- tvOS 26 said to come to the 2015 Apple TV HD and later models
- "Dramatic" visual changes may not be so dramatic on Apple TV
- More gaming features are coming, and most likely AI too
Update: Apple has now announced tvOS 26 as part of WWDC 2025, and has revealed that the software update will bring a new 'Liquid Glass' look, personalized viewing recommendations and the ability to choose a user profile as soon as you wake your Apple TV, the addition of Apple Music Sing, smarter FaceTime calling, setting any AirPlay speaker as a default audio output, and new aerial screensavers.
As predicted below, the software will work on all Apple TV model going back to 2015, though not all features will stretch that far back. The new look will only be available on Apple TV 4K 2nd Generation and later, while Apple Music Sing will only be available on Apple TV 4K 3rd Generation and later.
As far as we know, the other features will work on all devices, but the software is only just available to developers now, so more may be revealed once it gets out in the wild.
The rest of this story remains as originally written below.
Apple's WWDC 2025 event begins today, and you can read about all of the last-minute rumors in our WWDC liveblog. One certainty is that Apple execs will use so many superlatives that you'll develop a twitch whenever you hear the word "incredible". But it's going to be an interesting event because Apple is expected to show off significant upgrades to all of its operating systems.
iOS 26 is going to be the star, because of course the iPhone is Apple's most important product. But we'll also be getting upgrades to the other OSes, including tvOS, and there's good news on that front: a new report says Apple expects to bring tvOS 26 to Apple TV models going back a decade.
What Apple TV models will get tvOS 26?
The news of supported devices comes via MacRumors and a super-secret X account with "a proven track record for upcoming software updates". MacRumors says it has "high confidence" that the source is correct, and if that's the case, then tvOS is coming to all of these Apple TV models:
- Apple TV HD (2015)
- Apple TV 4K (1st generation, 2017)
- Apple TV 4K (2nd generation, 2021)
- Apple TV 4K (3rd generation, 2022)
If you're wondering where tvOS 20 to 25 went, they don't and won't exist: Apple is changing its numbering system so all of its operating system versions are in sync, so that means iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS 26, watchOS 26, visionOS 26 and tvOS 26 are all coming this year (and no, you haven't missed a year, it's still 2025).
We're expecting to see a visual refresh across all of those systems, with what's been described as a "liquid glass" interface; the difference may be less dramatic on tvOS than on iPhone, as Apple has been quietly tweaking the tvOS interface in recent months.
We don't yet know what else could be coming to tvOS 26, but more AI-powered features are likely, and Apple has already announced a new cross-platform Games app. We'll hopefully find out more later today, June 9.
