tvOS 26 is Out! - What's New?

tvOS 26 introduces a refreshed design with 'liquid glass' effects, new screen savers, enhanced audio output options, and significant updates to Apple Music Sing and FaceTime, all aiming for consistency across Apple's ecosystem.

• tvOS 26 adopts a consistent 'liquid glass' design and updated app icons, aligning with iOS 26.

• Apple Music Sing now integrates iPhone as a microphone, offering live lyric translation and enhanced karaoke features.

• Users can permanently set AirPlay speakers as default audio output and enjoy new aerial screen savers, including views of India.

tvOS 26 features an 'all new design' with 'liquid glass' effects and updated app icons, aligning its aesthetic with iOS 26. Key enhancements include the ability to permanently designate AirPlay speakers for audio output, new personalized screen savers, and a redesigned TV app interface. Notable functional improvements are seen in Apple Music Sing, which now supports iPhone as a microphone and live lyric translation, and FaceTime, which received larger tiles, new controls, and expanded language support for live captions.

Design and Interface Updates

• 00:00:25 tvOS 26 introduces an 'all new design' with 'liquid glass' effects applied to the top menu, system dialogs, and app icons, mirroring the consistent look of iOS 26. The home screen now features blurred backgrounds for icons, and the TV app has larger movie posters with the 'liquid glass' aesthetic, making content discovery easier.

User Profiles and Settings

• 00:01:35 A new option allows users to set a default profile or prompt for profile selection upon waking the Apple TV, enhancing personalization for multiple users. This setting is accessible under 'Profiles and Accounts,' allowing adjustments for how profiles are handled on wake, along with managing default and suggested profiles.

New Screen Savers and Personalization

• 00:02:28 tvOS 26 includes several new screen savers, categorized into cityscape, earth, landscape, and underwater aerials, with additional views of India (Goa and Kerala). Users can personalize their screen saver experience by selecting specific categories or allowing the system to cycle through various scenic options.

Enhanced Audio and Apple Music Sing

• 00:03:56 The update allows users to permanently designate AirPlay speakers, such as HomePods or AirPods, as the default audio output for the Apple TV, ensuring consistent sound routing. Apple Music Sing is significantly updated, enabling iPhones to be used as microphones, offering mic reverb and song vocal controls, and providing live lyric translation similar to iOS 26.

FaceTime and Third-Party App Integration

• 00:06:10 FaceTime has been redesigned with larger tiles and 'liquid glass' controls for features like Center Stage and background blur, maintaining consistency with other Apple operating systems. Additionally, live captions now support French, German, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, and Spanish, and third-party apps can now link logins to Apple accounts for easier sign-in, provided the apps are updated to support this feature.