Introduction to tvOS in Xamarin

  • Article

Introducing tvOS

Apple has released the 5th generation of the Apple TV hardware, the Apple TV 4K, which runs the latest version of the tvOS operating system, based on iOS 11.

The Apple TV platform is open to developers, allowing them to create rich, immersive apps and release them through the Apple TV's built-in App Store.

For more information on tvOS, please see the Getting Started document.

tvOS with Xamarin video

Documentation

The following documents will help you get started building tvOS apps with Xamarin:

  • Introduction to tvOS 11 - This article describes new features available in tvOS 11 for Xamarin.tvOS developers.
  • Introduction to tvOS 10 - This article introduces all of the new and modified APIs and features available in tvOS 10 for Xamarin.tvOS developers.
  • Introduction to tvOS 9 – This article introduces all of the new and modified APIs and features available in tvOS 9 for Xamarin.tvOS developers.
  • Hello, tvOS Quick Start Guide – This guide walks through creating your first Xamarin.tvOS app, and in the process introduces the development toolchain, including Visual Studio for Mac, Xcode and Interface Builder. It also introduces Outlets and Actions, which expose UI controls to code, and finally, it illustrates how to build, run and test a Xamarin.tvOS application.
  • Working with Icons and Images – This article covers designing and working with icons and images inside of a Xamarin.tvOS app.
  • Working with Navigation and Focus – This article covers the concept of Focus and how it is used to present and handle Navigation inside of a Xamarin.tvOS app.
  • Resources and Data Storage – This article covers working with resources and persistent data storage in a Xamarin.tvOS app.
  • Siri Remote and Bluetooth Controllers – This article covers supporting the new Siri Remote and Bluetooth game controllers in your Xamarin.tvOS apps.
  • User Interface – General User Experience (UX) coverage including User Interface (UI) controls, use Xcode's Interface Builder and UX design principles when working with Xamarin.tvOS.
  • Deployment, Testing and Metrics – This section covers topics used to test an app as well as how to distribute it. Topics here include things such as tools used for debugging, deployment to testers and how to publish an application to the Apple TV App Store.
  • Supported Assemblies – This is a list of the assemblies supported by Xamarin for your Xamarin.tvOS apps.
  • Supported and Unsupported Frameworks – This is a list of the Frameworks supported by Xamarin for your Xamarin.tvOS apps.

Known Issues and Troubleshooting

If you encounter any problems building tvOS with Xamarin, check GitHub for existing issues.

Report new issues and suggestions on GitHub.

Xamarin.tvOS on Q&A

Ask questions about building and deploying tvOS applications with Xamarin on Q&A.