tvOS 14.5 adds color balancing, new controller support, and more

How To Calibrate Color On Apple TV (Image credit: Christopher Close / iMore)

What you need to know

Apple has released tvOS 14.5 today.
The update brings a number of notable features to Apple TV owners.

Today, Apple released tvOS 14.5 to the public with a few notable updates.

Now, you can use your iPhone to color balance your Apple TV content. According to Apple, the results can be quite dramatic compared to the default color settings configured on most televisions.

Color balance: Use your iPhone to measure your television's color balance, and Apple TV will adjust to produce more accurate colors onscreen. Go to Settings > Video and Audio > Calibration. This feature requires iPhone with Face ID and iOS 14.5 or later.

You can also now choose to have Apple TV uninstall apps that are not used for a period of time, a feature similar to iOS and iPadOS.

Home screen: Free up space on your Apple TV by automatically removing apps that you're not using. Your data is saved, apps stay visible, and apps will download again when used. To turn on, go to Settings > Apps.

Xbox Series X Xbox Series S Lifestyle (Image credit: Microsoft)

The latest update also adds support for the new controllers that come with the Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and Playstation 5.

Game controllers: Support for the latest PlayStation DualSense and Xbox Wireless controllers.

The latest update also brings new languages for Siri to more countries and the ability to type to Siri rather than having to use your voice. It also adds support for the new Siri Remote which should be available on Friday.

Siri:* Siri now understands German in Austria and English in Ireland and New Zealand.
Type to Siri: Use the onscreen keyboard, iPhone, iPad, or a Bluetooth keyboard with Siri. Search for movies, launch apps, and more. To turn on, go to Settings > Accessibility.

tvOS 14.5 is available for download now. Apple has also released HomePod 14.5 with performance improvements and bug fixes.

Joe Wituschek is a Contributor at iMore. With over ten years in the technology industry, one of them being at Apple, Joe now covers the company for the website. In addition to covering breaking news, Joe also writes editorials and reviews for a range of products. He fell in love with Apple products when he got an iPod nano for Christmas almost twenty years ago. Despite being considered a "heavy" user, he has always preferred the consumer-focused products like the MacBook Air, iPad mini, and iPhone 13 mini. He will fight to the death to keep a mini iPhone in the lineup. In his free time, Joe enjoys video games, movies, photography, running, and basically everything outdoors.