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tvOS 26 beta 1 now available for Apple TV 4K

Apple has just released tvOS 26 developer beta 1, providing first access to the new Apple TV features introduced at WWDC earlier today.

New tvOS 26 software update launches in developer beta

Earlier today, Apple unveiled its major new software updates coming to all its platforms.

Among them was tvOS 26, the latest update for Apple TV hardware.

Now, users can try out at least some of the new features via the just-released developer beta 1.

As with all of Apple’s big software announcements today, it’s likely that some features won’t be included in this first beta. Subsequent beta releases after WWDC tend to pack plenty of changes and additional features.

Apple may also reserve some of tvOS 26’s new features for future software updates, like the expected tvOS 26.1 and 26.2.

For now though, this first preview version of tvOS 26 is available for download through the Software Update screen on your Apple TV device.

All beta software brings a likelihood of performance issues due to bugs, and that tends to be especially true with the first beta for a major new update.

So if you’re installing the tvOS 26 beta, your Apple TV 4K may exhibit a variety of issues due to the early state of the software.

For all the latest from WWDC, check out our dedicated WWDC 2025 news hub.

Have you installed the tvOS 26 beta? How is it running for you? Let us know in the comments.

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Avatar for Ryan Christoffel Ryan Christoffel

Ryan got his start in journalism as an Editor at MacStories, where he worked for four years covering Apple news, writing app reviews, and more. For two years he co-hosted the Adapt podcast on Relay FM, which focused entirely on the iPad. As a result, it should come as no surprise that his favorite Apple device is the iPad Pro.