- Apple announced TVOS 26 for Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD (2015)
- New features include an “liquid glass” interface design
- Other new features improve Apple TV 4K profiles, the facetime interface and Karaoke functionality
Today, Apple has abandoned the news of the new TVOS26 at WWDC 2025. We have covered this announcement in our WWDC 2025 LiveBlog, but a more complete ventilation of the new upcoming features in TVOS26 that Apple TV 4K users should expect soon below.
The current TVOS 18 jump to TVOS 26 adheres to the new Apple denomination agreement, which seeks to align all operating systems under the same umbrella: iOS 26, iPados 26, MacOS 26, etc.
In addition to obtaining the same version number, all Mac devices, including the Apple TV 4K, will now share a unified “Liquid Glass” interface. This takes its visual clues from the “floating” interface used by Visionos on the Apple Vision Pro helmet, where icons appear in suspension in 3D space on motion backgrounds.
The good news for Apple TV fans is that TVOS 26 will be available as an update for the full range of Apple TV 4K players dating back to 2017, with the HD Apple (2015). Here is the full list of supported players:
- Apple TV HD (2015)
- Apple TV 4K (1st generation, 2017)
- Apple TV 4K (2nd generation, 2021)
- Apple TV 4K (3rd generation, 2022)
1. Liquid glass interface
The new Apple’s liquid glass design will appear in TVOS 26 as transparent reading control control which allows you to see the action on the screen rather than obscure it. The same level of transparency will extend to the control center, which will have transparent quality during audio adjustments, sleep timer or other options.
2. Poster
The Apple TV application also obtains the treatment of liquid glass, with a new poster art design with an extended number of recommendations for shows that appear on the screen when you travel from them.
3. Display profiles
In TVOS 26, viewers can choose to see the display profiles when their Apple TV wakes up, allowing them to easily access a personalized list of personalized visualization recommendations, as well as their personalized surveillance lists in the Apple TV application and in Apple Music. Apple also adds a new API for developers to link connections for applications to your Apple account, which facilitates connection using an iPhone.
4. iPhone becomes a microphone
The Sing functionality in Apple Music, which shows words of scrolling songs when listening, obtains a great improvement with the capacity of TVOS 26 to transform your iPhone – as well as the iPhones of your guests – in microphone. Your voice will be amplified through the television speakers when you sing, and you can also react to songs with emojis on the screen and add visual effects.
5. Facetime more personalized
New in TVOS 26 is a personalized facetime experience that shows the photo and the personalized name of a contact when you start a facetime call on Apple TV. Live legend options have been widened to include French, German, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin and Spanish, and Apple TV will be able to display live legends for Conversations Facetime.
Other features
Other features that Apple has announced today as coming to Apple TV include a new set of aerial screen savings with India scenes, including Goa and Kerala, as well as a personalized screen saving option which allows you to choose between a specific urban landscape, a land, a landscape or underwater antennas.
Apple TV users can also choose a specific AirPlay compatible speaker as a permanent speaker in their Apple TV box.
