UPDATE 12/12: Apple today released iOS 10.2, which brings with it the Apple TV app the company first showed off at its October press event.
For now, the TV app is only available in the US, but it provides a unified TV-watching experience across apps. It's supposed to be a single sign-on experience, so you can just watch everything from one app without having to sign into a variety of different services.
Link your Hulu or Showtime apps to the TV app, for example, and you can search for and then watch content within both apps. Then, next time you open the TV app, it'll show your progress, and prompt you to watch the next episode of The Is Us or The Affair.
Unfortunately, Netflix and Amazon Video are not part of the equation. Though you can search for Netflix content—like Stranger Things or The Crown—you'll just be prompted to open those shows within the Netflix app; your progress is not saved within the TV app. Similarly, if you search for Amazon's Transparent, the only option is to buy season one on iTunes. HBO Now is reportedly supported; I couldn't get it to work with HBO GO.
Also in iOS 10.2, however, is a number of new and improved emoji. "More diverse characters, new professions, expressions like face palm, shrug and fingers crossed, and new emoji representing sports, food, animals and more, can be shared today right from within Messages, the most frequently used app in iOS," Apple said in a statement.
So, if you're looking to express yourself with an avocado, croissant, owl, strip of bacon, shark, or barfy face, download iOS 10.2 now.
Original Story 10/27:
Apple, seeking the holy grail of television—one platform that offers simple access to every TV show and movie from any provider—today unveiled the latest milestone in its quest: a new TV app for Apple TV and iOS devices.
The app has two main selling points: it connects to free and paid mainstream streaming services, like HBO Now, MLB TV, and CBS News. It also works with Siri, Apple's voice-enabled digital assistant, which will know immediately which service to launch if you give it a command like "Watch the Oregon football game."
If you're not sure exactly what you want to watch, you can browse content on the app in three separate categories. A "Watch Now" screen displays shows and movies you've purchased on iTunes, as well as those to which you have access from a streaming service.
A second screen will offer the option to start playing the next episode in a TV series or pick up a movie where you left off. Finally, there's a recommended section of curated content, similar to the iTunes store.
The app won't be available until December, and Apple didn't offer up the complete list of which streaming platforms it will support. During a demo, we spotted apps for Hulu, Showtime, Starz, HBO Now, CBS, and other channels, but not Amazon Video or Netflix.
The app will arrive with a single sign-on feature that Apple first teased at WWDC in June, which allows users to access all of the streaming services they subscribe to without entering usernames or passwords. That process can be cumbersome if you're using the Apple TV remote.
Apple said subscribers to DirecTV and Dish Network will be the first to get single sign-on, offering them access to apps that are part of their pay-TV subscription.