The Apple TV media player is about to receive an update that would allow Siri to recognise individual users’ voices, enabling content to be tailored to the commands.
The ‘Recognise My Voice’ feature will make it easy to switch Apple TV profiles, play the user’s personal playlists and receive video recommendations in line with their viewing habits.
It’s a feature that already exists on the HomePod speaker, and it’s great to see Apple is bringing it to tvOS devices within the first beta of tvOS 16.2. It was first spotted by Sigmund Judge (via 9to5Mac)
Because the user’s voice will almost certainly be tied to a companion iPhone, where Siri voice controls have already been established, the voice will be identified automatically without going through a set-up process.
In the release notes, Apple said: “Siri can recognise your voice to switch profiles, play your music or give personalised video recommendations. If your Apple TV is in your home or added to your home later, your Siri voice profile from your iPhone will be associated with your home so Siri can recognise your voice on this Apple TV and any current or future Siri-enabled devices in your home.”
Apple also says Siri on Apple TV is getting a redesign and users will simply be able to ask “Siri what should I watch” and receive tailored recommendations for what to watch. “The more compact design of Siri on Apple TV allows users to quickly view results without leaving the action onscreen,” Apple says.
The feature doesn’t seem to be functional at present, but there’s plenty of time to get it sorted before Apple launches tvOS 16.2 in the weeks and months to come.
