The new Apple TV was hacked to browse the web with tvOSBrowser [Video]

Different developers not belonging to companies like Apple are always looking for ways to "improve" or create new features in the software of the latest inventions. Some of these developments really catch the attention of the companies and are taken into account, while others are simply rejected.

Steven Troughton Smith is one of those developers who sought to expand the capabilities of the new Apple TV to improve the experience for users, so he devised a way to hack the television so that it could run a web browser. tvOSBrowser is the final result of this experiment; by using a private API, tvOS managed to enable a simple web browser that can be used on the Apple TV.

The new Apple TV has been hacked so it can use a simple and actually very useful web browser for some – tvOSBrowser

To access web pages, the user simply touches the remote control, which activates an on-screen cursor to facilitate navigation and access to websites through tvOS Browser. Some of the Apple remote's buttons also allow for additional functions, such as going back to the previous page with the menu button, or entering URLs using the play button.

Browsing through Apple TV seems like a very interesting addition; however, Apple has a strict stance on private APIs , so it doesn't allow applications that use them. The future of tvOS Browser remains uncertain. If Apple decides to adopt it, it will be an excellent feature for many users; however, if the company decides to maintain its strong opposition to private APIs, then it will be bad news for the new web browser developed by Steven Troughton.