tvOS 18: Still no browser, but links can be sent to iPhone

Browser on TV: The entertainment industry has been debating for nearly 30 years how good or bad this idea is. At least one thing is clear to Apple: we don’t want that. Accordingly, the Apple TV multimedia box has never received its own Safari version, which will not change with the upcoming new operating system tvOS 18. However, Apple would like to make it easier for users in the future when they encounter links in apps on Apple TV. As testers of the current developer beta have discovered, there is now a new item in the separate menu that can be used to send web links to nearby iPhones and iPads.

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First go to the TV app

The short-distance transmission technology AirDrop is used. For example, it would be conceivable to eventually be able to click on links to YouTube videos from Google’s official YouTube app and then watch them on Apple’s smartphones or tablets. Otherwise, web references rarely appear in tvOS applications.

According to podcaster Sigmund Judge this already works in tvOS 18 Developer Beta 5. Video preview of a movie in the TV appWhich can only be viewed on Apple’s Vision Pro headset. Clicking “About Vision Pro” opens the corresponding page in the iPhone’s browser. tvOS also shows an animation that the redirection has taken place.

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Links to other apps too?

Judge hopes that the integration can also be used for music, books or augmented reality content that can later be viewed on an iPhone or iPad. Information about the API for the new function is not yet available.

Apple currently does not approve regular browsers for tvOS. This is all that can be done for now Via developer sideloading on the device fetch; private APIs are also used. It is unclear whether Apple will one day change this and port Safari – it seems that the company is fundamentally against it and is probably also afraid of opening a target for security gaps on the device. However, there are always combinations with well-known services, for example since the release of tvOS 17 you can use FaceTime via a paired camera on an iPhone or iPad.

(B.Sc.)