Apple Provides Third Beta of tvOS 11 to Developers - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Apple Provides Third Beta of tvOS 11 to Developers

Apple today seeded the third beta of an upcoming tvOS 11 update designed for the fourth-generation TV, nearly three weeks after seeding the second beta and more than a month after releasing the first beta during the 2017 Worldwide Developers Conference.

Registered developers can download tvOS 11 by connecting the Apple TV to a computer with a USB-C cable and installing the beta software using iTunes.

tvos 11 beta
tvOS 11 received little attention at the Worldwide Developers Conference, but according to Apple's release notes, it introduces a few new features to the operating system, and the third beta likely focuses on bug fixes, as the second beta did.

tvOS 11 introduces automatic switching between light/dark mode based on local time, Home screen syncing options that keep multiple Apple TVs in a household in sync, new background modes and notification support, Focus API improvements, custom sound support, network-based pairing and development support, improvements to Mobile Device Management, and more.

The new tvOS 11 update is available for registered developers and for the first time, public beta testers. A new tvOS 11 beta for public beta testers is likely to come out later this week.

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

Popular Stories

General visionOS watchOS and tvOS Betas Feature Redux

Apple Releases Third watchOS 26.6, tvOS 26.6 and visionOS 26.6 Betas

Monday June 29, 2026 10:08 am PDT by
Apple today provided developers with the third betas of upcoming watchOS 26.6, tvOS 26.6, and visionOS 26.6 betas for testing purposes. The software comes two weeks after Apple seeded the second betas. The software updates are available through the Settings app on each device, and because these are developer betas, a free developer account is required. There's no word on what's in the...
tvOS 27 Feature

Apple Seeds tvOS 27 Beta 3 to Developers

Monday July 6, 2026 10:22 am PDT by
Apple today seeded the third beta of tvOS 27 to developers for testing purposes, with the update coming two weeks after Apple released the second beta. The beta can be downloaded and installed through the Settings app on the Apple TV. A free developer account is required. tvOS 27 has few new features compared to the other 27 software updates, but it does add a redesigned Podcasts app,...
General visionOS watchOS and tvOS Betas Feature Redux

Apple Releases Fourth watchOS 26.6, tvOS 26.6 and visionOS 26.6 Betas

Monday July 6, 2026 10:16 am PDT by
Apple today provided developers with the fourth betas of upcoming watchOS 26.6, tvOS 26.6, and visionOS 26.6 betas for testing purposes. The software comes a week after Apple seeded the third betas. The software updates are available through the Settings app on each device, and because these are developer betas, a free developer account is required. There's no word on what's in the...

Top Rated Comments

Zorn Avatar
118 months ago
Hopefully DirecTV Now doesn't insta crash on launch anymore.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iReality85 Avatar
118 months ago
Any info on Apple TV 5 within tvOS 11's code? I'm really hoping for a 4K Apple TV this year... :)

Edit: 4K comment
I'd like to know this as well. I'm currently upgrading all my home AV equipment (receiver, 5.1 system, etc) and plan on getting the LG 55" B7 OLED next winter.

Apple really needs to offer HDMI 2.0 on the ATV, along with 4K and HDR support. It's time.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dugbug Avatar
118 months ago
is DTVN a service provider yet?
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Zorn Avatar
118 months ago
Is it fixed?
Sigh. Nope.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
graywolf323 Avatar
118 months ago
So weirdly enough, I had to go to “settings>system>software update” and turn off beta software downloads. Once I did that, the update then appeared.

Can anyone help me to understand why that had to be off?
my best guess would be that option makes it check for public betas instead of going off the installed profile which allows for the dev beta?
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
psionicsin Avatar
118 months ago
So weirdly enough, I had to go to “settings>system>software update” and turn off beta software downloads. Once I did that, the update then appeared.

Can anyone help me to understand why that had to be off?
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)