At WWDC 2017 this week, we’re seeing Apple make quite a bit of changes and improvements to its AirPods headphones. For example with iOS 11, AirPods users can change tracks by double tapping on the headphones, and now it looks like there will also be some upgrades when it comes to using the AirPods with tvOS 11.
Spotted in the tvOS 11 developer beta, it seems that AirPods will now appear as a new speaker option automatically. However this is only for Apple TVs who have iCloud accounts that are connected to the iPhones that are paired with AirPods. This means that you will have to own an iPhone as well to fully take advantage of this feature, so if you don’t then we guess this is kind of moot.
However for those who do own an iPhone, the automatic pairing also means that users can now use AirPods as a way for them to enjoy music from the Apple TV using the headphones. This might come in handy at night when you don’t want to wake up everyone in your home. Given how low-profile the AirPods are, it is also a better option compared to more bulky wireless headphones that are available out there today.
While connecting AirPods to an Apple TV has always been possible, it wasn’t quite as streamlined as it is now, which is something that Apple TV owners can look forward to in the future.
Filed in . Read more about AirPods, Apple TV, Headphones and tvOS.