tvOS 16.4.1 now available with performance improvements for Apple TV and HomePod

Apple has released tvOS 16.4.1 and HomePod Software 16.4.1 with performance improvements for Apple TV and HomePod owners. This update comes after last week’s iOS 16.4.1 update, including bug fixes and major security patches.

The build number for tvOS 16.4.1 and HomePod Software 16.4.1 is 20L49B. Apple only says this update contains “performance and stability improvements,” so, at the moment, it’s unclear if there’s a design change or any other feature.

Interestingly enough, tvOS 16.4 also brought “stability improvements and bug fixes,” according to Apple’s release notes, but the previous update also offered a Dim Flashing Lights feature, which is an accessibility option to automatically dim the display of video when flashes of light or strobe effects are detected.

Before that, tvOS 16.3 was full of features. It enabled temperature and humidity sensors for the HomePod mini and HomePod 2 models. Interestingly, it was already known that the HomePod mini offered these sensors. Still, they have been disabled from the start, and Apple decided to launch them now alongside a new HomePod model.

In addition, that operating system update brought remastered ambient sounds by making them more immersive and also able to be added to the Home app’s scenes, automation, and alarms.

Find My on HomePod also enabled users to ask Siri for the location of friends and family members if they share that with you.

In addition, tvOS 16.3 brought these other features to HomePod users:

• Recurring Home automation can be set up using just your voice;
• Siri confirmation tone will now play to indicate when smart home requests are completed for accessories that may not visibly show a change or are located in a different room;
• Audio tuning optimizes spoken content such as podcasts for even greater clarity on the largest HomePod models;
• Updated volume controls on HomePod (1st gen) give you more granular adjustments at lower volumes.

If we learn more about the small improvements Apple has made to the Apple TV and HomePod with tvOS 16.4.1, we’ll be sure to update this article.