Apple didn’t talk about tvOS 11 at WWDC 2017 as even Apple TV got hardly any stage time. However, the newest software brings Home screen sync, automatic dark and light mode, full AirPods support, AirPlay 2 and more to Apple’s set-top box.
Support for Amazon’s Prime Video is also coming to Apple TV. tvOS 11 is expected to become available to all this fall alongside new 4K/HDR Apple TV hardware.
This year tvOS joined macOS and iOS in offering a free public beta version of upcoming software updates, and Apple released the first tvOS 11 public beta for testing early last week. There aren’t a ton of flashy new features in tvOS 11, but there are a few nice improvements that you can start using now. Here’s how to start using the tvOS 11 public beta on your Apple TV and what you can expect:
Apple has said that its public beta program for upcoming software releases including iOS 11 will start in June. That means we can expect the first public betas sometime between now and Friday. Apple’s public beta program this year will allow users to test iOS 11, macOS High Sierra, and tvOS 11 for free, but there are still some things to consider before jumping in…
Apple has released the second tvOS 11 beta for registered developers to test on Apple TV. The first tvOS 11 beta included new features like Home Screen Syncing, light and dark mode automatic switching, and full AirPods support. We’ll update below if any new changes are discovered in tvOS 11 beta 2.
While tvOS 11 didn’t see stage time at the WWDC keynote on Monday, there are two new features that you can try now in the tvOS 11 developer beta: Home Screen Sync and automatic appearance switching. Home Screen Sync is especially welcome for homes with multiple Apple TVs, and appearance switching handles dark and light mode based on time of day. Here’s how it works:
Apple has expanded its Apple Beta Software Program to include the fourth-gen Apple TV for the first time. Apple’s public beta program has previously been limited to iOS and macOS while tvOS betas were only available to developers with paid accounts.
Apple has made the first betas of iOS 11, watchOS 4, tvOS 11, and macOS 10.13 available. The updates are available to registered to developers now via Apple’s online developer portal. Additionally, the Xcode 9 beta is now available as well.
A new rumor over the weekend claimed Apple TV is gaining a new multi-user feature with tvOS 11 later this year. Account switching makes a lot of sense for a shared device like the Apple TV, but users have wanted this feature on iOS for a while too. Would Apple ship account switching with tvOS and exclude the feature from iOS?
Apple will almost certainly unveil tvOS 11 (along with iOS 11, macOS 10.13 and watchOS 4) at WWDC in June, but not much has been said about what new stuff these software updates will bring.
According to a unverified report from The Verifier published today, the Apple TV is set for a significant update with the addition of Picture-in-Picture and multi-user modes …
Apple TV has steadily been updated with new features since tvOS and the current hardware were introduced in late 2015, and we’re expecting to see even more this summer with tvOS 11 at WWDC.
Updates to tvOS 9 focused a lot on feature parity with the previous Apple TV and recent iOS updates, and tvOS 10 updates introduced the new TV app and single sign-on feature. Here’s what we’re hoping to see this year from tvOS 11 at Apple’s developer conference in June.