Apple’s tvOS 26 replace is right here, bringing a daring Liquid Glass redesign, karaoke enjoyable, and main audio upgrades to Apple TV.
Normally, Apple TV updates are considerably modest in comparison with different Apple merchandise. Nevertheless, 2025 has introduced extra to tvOS than a easy identify change — this is what you will get if you replace.
Person Interface and person expertise updates
Essentially the most noticeable change for tvOS is its Liquid Glass facelift. Liquid Glass is Apple’s new design ethos, a sleeker, extra dynamic UI that helps unify the texture of Apple’s working methods throughout gadgets.
As a part of the Liquid Glass replace, tvOS now has buttons and icons that match these of iOS. It additionally has a brand new glass-like media participant, boasting translucent accents and reflective dynamic results.
High bar on Apple TV distorts the background photographs like glass
The visuals aren’t the one factor that is gotten an overhaul, both. The Management Middle is now cleaner and simpler to navigate, that includes new tabs for profiles, Residence, controls, and VPN.
Profiles themselves are getting a little bit of an overhaul. Now, customers can decide right into a function that prompts them to pick a profile upon waking Apple TV.
Whereas this function has existed for some time, Apple is probably going bolstering it in hopes of extra sturdy help for third-party apps.
Apple additionally indicators you into streaming apps if you arrange your Apple TV. In case you’ve beforehand paired your streaming providers along with your Apple Account, you will not have to undergo the effort of coming into your password or following prompts when including it to Apple TV.
Music app updates
The Music app is getting important adjustments this go round. Liquid Glass enhances the general really feel of the app and makes it considerably simpler to discover playlists and albums.
There’s additionally a devoted karaoke mode that means that you can use your iPhone as a microphone. Spectators can use their iPhones to cheer on singers with emoji reactions, too.
Utilizing the iPhone as a microphone for karaoke
A model new automated lyric translation mode each interprets lyrics and provides up phonetic guides for individuals who want to sing of their non-native tongue.
Audio updates
Customers can designate an AirPlay-enabled speaker because the everlasting speaker for Apple TV. No extra needing to re-pair within the occasion that one other beforehand paired speaker is switched on.
There’s additionally added help for passthrough audio. It sends unprocessed audio to your receiver, supplying you with the highest-quality audio sound by way of your own home theater speaker system.
And new Dolby Atmos 9.6.1 help takes it a step additional. Two new channels, overhead and entrance, make encompass sound much more immersive for motion pictures and exhibits.
FaceTime
New to tvOS 26 are a variety of FaceTime options and refinements. Many of those have been carried out to carry it extra in keeping with the iOS expertise.
Contact Posters have made their strategy to Apple TV. Now, when making a FaceTime name on Apple TV, you will see your contacts’ personalized photographs and names.
Dwell Captions, the on-device function that mechanically interprets and shows written captions in FaceTime calls, is increasing, too. This replace contains French, German, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, and Spanish.
FaceTime audio and cellphone name notifications at the moment are displayed onscreen for the lively profile. This enables a person to reply on linked HomePod audio system or their iPhone.
The little issues
There are additionally a number of small enhancements which have been launched with tvOS 26. Whereas these aren’t main recreation changers, it is nonetheless good to see that Apple is refining how folks work together with its set-top field.
The TV app itself has been cleaned up. Now, vertical art work and reorganized watchlist information offer you extra info when searching for stuff you’d like to observe.
Customers now have extra management over display savers in tvOS 26. Now you can select precisely which aerial movies to indicate or conceal.
Customers can toggle completely different aerial screensavers on or off
Beforehand, you would solely disable complete classes. Now, you’ll be able to eliminate these one or two pictures you had been by no means a fan of within the first place.
And final however not least, as a Residence Hub, tvOS 26 now helps Thread 1.4. This newer model of Thread makes it simpler for gadgets to create a single mesh community in your house, in addition to different enhancements.