Apple Provides Fifth Beta of Upcoming tvOS 11 Update to Developers - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Apple Provides Fifth Beta of Upcoming tvOS 11 Update to Developers

Apple today seeded the fifth beta of an upcoming tvOS 11 update designed for the fourth-generation TV, two weeks after seeding the fourth beta and two months 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 didn't receive a lot of attention at the Worldwide Developers Conference due to time constraints, but according to Apple's release notes, it introduces a few new features to the operating system.

tvOS 11 offers 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 fifth beta of tvOS 11 most likely focuses primarily on bug fixes and other small refinements, as the first four betas did. Apple's new tvOS 11 update is available for both registered developers and public beta testers. It will see a public release later this year.

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

Popular Stories

tvOS 26 Feature

Apple Releases tvOS 26.5

Monday May 11, 2026 10:02 am PDT by
Apple today released tvOS 26.5, the fifth update to the tvOS operating system that came out last fall. tvOS 26.5 is available for the Apple TV 4K, and it comes over a month after Apple released tvOS 26.4. tvOS 26.5 can be downloaded using the Settings app on the ‌‌Apple TV‌‌. Open up Settings and go to System > Software Update to get the new software. ‌‌Apple TV‌‌ owners who...
General visionOS watchOS and tvOS Betas Feature Redux

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

Tuesday May 26, 2026 10:03 am PDT by
Apple today provided developers with the first betas of upcoming watchOS 26.6, tvOS 26.6, and visionOS 26.6 betas for testing purposes. The software two weeks after Apple launched the 26.5 versions of 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...
Where is the New Apple TV Feature

Apple Previews New tvOS 27 Feature

Wednesday May 20, 2026 1:02 pm PDT by
Apple has announced that "Larger Text" support is coming to tvOS, allowing users to increase the on-screen text size to make it easier to read. "Larger Text" lets you adjust the size of text in supported apps, with the option already available on other devices like the iPhone, iPad, and Vision Pro. This was one of the new accessibility features that Apple previewed earlier this week, with ...

Top Rated Comments

ErikGrim Avatar
115 months ago
Hope this beta fixes the Apple ID password amnesia from the previous beta.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tazinlwfl Avatar
115 months ago
AppleTV works with airpods? Is that for people with hearing issues?
No, my wife and I walk around our place, each with an AirPod in our ear. It's not theater-quality audio but it also lets us to hear clearly over other sounds (neighbors, appliances, etc) as we multitask. I use bt headsets to watch TV or listen to music on the AppleTV all the time, often during in-home workouts or late-night Netflix binging. The AirPods just makes it better. tvOS 10 was pretty great, but tvOS 11 has a lot of static and dropping.

ETA: The most unsung feature of these AirPods are the ability to share with a partner. And it's not just this formfactor of truly wireless headphone that makes it special. The AirPods are very light, they have pretty great range from each other, and they're easy to insert and take out. That is probably silly to some, but I sometimes give my wife an AirPod by placing it in her ear (or take it away) very gently. Because it's not the in-ear style, it's not like I have to cram it in. And the shape/size of AirPods have kept them in despite how easy it is too insert or remove. We used to share wired headphones, head-to-head, unable to pull away less we get unplugged. We could go most of a school day like that. Now we grocery shopping to our own soundtrack, listening to some heavy mix wandering in different aisles. Pretty much everywhere we go now we each have an AirPod in our ear, listening to a audio book, podcast, etc.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)