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 Second watchOS 26.5, tvOS 26.5 and visionOS 26.5 Betas

Monday April 13, 2026 10:06 am PDT by
Apple today provided developers with the second betas of upcoming watchOS 26.5, tvOS 26.5, and visionOS 26.5 betas for testing purposes. The software comes two weeks after Apple released the first betas for each platform. 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 ...
General visionOS watchOS and tvOS Betas Feature Redux

Apple Releases Third watchOS 26.5, tvOS 26.5 and visionOS 26.5 Betas

Monday April 20, 2026 10:03 am PDT by
Apple today provided developers with the third betas of upcoming watchOS 26.5, tvOS 26.5, and visionOS 26.5 betas for testing purposes. The software comes a week after Apple released the second betas for each platform. 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 ...
apple tv peacock bundle

Apple TV and Peacock $20 Monthly Bundle Available on Amazon Prime Video, Offering a 30% Discount

Wednesday April 15, 2026 2:14 am PDT by
Apple and Amazon are partnering up for a $19.99/month streaming TV bundle that includes access to Apple TV and Peacock Premium Plus. Available to customers in the U.S. for a limited time, the streaming bundle offers access to both services at a 30% discount, similar to the bundle that launched in October 2025. ‌Apple TV‌ is normally $12.99 per month, while Peacock starts at $16.99 for ...

Top Rated Comments

Zorn Avatar
115 months ago
Hopefully DirecTV Now doesn't insta crash on launch anymore.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iReality85 Avatar
115 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
115 months ago
is DTVN a service provider yet?
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Zorn Avatar
115 months ago
Is it fixed?
Sigh. Nope.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
graywolf323 Avatar
115 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
115 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)