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Apple unveils the future of TV at WWDC 2016

Updated Dec 19th, 2018 9:19PM EST
WWDC 2016: Apple tvOS Updates

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Apple’s huge WWDC 2016 event is already underway in California, where the company just announced watchOS 3 and introduced updates for its Apple TV platform. You can expect a bunch of interesting new apps and features.

DON’T MISS: Live coverage of WWDC 2016: iOS 10, macOS, Siri, MacBooks and more

Apple revealed there are over 1,300 video channels and over 6,000 native apps for the Apple TV, and it all happened in just seven months. Naturally, Apple announced that more exciting apps and channels, including live TV, are coming to Apple TV.

Sling is surely going to be one of the apps you’ll be excited to use on your Apple TV. Fox Sports Go is another. Other interesting apps including NBA 2K and Minecraft Story Mode.

But Apple also updated some of the core features of Apple TV, with changes affecting the remote, Siri, and the keyboard.

Apple released a new Apple TV remote app for the iPhone, that will get you the exact same features available on the regular TV remote.

Siri will let you search for categories of movies, which should be even easier than before. Siri can search more than 650,000 movies and TV shows, but also YouTube.

Live channels are also getting better, with a new feature called Live Tune-In, which lets you use Siri to start a live channel.

The most interesting new feature of Apple TV is Single sign-on, which will let you enter your sign in credentials a lot easier than before. Apple, however, did not explain how the feature works, but you’ll get to play with it once it launches this fall.

Other new, but less exciting features, include HomeKit support, a dark mode, and automatic app downloads. The dark mode, however, seems to indicate there’s a dark mode coming to a certain mobile platform as well.

Be sure to check out our WWDC 2016 hub for all the latest news from Apple’s big developer event.

Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2008. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he brings his entertainment expertise to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming almost every new movie and TV show release as soon as it's available.