Apple Announces New tvOS 16 Features Coming Later This Year

In addition to unveiling a new Apple TV 4K with an A15 Bionic chip and more, Apple today previewed several new Siri-related features coming to the Apple TV in a tvOS 16 update later this year. It appears that at least a few of the features are enabled in the tvOS 16.1 Release Candidate made available earlier today, while some might arrive with tvOS 16.2.

tvOS 16 Siri Compact
The new features announced:

  • Siri has been redesigned with a more compact interface that allows users to quickly view results at a glance in the bottom-right corner of the screen.
  • Siri voice recognition for up to six family members will allow the Apple TV 4K to understand who is talking and reply with custom recommendations tailored just for them based on their user profile.
  • Users wearing AirPods will be able to say "Hey Siri" instead of using the Siri Remote.
  • Siri on tvOS will be supported in Denmark, Luxembourg, and Singapore later this year. Support was recently added for Chile, Finland, and South Africa.

The new compact Siri interface and "Hey Siri" support for AirPods have already been implemented in the tvOS 16.1 Release Candidate, and the features should be available to all users when tvOS 16.1 is released next week.

Related Roundup: Apple TV
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Don't Buy)

Popular Stories

Aston Martin CarPlay Ultra Screen

Apple's CarPlay Ultra to Expand to These Vehicle Brands Later This Year

Sunday February 1, 2026 10:08 am PST by
Last year, Apple launched CarPlay Ultra, the long-awaited next-generation version of its CarPlay software system for vehicles. Nearly nine months later, CarPlay Ultra is still limited to Aston Martin's latest luxury vehicles, but that should change fairly soon. In May 2025, Apple said many other vehicle brands planned to offer CarPlay Ultra, including Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis. In his Powe...
Apple Logo Black

Apple Just Made Its Second-Biggest Acquisition Ever After Beats

Thursday January 29, 2026 10:07 am PST by
Apple today confirmed to Reuters that it has acquired Q.ai, an Israeli startup that is working on artificial intelligence technology for audio. Apple paid close to $2 billion for Q.ai, according to sources cited by the Financial Times. That would make this Apple's second-biggest acquisition ever, after it paid $3 billion for the popular headphone and audio brand Beats in 2014. Q.ai has...
Apple Logo Black

Apple's Next Launch is 'Imminent'

Sunday February 1, 2026 12:31 pm PST by
The calendar has turned to February, and a new report indicates that Apple's next product launch is "imminent," in the form of new MacBook Pro models. "All signs point to an imminent launch of next-generation MacBook Pros that retain the current form factor but deliver faster chips," Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said on Sunday. "I'm told the new models — code-named J714 and J716 — are slated...
14 inch MacBook Pro Keyboard

Apple Changes How You Order a Mac

Saturday January 31, 2026 10:51 am PST by
Apple recently updated its online store with a new ordering process for Macs, including the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro. There used to be a handful of standard configurations available for each Mac, but now you must configure a Mac entirely from scratch on a feature-by-feature basis. In other words, ordering a new Mac now works much like ordering an...
Apple MacBook Pro M4 hero

New MacBook Pros Reportedly Launching Alongside macOS 26.3

Sunday February 1, 2026 5:42 am PST by
Apple is planning to launch new MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips alongside macOS 26.3, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "Apple's faster MacBook Pros are planned for the macOS 26.3 release cycle," wrote Gurman, in his Power On newsletter today. "I'm told the new models — code-named J714 and J716 — are slated for the macOS 26.3 software cycle, which runs from...

Top Rated Comments

antnythr Avatar
43 months ago

Trillion+ dollar company, 11 years later, and Siri is still the worst virtual assistant. How Apple? ”Here’s what I found on the web” is by far the most common response I get.
“Working on it”
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Joe Rossignol Avatar
43 months ago

Took long enough to post this Siri news. Earlier post ('https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/apple-announces-new-apple-tv-4k-with-a15-bionic-chip-and-hdr10-for-129.2366094/post-31635740').
Siri is really limited in tvOS for understood commands.
It's an extremely busy day. We can't post every news item right away. All of the Apple blogs are still catching up.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
anthogag Avatar
43 months ago
I would like the option to say "Siri" instead of "hey Siri"
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
topdrawer Avatar
43 months ago
they should make dismissing siri faster/easier. this is more aggravating because you have to hold down the button to speak, so why is siri still on screen when you let go of the button?

also why is it different from the iphone. you don't need to hold down the button to use siri.

UX designers at apple to reevaluate their careers.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
trip1ex Avatar
43 months ago
I am understanding this right: Later this year means next week?
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TigerNike23 Avatar
43 months ago
Any time Apple adds something to tvOS, the better.

They really need to put pressure on providers to use Zero-Sign-On. It's 2022 and we're still putting in the alphanumeric characters every month or so to watch a ballgame.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)