Apple today released the fifth beta of tvOS 14.5, and there are some small but significant changes in the update announced by MacRumors contributor Steve Moser. Apple removes the mention of the “Siri Remote” and replaces it with “Apple TV Remote” over the operating system.
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The Siri Remote has always been the Apple TV Remote in countries where Siri functionality is not available on the Apple TV, but now Apple uses the Apple TV Remote wording in countries where the remote control was previously called the Siri Remote.
This can only be a general clearance of the language, because you no longer need to refer to it as the referSiri Remote, but it indicates that the next generation Apple TV remote is not called the Siri Remote and a simpler name will have.
It is rumored that Apple is working on a new version of the ‘Apple TV’ that will appear this year, and it will be accompanied by a refreshed remote control with Find My features. Little else is known at the moment about the remote control.
tvOS 14.5 also renames the “Home Button” under the “Remote and Devices” section to “TV Button”, but the functionality is ultimately the same and can be set to go to the Apple TV app or the Home Screen. It can also be an adjustment made for a future remote control.
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Earlier betas built in support for the latest PlayStation and Xbox controllers, and frame rate options have been adjusted with Apple now offering 29.97Hz and 59.94Hz refresh rates instead of 30Hz / 60Hz.
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There is also an optional “Type to TypeSiri” accessibility feature that can be activated, reflecting the Type to Siri feature on iOS devices, a new option to select “Other wireless speakers” as the default audio output, and adjust the Podcasts app to bring it in line with the changes made in iOS 14.5.