Apple Invites Developers to Begin Submitting tvOS Apps for Review

Following today's slew of software updates, including a golden master of tvOS for developers and a release of Xcode 7.1, Apple is now inviting developers to begin submitting their tvOS apps for App Store review. Apple will begin taking orders for the new Apple TV next Monday with shipping beginning later in the week, allowing a week or so of lead time for Apple to begin reviewing and approving apps for the new platform before customers begin receiving their set-top boxes.

preparing_tvos_apps
Alongside today's invitation to developers, Apple has also published a new overview giving developers an idea of what steps they need to take to ensure their tvOS apps are ready for submission. The company points developers to Xcode 7.1 and the latest version of the tvOS SDK, and reminds them that apps may be a maximum of 200 MB in the main app bundle with up to 20 GB of content to be downloaded on-demand as users need it.

Apple also includes reference to the company's Human Interface Guidelines for Apple TV to help developers ensure their designs are optimized for the big screen and that their apps will work with the new Apple TV Remote.

Finally, Apple gives an overview of the requirements for App Store product pages on Apple TV, including tips on app naming, icons, descriptions, keywords, screenshots, and universal purchases to support both iOS and tvOS. Apple notes it will review tvOS apps according to the company's App Review Guidelines, and app submissions set for automatic release could go live at any time and immediately become available to developers and testers who already have the new Apple TV.

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

Popular Stories

iOS 26

15 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.2

Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below. Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
iPhone 14 Pro Dynamic Island

iPhone 18 Pro Leak Adds New Evidence for Under-Display Face ID

Monday December 8, 2025 4:54 am PST by
Apple is actively testing under-screen Face ID for next year's iPhone 18 Pro models using a special "spliced micro-transparent glass" window built into the display, claims a Chinese leaker. According to "Smart Pikachu," a Weibo account that has previously shared accurate supply-chain details on Chinese Android hardware, Apple is testing the special glass as a way to let the TrueDepth...
iOS 26

Apple Seeds Second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to Developers and Public Beta Testers

Monday December 8, 2025 10:18 am PST by
Apple today seeded the second release candidate version of iOS 26.2 to developers and public beta testers, with the software coming one week after Apple seeded the first RC. The release candidate represents the final version iOS 26.2 that will be provided to the public if no further bugs are found. Registered developers and public beta testers can download the betas from the Settings app on...
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Monday December 1, 2025 2:40 am PST by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature 1

Apple to Make More Foldable iPhones Than Expected

Tuesday December 9, 2025 9:59 am PST by
Apple has ordered 22 million OLED panels from Samsung Display for the first foldable iPhone, signaling a significantly larger production target than the display industry had previously anticipated, ET News reports. In the now-seemingly deleted report, ET News claimed that Samsung plans to mass-produce 11 million inward-folding OLED displays for Apple next year, as well as 11 million...
Johny Srouji

Apple's Chipmaking Chief Johny Srouji Responds to Report About Him Potentially Leaving

Monday December 8, 2025 9:23 am PST by
Apple's chipmaking chief Johny Srouji has reportedly indicated that he plans to continue working for the company for the foreseeable future. "I love my team, and I love my job at Apple, and I don't plan on leaving anytime soon," said Srouji, in a memo obtained by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Here is Srouji's full memo, as shared by Bloomberg:I know you've been reading all kind of rumors and...
Johny Srouji

Apple Chip Chief Johny Srouji Could Be Next to Go as Exodus Continues

Sunday December 7, 2025 10:41 am PST by
Apple's senior vice president of hardware technologies Johny Srouji could be the next leading executive to leave the company amid an alarming exodus of leading employees, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports. Srouji apparently recently told CEO Tim Cook that he is "seriously considering leaving" in the near future. He intends to join another company if he departs. Srouji leads Apple's chip design ...
Intel Inside iPhone Feature

Apple's Return to Intel Rumored to Extend to iPhone

Friday December 5, 2025 10:08 am PST by
Intel is expected to begin supplying some Mac and iPad chips in a few years, and the latest rumor claims the partnership might extend to the iPhone. In a research note with investment firm GF Securities this week, obtained by MacRumors, analyst Jeff Pu said he and his colleagues "now expect" Intel to reach a supply deal with Apple for at least some non-pro iPhone chips starting in 2028....
google pixel 10

Switching Between iPhone and Android Will Get Easier With New Apple and Google Collaboration

Monday December 8, 2025 11:10 am PST by
Apple and Google are teaming up to make it easier for users to switch between iPhone and Android smartphones, according to 9to5Google. There is a new Android Canary build available today that simplifies data transfer between two smartphones, and Apple is going to implement the functionality in an upcoming iOS 26 beta. Apple already has a Move to iOS app for transferring data from an Android...
Apple Fitness Plus expansion hero

Apple Fitness+ Coming to 28 New Regions With Digital Voice Dubbing

Monday December 8, 2025 6:19 am PST by
Apple today announced that Fitness+ is expanding to 28 new markets on December 15 in the service's largest international rollout since launch, accompanied by new language dubbing and a K-Pop music genre. Apple Fitness+ will become available in Chile, Hong Kong, India, the Netherlands, Singapore, Taiwan, and additional regions on December 15, with Japan scheduled to follow early next year....

Top Rated Comments

wlossw Avatar
132 months ago
Crosses fingers that plex app is approved for launch...
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
asgr8 Avatar
132 months ago
Plex just mentioned on Twitter that they will be launching the app on AppStore on Apple TV launch. https://twitter.com/plexapp/status/656960207994556416
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Junipr Avatar
132 months ago
Finally! Can't wait to see what devs do on this platform.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sesnir Avatar
132 months ago
I submitted my tvOS game and it's already in review. I'd expect most of the early games to be ports from iOS.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mtneer Avatar
132 months ago
It will be interesting to see if Amazon is filing for its app. They removed Apple TV and Chromecast from their store for not supporting Amazon platforms, however the question remained whether Amazon even bothered filing a request to be on Apple's platform.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
noidpr Avatar
132 months ago
Plex is all i need!!!
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)