A standout of tvOS 26 is the Liquid Glass design, a visually striking interface overhaul that introduces translucent, shimmery elements inspired by visionOS. This aesthetic, applied to app icons, menus, and playback controls, creates an immersive experience that reflects ambient surroundings through real-time rendering. However, this feature is exclusive to newer Apple TV 4K models (2nd and 3rd generations, from 2021 and 2022), leaving older Apple TV HD and 1st-generation 4K users with the standard interface.
The Apple TV app also sees a redesign, with cinematic poster art displayed in vertical cards, making content discovery more intuitive. These changes prioritize visual appeal and ease of navigation, ensuring users stay engaged without missing key moments in their viewing experience.
Apple Music Sing Turns iPhones into Microphones
One of tvOS 26’s most engaging additions is the enhanced Apple Music Sing feature, exclusive to the 3rd-generation Apple TV 4K (2022). Users can transform their iPhone into a handheld microphone, amplifying vocals through the TV for a karaoke-like experience. Real-time lyrics and visual effects sync with the music, while SharePlay allows friends to queue songs and add onscreen emoji reactions. Lyrics Translation and Pronunciation further expand accessibility, supporting languages like French, German, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, and Spanish, enabling users to sing along to songs in unfamiliar languages.
This feature leverages Apple’s ecosystem, requiring the latest hardware for optimal performance. It’s a playful yet innovative addition, turning living rooms into interactive entertainment hubs.
FaceTime Gets a Personal Touch
FaceTime on tvOS 26 introduces Contact Posters, a feature that displays customized photos and names when initiating calls, aligning the experience with iOS. Live Captions now support additional languages, including French, German, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, and Spanish, using on-device intelligence to enhance accessibility for conversations. Users can also answer FaceTime Audio calls or phone calls via connected HomePod speakers, streamlining communication.
Hints within the beta suggest Apple is preparing for a new Apple TV 4K with a built-in camera, potentially launching this fall. This would eliminate the need for Continuity Camera, which currently requires an iPhone and a separate mount, making FaceTime more seamless and accessible.
Smart Home and Aerial Screen Savers
tvOS 26 strengthens Apple TV’s role as a smart home hub with support for Thread 1.4, an upgrade from version 1.3, promising improved performance and credential sharing for Matter-compatible devices. This enhancement, available on Apple TV 4K (2nd and 3rd generations, 128 GB), ensures smoother integration with smart home ecosystems, reducing Wi-Fi congestion and extending battery life for connected devices.
New Aerial screen savers, captured across India’s landscapes like Goa and Kerala, add visual flair. Users can now customize which Aerials appear, selecting specific Cityscape, Earth, Landscape, or Underwater themes, offering a tailored viewing experience when the device is idle.
Hardware Hints and Compatibility Notes
The beta’s features foreshadow a new Apple TV 4K, expected later in 2025, with a built-in camera and possibly gesture-based controls. While tvOS 26 supports all Apple TV HD and 4K models, key features like Liquid Glass and Apple Music Sing’s iPhone microphone functionality are limited to newer hardware. Users with older devices, like the 2015 Apple TV HD or 2017 1st-generation 4K, may miss out on the update’s full potential, prompting consideration of an upgrade.
Apple’s focus on newer models reflects its strategy to push advanced features while maintaining broad compatibility. The company’s support for decade-old hardware, like the Apple TV HD, remains notable, though limitations highlight the benefits of recent devices.
What’s Next for tvOS 26
As beta testing progresses, Apple is likely to introduce additional tweaks and features, with further refinements expected in subsequent betas. The public beta, slated for July, will allow a wider audience to test the update, though users should expect potential bugs. The full release, anticipated in September, will coincide with Apple’s fall product launches, potentially unveiling the new Apple TV 4K hardware.
For now, tvOS 26 beta 3 offers a compelling glimpse into a more immersive and connected Apple TV experience, blending entertainment, communication, and smart home functionality in a sleek package.
