Apple Releases First Public Beta of tvOS 16 - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Apple Releases First Public Beta of tvOS 16

Apple today seeded the first beta of tvOS 16 to its public beta testing group, allowing members of the public to download and test the new update on Apple TV HD and ‌Apple TV‌ 4K models.

apple tv 4k design triad
Public beta testers can download the tvOS 16 beta update by opening up the Settings app on the ‌Apple TV‌, navigating to the Software Updates section under "System," and then toggling on "Get public Beta Updates" after signing up to beta test on Apple's public beta website.

tvOS 16 adds cross-device connectivity, which will let developers integrate ‌Apple TV‌ apps with iPhone and iPad apps to unlock new experiences on the ‌Apple TV‌. Multiple user profiles have also been improved through a shared keychain feature that cuts down on logins.

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

tvOS 16 is set to come out this fall, and it will go through several rounds of beta testing before launch.

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

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.4 Adds Two New Features to CarPlay

Tuesday March 24, 2026 1:55 pm PDT by
iOS 26.4 was released today, and it includes a couple of new features for CarPlay: an Ambient Music widget and support for voice-based chatbot apps. To update your iPhone 11 or newer to iOS 26.4, open the Settings app and tap on General → Software Update. CarPlay will automatically offer the new features so long as the iPhone connected to your vehicle is running iOS 26.4 or later....
Apple Business hero

Apple Unveils 'Apple Business' All-in-One Platform

Tuesday March 24, 2026 8:53 am PDT by
Apple today announced Apple Business, a new all-in-one platform that unifies device management, productivity tools, and customer outreach features. The service is designed to be a consolidated replacement for several of Apple's existing business-focused offerings, including Apple Business Essentials, Apple Business Manager, and Apple Business Connect. It provides organizations with a single...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 3, AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4

Tuesday March 24, 2026 12:31 pm PDT by
Apple today released new firmware for the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, and the AirPods 4. The firmware has a version number of 8B39, up from 8B34 on the AirPods Pro 3, 8B28 on the AirPods Pro 2, and 8B21 on the AirPods 4. There is no word on what's included in the firmware, but Apple has a support document with limited notes. Most updates are limited to bug fixes and performance...

Top Rated Comments

Realityck Avatar
48 months ago

Just installed, I don’t see any difference
Perhaps we will get away somewhat of this requirement to log in again to streaming apps every 30 days authenticated to TV provider. (I wish)

recent beta 3 changes
[HEADING=2]Networking[/HEADING]
[HEADING=3]New Features in tvOS 16 beta 3[/HEADING]

* Added NSURLSession support for client-certificate based authentication. (24523955)
* Added URLSession support for Private Access Tokens. (82937526)
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
QuarterSwede Avatar
48 months ago

I’m thinking this apple tv updates will be less and less attractive every new year that passes by
I’m ok with that. I love how it works. It gets out of my way without introducing ads into the UI and is quick.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
48 months ago
I think I'm gonna grab this just to use my Switch Pro Controller.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
48 months ago

tvOS 16 adds cross-device connectivity, which will let developers integrate Apple TV apps with iPhone and iPad apps to unlock new experiences on the Apple TV
This sounds interesting. Hopefully developers take advantage of it.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)