Along with iOS 17, watchOS 10, and macOS 14 Sonoma, Apple today announced tvOS 17, which includes a few new nice-to-have features, including a redesigned Control Center and the ability to locate a lost Apple TV remote with your iPhone. But the main reason you’ll want to update this fall is FaceTime.
That’s right, Apple is finally bringing the FaceTime app for video calls on Apple TV 4K. Using Continuity Camera and the iPhone, users will be able to wirelessly connect to the iPhone while presenting calls on your television. With the advantage of the bigger screen, Apple is also introducing Split View for Apple TV which lets users enjoy watching shows or movies while on a call.
Apple says video conferencing apps from Cisco, Zoom, and others will launch on Apple TV later this year. Other apps are likely to follow thanks to the expansion of the Continuity Camera API to Apple TV 4K.
Apple has been rumored to be working on a new Apple TV with a built-in camera, so this new feature could be a signal that a proper camera is coming for the Apple TV 4K. tvOS 17 will be available for all Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD models following a beta testing period. The FaceTime feature is limited to Apple TV 4K models.
Author: Michael Simon, Executive Editor
Michael Simon has been covering Apple since the iPod was the iWalk. His obsession with technology goes back to his first PC—the IBM Thinkpad with the lift-up keyboard for swapping out the drive. He's still waiting for that to come back in style tbh.