After a packed tvOS 18 release, Apple is being modest with this cycle’s major software update, tvOS 18.1. So far, the only change spotted in this version is improvements to the TV app Watchlist.
As spotted by Apple TV aficionado Sigmund Judge, Apple is adding a Watchlist to tvOS 18.1. According to him, “The new Watchlist replicates content from Continue Watching, but only the content you have yet to watch. Continue Watching features both TV shows and movies you have yet to begin, and those you have.”
Besides that, tvOS 18.1 was expected to add the following features:
- Robot vacuum cleaners are now compatible with the Home app, so they can participate in automation and scenes and can be activated by a user’s voice using Siri.
- Screen savers: Movies and TV screen savers are yet to be added;
- 21:9 support: When connecting your Apple TV to a projector, Apple will give you the option to watch content in this frame.
Unfortunately, it seems Apple is delaying them for tvOS 18.2, which is expected to start its beta testing soon.
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With tvOS 18, Apple added these three features to the TV app:
- InSight: An Amazon Prime Video-like feature that displays timely information about actors, characters, and music from Apple TV+ movies and shows onscreen in real-time. Users can select an actor to view their background and filmography page or quickly view the song that is playing in a scene and add it to an Apple Music playlist.
- Enhance Dialogue: This feature is getting smarter, leveraging machine learning and computation audio to deliver greater vocal clarity over music, action, and background noise on Apple TV 4K. In addition to HomePod speakers, users can now enjoy Enhance Dialogue when listening through built-in TV or HDMI-connected speakers, AirPods, and other Bluetooth-connected devices, and when playing supported content on iPhone and iPad;
- Automatic subtitles: Subtitles now automatically appear at just the right moments with tvOS 18, including when the language in a show or film does not match the device language when users mute, or when they skip back while watching something.
Alongside tvOS 18.1, Apple has also released the HomePod Software 18.1 update. It’s unclear if there are new features for HomePod owners at this moment.
