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What is Apple InSight? The new Apple TV feature explained

WWDC 2024 has kicked off with a bang, with a plethora of new software features across Apple’s product range. While much of the hype is focused around iOS 18, the Apple TV is also getting a small but significant update in the form of Apple InSight.

The question is, what is Apple InSight and when should I expect it to appear on my Apple TV? Let’s dive in.

What is Apple InSight?

Apple InSight is a new feature coming to Apple TV as part of tvOS 18, and looks to enhance the viewing experience in the Apple TV+ app.

It’s a fairly simple concept; when you’re watching a TV show or movie on the Apple TV+ platform, you’ll be able to tap your Siri remote to get contextual information about that scene, including character and actor names and even the name of the song playing in the background. For the latter, you can then tap a button to add that to your Apple Music library instantly. 

Apple InSight overlay

What’s more, this can be done via the TV itself or via a connected iPhone, with the latter helpful if you don’t want to disrupt what’s going on on-screen. Or, y’know, if you want to show off your faux celebrity and music knowledge.

This might sound familiar, and that’s because it is; it’s very similar to Amazon’s X-Ray feature, which also brings up information about actors and other elements in the scene when watching movies on the Amazon Prime app. 

Will Apple InSight work with other video streaming apps?

Apple InSight is a handy tool that can save you from frantically Googling who that actor is in a specific scene, or what the name of that uber-catchy song was during a musical performance, but there is a catch; it’s only available when watching content on the Apple TV+ app.

That means that the plethora of streaming apps available on Apple TV, including big hitters like Netflix and Disney+, won’t be able to take advantage of the new tech.  

When will Apple InSight be available on Apple TV?

Apple InSight is a part of the upcoming tvOS 18 update, announced at WWDC 2024. While a release date is yet to be confirmed, Apple tends to release its software updates in September, so you’ve only got a couple of months to wait. 

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