Apple TV gets tvOS 16.1 update with new Siri interface and support for Matter

After announcing watchOS 9.1 and macOS Ventura, Apple is now releasing tvOS 16.1 for Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD. In case you’re not aware, last month Apple released tvOS 16. While the tvOS updates are pretty small and don’t introduce a ton of new features compared to iPadOS and iOS, the tvOS 16.1 update brings quite a few new features.

Starting with Siri, Apple has redesigned the user interface, with Siri no longer occupying the bottom of the screen. Instead, the AI ​​voice assistant is now located in the lower right corner of the TV screen and acts as a floating window. And just like in iOS, the Siri icon now animates whenever the user speaks.

Another useful addition is the ability to pair Apple TV with AirPods and use ‘Hey Siri’ commands. You can enable this by opening the Settings app and going to General. The popular “Shared Photo Library” feature has also made its way to tvOS, with users now able to create a shared library of photos on their iPhone, iPad and Mac and view them in the tvOS Photos app.

Apple Fitness+ users can also exercise and meditate on Apple TV without having to connect their Apple Watch. In addition, the tvOS 16.1 update also brings support for the Apple Matter smart home standard, which allows devices from different manufacturers to interact with each other.

To give you a quick recap, the tvOS 16 update improves the multi-user experience, introduces support for multiple keyboard languages, and brings new VoiceOver capabilities.