tvOS - Stephen Radford

Battle of the Boxes: Apple TV, Fire TV, Android TV, Chromecast

18 December 2017 by Stephen Radford

A few years ago I "cut the cord", cancelled my TV License and cable subscription. Back then I used a 3rd generation Apple TV with subscriptions to Netflix and Now TV alongside my vast number of YouTube subscriptions. I've since tried what feels like every box or stick that displays web content on your TV. All have their own interfaces, experiences, content options, and trade offs. Which box works for you will depend on your requirements. My Requirements While your requirements will undoubtedly differ I think it's important to understand what requirements I'm testing these boxes and sticks…

Mixing TVML and UIKit without a server

15 March 2016 by Stephen Radford

When building for tvOS Apple gave us two approaches. A fully native app could be built using UIKit, storyboards and everything developers have been familiar with when building apps for iOS. However, Apple also opened up their TVML and TVJS platform that has been used on Apple TV 2 and 3 by the likes of Netflix, Hulu and Now TV. This approach allows for apps to be created using a simple XML markup and JavaScript. That sounds great but when using TVML you're required to use a separate server to handle the logic of populating data and navigating between views.…

Setting Fetch Free

27 November 2015 by Stephen Radford

Fetch was the first iOS project I ever made and has been the most successful both on iPhone and on Apple TV. Today, I'm dropping the £2.99 price tag and am pleased to say Fetch is now free for both iOS and tvOS. If you've not used Fetch before, then now is the time to give it a go. The new price should be live on the App Store now! Moving Forward I made Fetch because I wanted a good put.io client for my iPhone and iPad. When the Apple TV came out I knew it was perfect…

Fetch for  tv

27 October 2015 by Stephen Radford

Since building Fetch, the thing I wanted most was improved AirPlay support. Apple did even better than that though an enabled developers to natively build apps using TVML or UIKit for the new Apple TV. From iOS → tvOS Fetch was a pre-existing app for both iPhone and iPad so moving things like the pre-existing PutioKit that connected to and mapped the Put.io API was easy. The trickiest part of porting to the Apple TV was figuring out what the interface was going to be. Interacting with an iPhone is a solitary, intimate experience. Small UI elements that can't be…

OAuth Authentication on tvOS

17 September 2015 by Stephen Radford

I've seen a few people comment on how OAuth is impossible on the new Apple TV due to the lack of any form of web view. In building Fetch for the Apple TV we needed to interact with an OAuth provider (Put.io) in order to authenticate. Before I even knew that the Apple TV didn't support a web view, I never in a million years thought about displaying one to authenticate users. It would have been a truly horrendous experience for the user. Instead, I looked to authenticate from a secondary device — an iPhone for example. The YouTube app…