- Apple has 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, facetime interface and Sing Karaoke function
Today, Apple released news of the new TVOS26 on WWDC 2025. We cover that announcement in our Liveblog 2025 wwdc blog, but a more complete breakdown of the new features that occur in TVOS26 that Apple TV 4K users should expect them to be found soon.
The jump of the current TVOS 18 to TVOS 26 adheres with the new Apple name convention, which seeks to align all operating systems under the same umbrella version: 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 interface of “liquid glass”. This takes its visual signals from the “floating” interface used by visits in the Apple Vision Pro headphones, where the icons appear suspended in the 3D space on the movement funds.
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 that date back to 2017, along with the Apple TV HD (2015). Here is the complete list of compatible players:
- Apple TV HD (2015)
- Apple TV 4K (First 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 appear in TVOS 26 as transparent reproduction control icons that allow you to see the action on the screen instead of darkening it. The same level of transparency will be extended to the control center, which will have a transparent quality when making adjustments to the audio, the sleep timer or other options.
2. Poster art
The Apple TV application is also receiving the treatment of liquid glass, with a new poster art design with an expanded number of show recommendations that appear on the screen as it navigates through them.
3. Exhibit profiles
In TVOS 26, spectators can choose to see visualization profiles when their Apple TV wakes up, allowing them to easily access a personalized list of custom visualization recommendations, along with their personalized observation lists both in the Apple TV application and Apple’s music. Apple is also adding a new API for developers to link the session for applications in their Apple account, which facilitates logging with an iPhone.
4. iPhone becomes a microphone
The SING Music function, which shows the displacement of the lyrics of the songs when listening, is to obtain a great improvement with the capacity of TVOS 26 to transform its iPhone, and also the iPhones of its guests, into a microphone. Your voice will be amplified through the television speakers when I sing, and can also react to songs with emojis on screen and add visual effects.
5. More personalized facetime
New in TVOS 26 is a personalized facetime experience that shows the personalized photo and name of a contact when a facetime call on Apple TV begins. Live subtitles options have been extended to include French, German, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin and Spanish, and Apple TV can show live subtitles for Facetime conversations.
Other features
Other features that Apple announced today how to get to Apple TV includes a new set of aerial screen savers with Indian scenes, including Goa and Kerala, along with a personalized screen savings option that allows you to choose between urban landscape, land, landscape or specific underwater antennas.
Apple TV users can also choose a specific speaker enabled for the plane as a permanent speaker for their Apple TV box.
