- Apple has announced tvOS 26 for Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD (2015)
- New features include a ‘Liquid Glass’ interface design
- Other new features enhance Apple TV 4K’s profiles, FaceTime interface and Sing Karaoke feature
Today, Apple dropped news of the new tvOS26 at WWDC 2025. We covered that announcement in our WWDC 2025 liveblog, but a more complete breakdown of the new features coming in tvOS26 that Apple TV 4K users should expect soon can be found below.
The leap from the current tvOS 18 to tvOS 26 adheres with Apple’s new naming convention, which seeks to align all operating systems under the same version umbrella: iOS 26, iPadOS 26, MacOS 26, etc.
Along with getting the same version number, all Mac devices, including the Apple TV 4K, will now share a unified “Liquid Glass” interface. This takes its visual cues from the “floating” interface used by visionOS on the Apple Vision Pro headset, where icons appear suspended in 3D space over 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 going back to 2017, along with the Apple TV HD (2015). Here’s the complete 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
Apple’s new Liquid Glass design will show up in tvOS 26 as transparent playback control icons that let you see the action onscreen rather than obscuring it. The same level of transparency will extend to Control Center, which will have a transparent quality when making adjustments to audio, sleep timer, or other options.
2. Poster art
The Apple TV app is also getting the Liquid Glass treatment, with a new Poster Art design with an expanded number of show recommendations that pop out on the screen as you navigate through them.
3. Display profiles
In tvOS 26, viewers can choose to see display profiles when their Apple TV wakes, letting them easily access a custom list of personalized viewing recommendations, along with their custom watchlists in both the Apple TV app and in Apple Music. Apple is also adding a new API for developers to link logins for apps to your Apple account, making it easy to sign in using an iPhone.
4. iPhone becomes a microphone
The Sing feature in Apple Music, which shows scrolling song lyrics when listening, is getting a big enhancement with tvOS 26’s ability to transform your iPhone – and also the iPhones of your guests – into a microphone. Your voice will be amplified through the TV’s speakers when singing along, and you can also react to songs with onscreen emojis and add visual effects.
5. More personalized FaceTime
New in tvOS 26 is a personalized FaceTime experience that shows a contact’s custom photo and name when you start a FaceTime call on Apple TV. Live caption options have been expanded to include French, German, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, and Spanish, and Apple TV will be able to display Live Captions for FaceTime conversations.
Other features
Other features Apple announced today as coming to Apple TV include a new set of aerial screen savers with scenes from India, including Goa and Kerala, along with a personalized screen saver option that lets you choose between specific Cityscape, Earth, Landscape, or Underwater Aerials.
Apple TV users will also be able to choose a specific AirPlay-enabled speaker as the permanent speaker for their Apple TV box.
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al.griffin@futurenet.com (Al Griffin)
