Tech

The Apple TV just got a big update — check out all the new features

Dave Smith

2016-03-21T19:46:00Z

The Apple TV just got a big new update.

On Monday, Apple released tvOS 9.2, which comes with a slew of cool new features for owners of the fourth-generation Apple TV that launched last October.

The fourth-gen Apple TV is the first to have an App Store, the first with the ability to play games, and the first with a touch-sensitive remote control that also works with Siri.

Prior to Monday, Apple had only issued one major update for the Apple TV since it launched: tvOS 9.1, which was released in early December, offered several bug fixes and offered support for Apple Music, as well as the ability to use Siri to play content from Apple Music.

Thankfully, tvOS 9.2 offers much more than the last update. Take a look.

tvOS 9.2 introduces support for folders. So now, you can group any Apple TV apps you want into any folders on the home screen, which is great for organization and efficiency.

The 9.2 update also introduces support for Bluetooth keyboards. This is a good thing, since <a href="http://www.techinsider.io/worst-part-of-the-new-apple-tv-2016-1"target="_new">it's a major pain</a> to use the Apple TV remote for inputting text.

In tvOS 9.2, you can also finally use Siri for voice-to-text dictation, which is great for entering emails and passwords without needing a manual or virtual keyboard.

tvOS 9.2 also introduces Apple's Podcasts app to the Apple TV, so you can watch or listen to your favorite podcasts on the biggest screen in your house.

Apple has apparently changed the look of the app-switching interface for tvOS 9.2. When you double-click the Home button on the Siri remote, this is what app-switching currently looks like...

...and this is what it will look like after the 9.2 update. App-switching will look much more like it does on iOS devices.

The 9.2 update also brings support for Apple's MapKit framework, which will let third-party developers incorporate Apple Maps into their Apple TV apps.

In the new update, you can also access your entire iCloud Photo Library. Previously, Apple TV owners could only see content from the Photo Stream portion of the Photos app.

The new Apple TV update even supports Live Photos, the feature in the iPhone 6S and new iPhone SE that captures moments before and after each snap of your camera, making them into GIF-like stills.

If you like using Siri, the Apple TV also adds Siri support for Spanish (US only) and French Canadian (Canada only). For English-speakers in the US, UK, and Australia, you can now also choose between more English accents, like US English, UK English and Australian English.

You'll be able to download tvOS 9.2 starting Monday, March 21.

Apple TV Television