Apple Seeds Second Beta of tvOS 16 to Developers

Apple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming tvOS 16 update to developers for testing purposes, with the beta coming two weeks after Apple introduced tvOS 16 at the Worldwide Developers Conference.

apple tv 4k design triad
Developers can download the new tvOS 16 beta by downloading a profile onto the Apple TV using Xcode.

tvOS 16 enables cross-device connectivity, a feature that allows developers to integrate ‌Apple TV‌ apps with iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch apps to unlock new experiences on the TV. Apple has also improved how multiple user profiles work in tvOS 16 by adding a shared keychain, so users won't need to sign in and choose their profile when launching an ‌Apple TV‌ app.

Game controller support has been expanded to the Nintendo Joy-Cons and Pro Controller, and HDR10+ support is available in the tvOS 16 ‌Apple TV‌ app. With tvOS 16, the ‌Apple TV‌ will support Matter, an upcoming standard that will improve interoperability between smart home accessories from different companies.

tvOS 16 is limited to developers right now, but Apple will provide a public beta of the software to public beta testers in July.

Related Roundup: Apple TV
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Don't Buy)

Popular Stories

wwdc sans text feature

Apple Rumored to Announce New Product on February 19

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:22 pm PST by
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld. The report, citing industry sources, is available in English on Macworld. Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil...
maxresdefault

Apple Shows Off a Key Reason to Upgrade to the iPhone 17

Saturday February 7, 2026 9:26 am PST by
Apple today shared an ad that shows how the upgraded Center Stage front camera on the latest iPhones improves the process of taking a group selfie. "Watch how the new front facing camera on iPhone 17 Pro takes group selfies that automatically expand and rotate as more people come into frame," says Apple. While the ad is focused on the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, the regular iPhone...
Apple Logo Zoomed

Tim Cook Teases Plans for Apple's Upcoming 50th Anniversary

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:54 pm PST by
Apple turns 50 this year, and its CEO Tim Cook has promised to celebrate the milestone. The big day falls on April 1, 2026. "I've been unusually reflective lately about Apple because we have been working on what do we do to mark this moment," Cook told employees today, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "When you really stop and pause and think about the last 50 years, it makes your heart ...
Finder Siri Feature

Why Apple's iOS 26.4 Siri Upgrade Will Be Bigger Than Originally Promised

Friday February 6, 2026 3:06 pm PST by
In the iOS 26.4 update that's coming this spring, Apple will introduce a new version of Siri that's going to overhaul how we interact with the personal assistant and what it's able to do. The iOS 26.4 version of Siri won't work like ChatGPT or Claude, but it will rely on large language models (LLMs) and has been updated from the ground up. Upgraded Architecture The next-generation...
iOS 26

iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Tuesday February 3, 2026 7:47 am PST by
While the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate is now available ahead of a public release, the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April. Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far. iOS 26.3 iPhone to Android Transfer Tool iOS 26.3 makes it easier...

Top Rated Comments

actripxl Avatar
48 months ago
I love my 4K Apple TV, much smoother than my TV running apps. I didn’t want to spend the money at first but there is no Directv Steam app on the google tv platform.

Bought the Apple TV on sale and it runs everything so smoothly, with no lag when switching between apps.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Realityck Avatar
48 months ago

If only Macrumors would post the build number with each beta. It would make life so much easier.

9to5mac have do so.

Build - 20J5319h
I posted them in the iOS/iPadOS beta 2 ('https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/apple-seeds-second-betas-of-ios-16-and-ipados-16-to-developers.2348938/post-31205642') and Mac OS beta 2 ('https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/apple-seeds-second-beta-of-macos-13-ventura-to-developers.2348939/post-31205614') threads.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
_Spinn_ Avatar
48 months ago

tvOS 16 enables cross-device connectivity, a feature that allows developers to integrate Apple TV apps with iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch apps to unlock new experiences on the TV.
Hopefully devs make use of this feature. Seems like it could be very neat.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
hagar Avatar
48 months ago

tvOS feels so hobby at this point.
Hopefully they release a new home cinema and/or smart home device this fall
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CarAnalogy Avatar
48 months ago
With all these huge discounts on the current Apple TV, maybe there's a refresh coming soon. I would buy new remotes just for Find My support.

Though come to think of it, neither AirPods Pro nor the base model of Apple Watch have sold for anywhere near full retail price since shortly after release. Maybe they just know those products are a little overpriced.

Apple could be finally making a serious push into TV and lower prices are a good start.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BWhaler Avatar
48 months ago
Please, for the love of all good things in Cupertino, did they finally fix the ‘won’t load’ library bug in the AppleTV app that apparently only exists on Apple’s own hardware.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)