Apple Seeds Second Public Beta of tvOS 11 to Public Beta Testers

by

Apple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming tvOS 11 update to its public beta testing group, two weeks after providing testers with the first beta. The tvOS 11 public beta marks the first time public beta testers have had access to pre-release tvOS software.

Prior to tvOS 11, public betas were limited to iOS and macOS software likely due to the slightly more complicated tvOS beta installation process, but now public beta testers can access all software platforms with the exception of watchOS.

The second public beta of tvOS 11, build number 15J5324f, corresponds to the third tvOS 11 update made available to developers.

tvos 11 beta
The tvOS 11 public beta can be obtained by going to the Settings app on the Apple TV and navigating to the Software Updates section. "Get Public Beta Updates" will need to be toggled on, and once it is, the Apple TV will download the beta software.

Compared to iOS 11, macOS High Sierra, and watchOS 4, tvOS 11 is a minor update that brings few changes to the tvOS operating system. It's minor enough that it received no time on stage at the Worldwide Developers Conference aside from a mention of an Amazon Prime Video app coming to the Apple TV this fall.

According to Apple's release notes, tvOS 11 introduces automatic light/dark appearance switching based on local time, Home screen syncing options for syncing content between two or more Apple TVs in a household, new background modes and notification support, plus new tools for developers and improvements to Mobile Device Management.

Additional tvOS 11 features may be unveiled ahead of the operating system's public release, which is expected in the fall alongside other software updates.

Related Roundup: Apple TV
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Don't Buy)
Related Forum: Apple TV and Home Theater

Popular Stories

Apple Glasses Purple Feature

Apple Smart Glasses Launching in 2026

Thursday May 22, 2025 12:22 pm PDT by
Apple is planning to launch a set of smart glasses by the end of 2026, reports Bloomberg. The glasses will be comparable to the Meta Ray-Bans and the Android XR glasses that Google showed off earlier this week. Apple's smart glasses are expected to include cameras, microphones, and AI capabilities, much like the Meta Ray-Bans. The glasses will be able to take photos, record video, provide...
Read Full Article • 146 comments
Apple Glass

Apple Smart Glasses: Everything We Know So Far

Wednesday May 21, 2025 8:21 am PDT by
Google recently made waves by showcasing a set of lightweight smart glasses featuring deep Gemini integration and an optional in-lens display. The demo has reignited interest in Apple's own smart glasses project, which has been the subject of rumors for nearly a decade. Here's a recap of where things stand. Current Development Status Apple is actively working on new chips specifically...
Read Full Article • 56 comments
Apple CarPlay Ultra instrument cluster themes 01

Apple's CarPlay Ultra Is Here – Does Your iPhone Support It?

Thursday May 15, 2025 5:17 am PDT by
Apple's recently announced CarPlay Ultra promises a deeply integrated in-car experience, but not all iPhone users will be able to take advantage of the new feature. According to Apple's press release, CarPlay Ultra requires an iPhone 12 or later running iOS 18.5 or later. This means if you're using an iPhone 11, iPhone XR, or any older model, you'll need to upgrade your device to access...
Read Full Article
2024 iPhone Boxes Feature

Apple Raises iPhone Trade-In Values For Limited Time — Here's the List

Friday May 23, 2025 6:48 am PDT by
Apple has temporarily increased its iPhone trade-in values in select countries, including the U.S., Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, U.K., and China. Apple says the extra credit towards a new iPhone is available through June 18. In the U.S., the maximum estimated trade-in values increased by only $5 to $30, with the full changes in that country outlined below. ...
Read Full Article • 40 comments
iPod shuffle generations

Kuo: Jony Ive's Futuristic OpenAI Device Like a Neck-Worn iPod Shuffle

Thursday May 22, 2025 8:05 am PDT by
The big news in the technology world this week is that ChatGPT maker OpenAI is working more closely with Apple's former design chief Jony Ive on a futuristic AI device. The company is remaining tight lipped about the device, but Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has shared some alleged details about its design. In a social media post today, Kuo said the device will be "slightly larger" ...
Read Full Article • 195 comments
AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Thursday May 22, 2025 4:06 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
Read Full Article • 102 comments
CarPlay Ultra Aston Martin

CarPlay Ultra Solves One of Regular CarPlay's Biggest Limitations

Thursday May 22, 2025 9:16 am PDT by
The next generation of CarPlay is finally starting to roll out, and it includes a new feature that solves one of regular CarPlay's longstanding limitations. Apple last week announced the launch of CarPlay Ultra, and it offers a Radio app, allowing you to control AM and FM radio stations within CarPlay. With regular CarPlay, you must switch between CarPlay and your vehicle's built-in software ...
Read Full Article • 113 comments

Top Rated Comments

576316 Avatar
576316
103 months ago
Does tvOS 11 actually introduce any stability or fix the bugs that tvOS is just riddled with? Apple TV 4 is the buggiest Apple device I own with constant app crashing and freezing. But I'd heard that tvOS 11 is barely different, which is concerning.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Fzang Avatar
Fzang
103 months ago
Does tvOS 11 actually introduce any stability or fix the bugs that tvOS is just riddled with? Apple TV 4 is the buggiest Apple device I own with constant app crashing and freezing. But I'd heard that tvOS 11 is barely different, which is concerning.
Not to mention how insanely slow the interface is. I always end up pressing double because I'm in doubt whether my first command was actually registered.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Juicy Box Avatar
Juicy Box
103 months ago
Does tvOS 11 actually introduce any stability or fix the bugs that tvOS is just riddled with? Apple TV 4 is the buggiest Apple device I own with constant app crashing and freezing. But I'd heard that tvOS 11 is barely different, which is concerning.
I have owned ATV 1, 2, 3, and 4. My family currently still uses ATVs 2, 3, and 4 regularly.

I have to agree with you that the ATV4 is very buggy. While the ATV4 has gotten much better since it was released, many of the bugs are still around, or updates just create new bugs.

None of my other ATVs were nearly as buggy, actually, the ATV3 seems like it is almost flawless. The ATV2 seems to restart randomly every couple weeks, but nothing compared to the ATV4.
Not to mention how insanely slow the interface is. I always end up pressing double because I'm in doubt whether my first command was actually registered.
I am glad that my family isn't the only people to experience this.

For example: double clicking the home button doesn't always register, so we do it again, only to have the "multi screen" to appear then disappear because it was lagging the first time.

Situations similar to the example happens many times daily.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kevine Avatar
kevine
103 months ago
I'm really surprised that people are saying the Apple TV 4 is buggy... like at all. I have 7 of them (some 32GB some 64GB). There's almost always one in use in one of our houses at any given time. We use the Channels app for live TV (via HDHomeRun Prime) and Plex for DVR and a 32TB library of movies, along with Netflix and occasionally Hulu, HBO, ShowTime, some game or app like Zillow.

No problems on any of them... ever. At worst, I've had to force quit Plex maybe twice in the past 6 months.

I've upgraded one of the boxes to the first public beta, and yes, as expected there are some issues, but that's what beta is for.

BTW: I like the way that although I've been a user since 2002, I'm still a MacRumors "newbie".
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
oneMadRssn Avatar
oneMadRssn
103 months ago
Not to mention how insanely slow the interface is. I always end up pressing double because I'm in doubt whether my first command was actually registered.
Agreed. tvOS10 reminds me of early version of Android. I was never sure if my input registered.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments