Apple releases tvOS 26 update for supported Apple TV models

[Karlston]

Apple has started rolling out the tvOS 26 update for supported devices, alongside the latest operating systems for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Vision Pro. The company introduced tvOS 26 at the WWDC developer conference earlier this year and announced its release date last week.

 

tvOS 26 brings the freshly baked design language called Liquid Glass. Apple describes Liquid Glass as "a vibrant look to Apple TV, delivering a fresh and expressive design that beautifully reflects and refracts its surroundings using real-time rendering." It's Apple's biggest visual overhaul in years, rolling to other platforms as well.

 

Content is the central focus in the new design, according to Apple, which you can notice while fast-forwarding or rewinding, adjusting audio, or setting a "Movie night" scene in Control Center. tvOS 26 comes with the redesigned Apple TV app that includes a Liquid Glass-inspired poster art.

Apple has updated the profile-switching experience and automatically displays profiles when Apple TV wakes, so that you can quickly access your TV app watchlist or playlists in Apple Music. You can set up karaoke sessions with your friends in Apple Music with your iPhone as a handheld microphone. The 'Sing in Apple Music' feature can now translate song lyrics and help you pronounce difficult words.

 

FaceTime received a couple of updates, including Contact Posters from iOS to add a customized photo and name during calls. Apple TV now uses on-device processing to display Live Captions during FaceTime with support for more languages.

 

You can also designate any AirPlay-enabled speaker as the permanent speaker for Apple TV and add new aerial screen savers to your big screen.

 

Apple has previewed tvOS features and changes in the beta versions released over the past few months. You can download and install its stable version by going to Settings > System > Software Updates. Here, choose Update Software and proceed with the steps.

 

tvOS 26 supports a number of devices, including Apple TV HD and all generations of Apple TV 4K, released in 2017, 2021, and 2022. However, some features, such as Liquid Glass and the karaoke mode, are available on new models only.

 

Source

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Posted Tuesday 16 September 2025 at 6:50 pm AEST (my time).

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