Apple TV will support third-party VPNs with tvOS 17

VPN users are going to be delighted to learn that they will be able to enjoy it on their Apple TV with tvOS 17. Apple announced it alongside other new features, such as FaceTime support and the new Control Center.

Here’s what Apple says about VPNs with tvOS 17:

Developers can now create VPN apps for Apple TV. This feature, which will be especially useful for Education and Enterprise customers who want to access content on their private network, makes Apple TV ideal for more offices and meeting rooms.

The axis chosen here by Apple is the middle of education and business. But we suspect that many people will use a VPN to circumvent certain geographical blocks, especially with regard to streaming applications. In France, for example, different users connect to neighboring servers (Belgian or Swiss in particular) to have access to the latest films on platforms like Disney+ (it’s a little more complicated with Netflix, which is tightening the bolts as far as VPNs), rather than waiting for official availability. This is explained by the media chronology which imposes a delay of 17 months (15 months for Netflix) between the cinema release and the streaming release.

For example, Avatar: The Way of the Water East available from this week on Disney+. It’s available everywhere, except in France where it will be necessary to wait until May 2024. The most impatient therefore connect to the servers of other European countries to see the film now, all thanks to VPNs.

Another new feature that may be of interest to some, tvOS 17 adds support for Dolby Vision 8.1. There are several profiles with Dolby Vision, so 8.1 support is interesting for users.

tvOS 17 is currently in developer beta. The public beta will arrive in July and the final version will be available in the fall according to Apple.