/tv with already better dictation and search features, get a good Roku box, etc.. Apple really needs to offer more channels other streaming devices don't have or something unique.

 

[mytdave]

I sure as hell hope they've fixed the instability in the networking stack in this tvOS update. Any network disruption whatsoever corrupts the stack and renders the ATV4 useless. I'm on my 2nd ATV4, same problem. If this SW update doesn't fix it, I'm returning this one too, but not picking up a new one; I'll switch to Roku or something else. A fix for this glaring problem is far more important than new features. This is the most disappointing Apple product I've ever owned.

 

[Popeye206]

Please, Apple! For the love of all that is holy, let the Siri remote control HomeKit!

You sit down to watch something, the remote is in your hand, you want to change the lights... it's so obvious, why it no work?

Siri can even parse the requests, and will politely tell you she can't help with HomeKit. And the AppleTV is already in charge of relaying HomeKit requests from the outside world. So, all the bits are there. Please, Apple, do the last 5% of the work to connect the dots.

CarlJ... I'll be shocked if this is not where Apple is taking Apple TV.... I'm sure they intend it to be the hub and include Home Kit support so that you can do it all with voice commands. However, I don't think it's the last 5% to make it work.... I think it's close, but it's more work than we may think... but I'm hoping for this in 2016.