Apple has launched a new TV application as part of an update for iOS and tvOS devices. The app is meant to simplify the video viewing experience on various Apple devices by creating a single location to access all the TV shows and movies from installed apps.
The app comes at a time when the number of video streaming applications across mobile phones, tablets, and other devices is growing rapidly. With this app, users can not only find all their content at one place but can also keep track of their favorite programs, search across apps, get recommendations, and access their iTunes library and the iTunes store.
According to TechCrunch, users have been frustrated by the fragmented experience offered by various apps because not only does one have to sign in or authenticate with one's pay TV provider to watch on each app, it is also hard to remember which network's app has one's favorite shows and films.
However, content from all the major streaming providers, including Netflix, is not yet available through the TV app. Although, Hulu, and HBO have been supported at launch to name a few.
The TV app comes integrated with Siri. A user can tell Siri that he/she wants to watch a game, ask her which games are on right now, or tell her the name of a program one wants to watch, and it will immediately launch the stream in question without one needing to navigate to the live stream at all.
Additionally, one can also ask Siri for ideas like "What should I watch tonight?" or "Show me great holiday movies" if one does not know what to watch.
The app stores the progress of previously watched videos across devices as well. So in case one has to leave a video streaming midway and then continue later on, one can simply tell Siri to continue watching that video, and the video will start where it was left off.
Meanwhile, Apple is also offering recommended content through curated collections to help users find trending shows and movies by genres, and other hand-picked collections from Apple's editors.