The tvOS 17 update for Apple TV brings more FaceTime to your living room

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tvOS 17 is here.

Apple TV Facetime tvOS 17
(Image credit: Apple)
WWDC 2023 SO FAR...

WWDC 2023

(Image credit: Apple)

- WWDC 2023 - live updates
- Apple VR and the Reality Pro headset
- iOS 17
- macOS 14
- iPadOS 17
- watchOS 10

In a cavernous new hall at Apple Park in Cupertino, Tim Cook kicked off WWDC by unveiling a slew of new software updates to the company's products. Among them: tvOS 17 for the Apple TV, bringing a number of new features to the company's set-top box.

While perhaps not historically the most exciting of Apple's WWDC 2023 updates, this one is definitely an update well worth taking a look at. Why? Because it finally adds a feature that some have been crying out for — FaceTime support. Beyond that, a redesigned Control Center and other small tweaks will surely be welcome changes for fans of the home theater system.

New to tvOS

Apple's tvOS 17 update brings with it a number of changes including a redesigned Control Center and a new collection of screensavers for those who like that sort of thing.

But undoubtedly the biggest change here is support for FaceTime, with Apple saying that tvOS 17 will take full advantage of Continuity Camera. The same feature uses your iPhone as a camera for your Mac -- and now it's been expanded to the Apple TV for the first time.

The result is a new way to put your FaceTime calls on the big screen. In fact, Apple's announcement also confirmed that you can easily move a live call between devices — take a call that's underway on your iPad and switch to using it on your Apple TV, for example.

The tvOS software update is expected to go through a months-long beta program before being made available to the public this fall, likely in or around September.

Apple announced the new Apple TV software update alongside new updates for the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch as well as the 15-inch MacBook Air and a new Mac Studio.

We're covering all the WWDC 2023 announcements live and as they happen. Don't miss all our Apple VR, iOS 17, macOS 14, iPadOS 17, and watchOS 10 news so far.

Oliver Haslam
Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.