Apple rolls out tvOS 14 update

Apple has rolled out its latest major tvOS software update for its Apple TV set top box devices.

The update, initially announced at Apple’s WWDC event in June, includes a number of new features and performance upgrades for the device, with the largest focused around gaming.

The biggest new feature of tvOS 14 is a quick resume feature for gaming. A year after the company turned the Apple TV into something of a games console with its Apple Arcade subscription, it has introduced a quick resume function which allows users to close and quickly pick up games from where they left off – a function which has been commonplace for major games consoles from Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo.

Other gaming features include the attrition of support for the Xbox Elite Series 2 and Xbox Adaptive Controllers, and extending multi-user support for Apple Arcade titles.

Elsewhere, the update brings picture-in-picture support, which allows users to watch a minimised video in the corner of their screen as they use other functionality on the system. In addition, it also adds smart home camera feeds to Home View as Apple ramps up Apple TV integration with its Homekit smart home ecosystem.

It is widely expected that Apple will release a new hardware unit next year, though some predicted that it would be announced at the company’s live streamed event this week.

What we did get this week though was the unveiling of the Apple One services bundle which, at its base point, combines Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade and expanded iCloud storage for US$14.95/£14.95 per month.