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Apple TV – A World Without Webviews

52 points by sinak 11y ago

jimmcslim 11y ago
Possibly good news for React and React Native however? The absence of Webviews is somewhat mitigated if an application's web presence is already powered by React, some similar concepts (even components themselves... to some degree) could be re-used in a React Native targeting tvOS?
- chenglou 11y ago
  Already done: https://github.com/facebook/react-native/issues/2618#issuecomment-139682888 https://github.com/facebook/react-native/issues/2618#issueco...
ronotono 11y ago
Security can be one of the reasons as well. It would easily become a nightmare.
pbreit 11y ago
The article basically answers the question: webviews on a TV interface would be horrific. I don't think Apple is shooting for the Wild West here. Video/audio publishers will mostly use the pre-existing templates. Netflix, et al will port their UIs. Games will get as close to the metal as possible.
lstamour 11y ago
A workaround for OAuth-type flows not mentioned in the article -- or for any flow that requires going out to a web browser -- would be for Apple to cleanly establish a Handoff/Continuity mechanism from the Apple TV running tvOS to your iPhone, iPad or Mac. Which is to say -- using today's technology, an Apple TV app communicates with a server to see if you're also signed in on an iOS or Mac device with the same app installed. The remote service can then, on the request of the Apple TV, trigger a push notification on your phone, tablet or computer. You can see this happening already using OATH one-time passwords AKA two factor authentication, particularly in Facebook app's implementation, which presents a push notification on your phone when you're trying to do something on your computer. So, that's one way they could easily overcome these limitations on the TV. See also: Existing Apple TV's approach to sign in, requiring users to use a computer or web browser to visit a page protected by OAuth and then type in a code from their TV to pass the session on to the TV. Or YouTube's even other approach of YouTube TV involving, IIRC, typing codes into your console/TV box from your YouTube website.
- WWLink 11y ago
  I agree, it would be nice if there was some kind of token handoff between web browser and app - and this would be the ideal way of handling it. I really, really dislike webviews in iOS apps because they're almost always clearly a webview - but they don't usually have all the same functionality.
- projct 11y ago
  OAuth2 password grant type would work also where allowed.
steve19 11y ago
Kodi, the hugely popular open source media center platform/application, also lacks webviews and nobody seems to have any interest in adding them. I guess the reasons are UI related, rather than technical/crossplatform/bloat reasons.

52 points by sinak 11y ago

Possibly good news for React and React Native however? The absence of Webviews is somewhat mitigated if an application's web presence is already powered by React, some similar concepts (even components themselves... to some degree) could be re-used in a React Native targeting tvOS?

chenglou 11y ago
Already done: https://github.com/facebook/react-native/issues/2618#issuecomment-139682888 https://github.com/facebook/react-native/issues/2618#issueco...

ronotono 11y ago

Security can be one of the reasons as well. It would easily become a nightmare.

pbreit 11y ago

The article basically answers the question: webviews on a TV interface would be horrific. I don't think Apple is shooting for the Wild West here. Video/audio publishers will mostly use the pre-existing templates. Netflix, et al will port their UIs. Games will get as close to the metal as possible.

lstamour 11y ago

A workaround for OAuth-type flows not mentioned in the article -- or for any flow that requires going out to a web browser -- would be for Apple to cleanly establish a Handoff/Continuity mechanism from the Apple TV running tvOS to your iPhone, iPad or Mac. Which is to say -- using today's technology, an Apple TV app communicates with a server to see if you're also signed in on an iOS or Mac device with the same app installed. The remote service can then, on the request of the Apple TV, trigger a push notification on your phone, tablet or computer. You can see this happening already using OATH one-time passwords AKA two factor authentication, particularly in Facebook app's implementation, which presents a push notification on your phone when you're trying to do something on your computer. So, that's one way they could easily overcome these limitations on the TV. See also: Existing Apple TV's approach to sign in, requiring users to use a computer or web browser to visit a page protected by OAuth and then type in a code from their TV to pass the session on to the TV. Or YouTube's even other approach of YouTube TV involving, IIRC, typing codes into your console/TV box from your YouTube website.

WWLink 11y ago
I agree, it would be nice if there was some kind of token handoff between web browser and app - and this would be the ideal way of handling it. I really, really dislike webviews in iOS apps because they're almost always clearly a webview - but they don't usually have all the same functionality.
projct 11y ago
OAuth2 password grant type would work also where allowed.

steve19 11y ago

Kodi, the hugely popular open source media center platform/application, also lacks webviews and nobody seems to have any interest in adding them. I guess the reasons are UI related, rather than technical/crossplatform/bloat reasons.