As well as introducing the Apple Music Sing karaoke feature, the new tvOS 16.2 update finally makes Siri compatible with the communal device.
Until now, Siri on Apple TV has responded to all users. That can be annoying for the user of the default profile whose personal wish lists, playlists and more, can be interfered by the voice requests from other members of the household.
However, now that Apple TV offers profiles for individual users, it’s about time Siri got on board by recognising them too. Once you’ve set up Recognise My Voice on Apple TV, Siri can recognise up to six family members. It’s a feature that’s been available on the HomePod speakers for a while now, and Google Assistant and Alexa have been able to achieve it for much longer.
Moving forward, any recommendations or requests will be associated with be associated with the requisite profile, rather than messing up any viewing queues or play history, which also informs recommendations.
The feature also, quite cleverly, stretches to a “switch to my profile” command, so you can instantly access your own profiles for apps like Apple TV and Apple Music. The update also includes the ability to set Siri to a different language to the one the Apple TV itself currently displays. That’s handy for bi-lingual households.
The Recognise My Voice feature arrives in tvOS 16.2 for all of the current Apple TV 4K and HD models, whereas Apple Music Sing is – really annoyingly – only available for brand new Apple TV 4K.
The feature does include more than 50 dedicated playlists, so you can find the perfect mood for your Christmas karaoke party. Everyone without the new model will have to make do with using the feature on iPhone or iPad, although it might be possible to AirPlay the display from mobile devices. We haven’t tried that out yet.
Apple has yet to clarify what it is about the older Apple TV 4K that prevents the Apple Music Sing feature from being available.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
