Apple unveils new TV app with voice recognition

Apple has unveiled a new TV app with Siri capability, allowing customers to ask their devices to recommend shows or play certain news shows or films.

The new app aims to unify the TV show and movie-watching experience, and aggregates multiple apps used on Apple TV, iPhones and iPads in one place.

Move between devices

The app also allows users to move between different devices easily, starting off on Apple TV then moving over to iPhone or iPad if they wish.

“Using apps on Apple TV, iPhone and iPad has become the primary way for so many of us to watch television,” says Eddy Cue, senior vice president of internet software and services at Apple. “The TV app shows you what to watch next and easily discover TV shows and movies from many apps in a single place.”

Features include Watch Now, which aggregates all of the shows and movies a user owns based on iTunes and other apps into one collection. The Library feature holds the user’s entire collection of iTunes-purchased movies and TV shows.

Netflix-style Up Next feature

It also includes Up Next, a feature similar to that of streaming site Netflix, which enables the next episode of a series to automatically run after the last, or allows users to pick up on a show where they last left off.

The Recommended feature allows viewers to look through a selection of curated and trending shows and movies, and search through genres, while Store provides access to purchase new content based on iTunes releases and other video services.

The Siri functionality aims to make it easier for users to access live sport and news, enabling them to ask the software to turn on certain news shows, or inquire about which football games are currently on.

The new app is currently available in the US as a free software update for Apple TV fourth generation, iPhone and iPad users. It is not yet confirmed when the app will launch in the UK.