THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN DESIGNING A TVOS APP FOR APPLE TV

What are the expectations of Big Screen Apps? Definitely a lot. Once tvOS and App Store has been introduced on Apple TV, building apps for the platform has become less complex. Developers will find tvOS familiar. This is because it uses almost the same frameworks and APIs as iOS. Although a detailed planning is necessary to build tvOS but overall the technique is not too complex. This allows iOS developers to have an idea regarding what is it all about. And with the App Store, the submission process has become a lot simpler.Below is a breakdown of things that need to be considered when building tvOS apps for Apple TV.

Extensions of Current Apps

Due to the similarities between iOS and tvOS, development of apps for Apple TV doesn’t necessarily require started writing codes completely from scratch. Of course this is unless you are building a new, native application. Most of the companies progresses by changing their platform to a better way. This is done by getting on the platform early with extensions of current apps. We predict that the majority of early tvOS apps are going to be of this nature. Building an extension of your iOS app to work on the Apple TV will help leverage your existing user base.

User Expectations

It was a huge change in the market scenario when smartphones and tablets were introduced. But now we’re no longer dealing exclusively only with smartphones and tablets. Technology has switched to big screen TVs to the list. Apps will display on very large screens. Users will expect more as the platform grows big. The experience will need to go well beyond what users can currently accomplish on their mobile devices. This happens as the big screen eliminates many of the inherent limitations of other devices.

User Experience

The size and nature of the TV affect user expectations and the way they interact with the apps. With phones and tablets, users see and touch on the same device. With the introduction of Apple TV or the Siri-enabled remote will be used to interact with the larger screen. Thus, interactions will be different from before, and developers need to understand it.To help make the experience more intuitive, Apple TV uses a focus navigation. It helps to indicate the users where they are within the app. There are opportunities to implement custom UI components. These require custom focus behavior. If the UI is not set up thoughtfully to account for the focus model, navigation of the app can be confusing, which means a poor experience that is frustrating to users.

Individual vs. Shared Experiences

One of the major differences with tvOS apps is that they invite shared experiences. Unlike apps on smartphones and tablets, Apple TV allows for more viewers/users and the ability to connect multiple remotes and devices simultaneously. The introduction of multi-user component to your tvOS app will be the key to success on the platform, and developers will need to think of creative ways that they can leverage this capability to create intuitive and exciting shared experiences.

Storage

It is necessary for developers to understand that there is no persistent local storage on Apple TV. According to the App Programming Guide for tvOS, “every app developed for the new Apple TV must be able to store data in iCloud and retrieve it in a way that provides a great customer experience.” The maximum size an app can be is 200MB. If it more than the required size, it needs to be packaged and loaded using On-Demand Resources.

The Long-Term Strategy

While in the initial stages we will see many app extensions, as tvOS progresses we are likely to see more native and increasingly complex solutions brought to the Apple TV platform. We predict that the ultimate goal for the Apple TV will be offering more utility in other areas that Apple is interested.As tvOS and the Apple TV become more popular, new possibilities are made for creating new experiences that presents challenges. Aspects like monetization models, app discovery, and customizations will be considered by brands in their long term strategy before they choose to enter into the platform. As the Apple TV grows in terms of technology and adds more features and functionality, new use cases and experiences emerge.