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Apple TV Will Soon Get The Full Power Of Siri

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Last year, Apple launched the most significant update to Apple TV since the 3rd generation of the device was launched in 2012. The device itself got a tad bulkier, but with that extra bulk also came a bevy of changes and upgrades in the internal hardware and the capabilities of the OS that drives it. Namely, Apple TV got Siri.

Well, sort of. It got a limited version of Siri. The Siri functionality of the latest Apple TV is great for searching movies and TV shows, and it can respond to queries and open some apps like it’s iOS sibling. However, there are many other ways Siri can be more useful—particularly on a device where the default method of input is a tiny square touchpad. According to a report from MacRumors, tvOS 9.2 includes a number of improvements that will unleash the full power of Siri and more.

The most exciting update as far as I’m concerned is dictation. Although the Apple TV has some Siri capabilities, I still had to painstakingly navigate through an on-screen virtual keyboard using the small square touchpad on the remote in order to enter my Apple ID and password, and other details required to get the device configured. That was no fun.

MacRumors states, “There's now support for onscreen text entry via dictation in countries where Siri is available. When updating to tvOS 9.2 beta 3, users will be prompted to enable or disable dictation. With dictation, Apple TV users can dictate text and spell user names and passwords rather than typing them.”

The update to Siri also expands the search capabilities of the virtual assistant so you can search for apps as well as movies and TV shows. But, wait! There’s more!

With the latest Apple TV OS update you don’t have to choose to dictate your input with Siri or tediously enter it on the virtual keyboard. tvOS 9.2 also includes support for Bluetooth keyboards. You can pair a Bluetooth keyboard to the Apple TV and just type away.

The new tvOS version also includes support for iCloud Photo Library and Live Photos, and integrates the Apple MapKit framework so Apple TV app developers can incorporate maps into their apps.

Many of these updates seem like no-brainers. They seem like the sort of features and capabilities customers should have expected in the initial incarnation of the new Apple TV. Without these features, Apple TV is nice, but gives the impression that it was released before it was fully ready.

tvOS 9.2 is a beta release right now. The speculation is that Apple will officially unveil the new features and capabilities at its media event on March 15 and roll out the new Apple TV OS to the general public sometime in March.

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