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You can now answer phone calls on your Apple TV, if you also have a HomePod

MacDailyNews

Jul 23

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Apple intros the new A15 Bionic-powered Apple TV 4K — Apple TV 4K

Apple has been enhancing the integration between iOS and tvOS in recent years. In 2023, it launched the FaceTime app on Apple TV, enabling video calls on the big screen with assistance from a nearby iPhone or iPad. Now, tvOS 26 will simplify connecting with others by mirroring standard iPhone calls to Apple TV.

As spotted by Macworld, the fourth developer betas of iOS and tvOS 26 introduce audio phone call support to Apple TV. This feature, already available on Macs and iPads, allows users to answer incoming calls on tvOS when their paired iPhone is nearby, but it does require the presence of a HomePod.

Mahmoud Itani for Macworld:
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Unlike FaceTime on Apple TV, the new feature doesn’t rely on the Continuity Camera API to transmit your audio input to the caller. Instead of using your iPhone’s microphone, it’ll utilize the mics embedded in connected HomePods. Users without Apple’s smart speaker will still be able to answer calls on tvOS, but they won’t be able to talk until they can reach their iPhones.
It’s worth noting that tvOS 26 beta 4 doesn’t include a dedicated Phone app to initiate calls from the Apple TV. Siri similarly failed to start a regular phone call when I asked it using my TV’s remote. So, for the time being, the new addition, unlike FaceTime, is seemingly limited to accepting incoming calls only. Whether Apple addresses this omission in future tvOS 26 builds remains to be seen.

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MacDailyNews Note: On Apple TV, users with the fourth developer betas of iOS and tvOS 26 (and a HomePod) can go to Settings > Users and Accounts > [name] and scroll down to toggle on Show Incoming Calls.

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