If you own an Apple TV, then you might have noticed the absence of one rather "essential" app. Apple television, or rather its tvOS operating system, does not offer an Internet browser, which is why we cannot simply open any web page and view it in a large format, so to speak. Of course, it is understandable that controlling the browser via the Siri Remote probably won't be entirely pleasant, but on the other hand, it certainly wouldn't hurt to have this option, especially when we take into account that, for example, such an Apple Watch with a tiny display also offers a browser.
A competitor's browser
When we look at the competition, where we can take almost any smart TV, in practically all cases we also find an integrated browser, which has been available since the very beginning of the entire segment. As we mentioned above, however, controlling the browser via the TV remote control is not easy. It is therefore clear that even if Apple were to include, for example, Safari in tvOS, most Apple users would not use this option in their lives, as we have significantly more convenient alternatives available for accessing the Internet. At the same time, Apple TV can be used to mirror content via AirPlay. In this case, just connect to the TV via iPhone and open the browser directly on the phone. But is this a sufficient solution? When mirroring, the image is rather "broken" due to the aspect ratio, and it is therefore necessary to expect black stripes.
The reason for the absence of Safari in tvOS seems quite clear - the browser would simply not work at its best here and would not provide users with a twice as comfortable journey. But then why is there Safari on the Apple Watch, where the Apple user can open a link from iMessage or access the Internet via Siri, for example? The small display is not ideal either, but we still have it available.
Do we need Safari on Apple TV?
Although I have personally never needed Safari on the Apple TV, I would certainly appreciate it if Apple gave us this option. As apple television as such is based on the same type of chips as iPhones and runs on the tvOS system, which is based on the mobile iOS, it is clear that the arrival of Safari is not at all an unrealistic thing. To ensure the greatest possible comfort, Apple could significantly simplify its browser and provide it to apple users at least in a basic form for possible Internet browsing. However, whether we will ever see something like this is rather unlikely at the moment. Would you like Safari on tvOS?
For God's sake? If I want, I will mirror from iPhone/iPad.
Exactly!
For me, the file is missing 2 functions: a button for screenshots that would save images in photos and access to video recording for IPTV, for example, it works on mobile but not on Apple TV. Well, iFiles would also be useful
The viewfinder is really the last thing missing on an ATV. The idea that we are sitting x meters from the TV and I open the website... I need the app and the website on the TV does not interest me. As you write, I have a viewer on all TVs for the last few years, I turned it on once on one. Turned it off after trying it and never went back to it.
What I miss most about AppleTV is the ability to connect a camera and use it for video conferences (Skype, Webex, zoom,...)
I mainly miss the Kodi application on ATV, I switched to GTV because of that and I still hope that one day it will be legally available on ATV as well.