Apple has released tvOS 15.4 alongside iOS 15.4 and macOS 12.3, and while it’s not quite as jam-packed with new features, there are a couple that may improve your Apple TV experience.
If you’ve ever tried to log into a Wi-Fi on an Apple TV at a hotel, dorm, or somewhere else with a unique sign-in portal, you probably hit a brick wall. That’s because the Apple TV isn’t like the iPhone or Mac in that it can’t allow pop-up web portal login windows, so it would often connect but stopped short of allowing you to actually use the network.
In tvOS 15.4, a feature called Captive Wi-Fi lets you use your iPhone or iPad to connect your Apple TV to networks that need extra sign-in steps. During the connection process, your Apple TV will prompt you to continue on your iPhone or iPad. You can then grab that device and follow the on-screen instructions to complete setup just as you would when setting up a new Apple TV.
In addition to Captive Wi-Fi, tvOS 15.4 also includes a new “Up Next” queue that’s accessible while watching something and the new LGBTQ+ Siri voice. It also includes several security updates to WebKit, UIKit, MediaRemote, and others.
You can download the tvOS 15.4 update by going to the Settings app on your Apple TV and clicking System, then Software Updates and Update Software.
Author: Michael Simon, Executive Editor
Michael Simon has been covering Apple since the iPod was the iWalk. His obsession with technology goes back to his first PC—the IBM Thinkpad with the lift-up keyboard for swapping out the drive. He's still waiting for that to come back in style tbh.