Apple Seeds Fifth Beta of Upcoming tvOS 13 Update to Developers

Apple today seeded fifth beta of an upcoming tvOS 13 update to developers, almost two weeks after seeding the fourth beta and more than a month after unveiling the tvOS 13 software at the Worldwide Developers Conference.

Designed for the fourth and fifth-generation Apple TV, the new tvOS 13 developer beta can be downloaded onto the ‌Apple TV‌ via a profile that's installed using Xcode.

tvos13
tvOS 13 introduces an updated Home screen aimed at making it easier to discover new content. Apps are now able to play full-screen video previews right on the Home screen, similar to Netflix.

Multi-user support is available for the first time, letting more than one profile exist on the ‌Apple TV‌ so each family member can have their own customized ‌Apple TV‌ interface with separate recommendations, music playlists, and Watch Now lists.

Switching between profiles can be done with the new Control Center, which offers up profiles, the time and date, search, a Now Playing widget, AirPlay controls, and a sleep option.

tvOS 13 gets the ‌Apple TV‌ ready for Apple Arcade, Apple's new gaming service that's coming to the ‌Apple TV‌, iOS, iPadOS, and macOS later this year. ‌Apple Arcade‌ will offer unlimited access to more than 100 new and exclusive games, for one subscription fee.

As part of the ‌Apple Arcade‌ preparations, Apple has implemented support for the Xbox Wireless Bluetooth Controller and the PlayStation DualShock 4 Controller, both of which can be connected to an ‌Apple TV‌ over Bluetooth.

There are new under the sea themed screensavers created in partnership with the BBC Natural History Unit, which also created "Blue Planet." There's also a new Picture-in-Picture feature. Picture-in-Picture lets you continue to watch TV shows or movies while using a different app, adjusting settings, or otherwise navigating through the tvOS 13 operating system.

tvos13pictureinpicture
tvOS 13 is available to registered developers and public beta testers at this time and will see an official public launch this fall alongside iOS 13, iPadOS, macOS Catalina, and watchOS 6.

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

Popular Stories

2024 iPhone Boxes Feature

Apple Adjusts Trade-In Values for iPhones, iPads, Macs, and More

Thursday November 6, 2025 11:12 am PST by
Apple today updated its trade-in values for select iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch models. Trade-ins can be completed on Apple's website, or at an Apple Store. The charts below provide an overview of Apple's current and previous trade-in values in the U.S., according to its website. Maximum values for most devices either decreased or saw no change, but the iPad Air received a slight bump. ...
iOS 26

iOS 26.1 Available Now With These 8 New Features

Monday November 3, 2025 5:54 am PST by
Following more than a month of beta testing, Apple released iOS 26.1 on Monday, November 3. The update includes a handful of new features and changes, including the ability to adjust the look of Liquid Glass and more. Below, we outline iOS 26.1's key new features. Liquid Glass Toggle iOS 26.1 lets you choose your preferred look for Liquid Glass. In the Settings app, under Display...
Finder Siri Feature

Apple's New Siri Will Be Powered By Google Gemini

Wednesday November 5, 2025 11:57 am PST by
The smarter, more capable version of Siri that Apple is developing will be powered by Google Gemini, reports Bloomberg. Apple will pay Google approximately $1 billion per year for a 1.2 trillion parameter artificial intelligence model that was developed by Google. For context, parameters are a measure of how a model understands and responds to queries. More parameters generally means more...
Liquid Glass General Feature

Apple Shares Liquid Glass Design Gallery

Thursday November 6, 2025 2:45 pm PST by
Apple is promoting the new Liquid Glass design in iOS 26, showing off the ways that third-party developers are embracing the aesthetic in their apps. On its developer website, Apple is featuring a visual gallery that demonstrates how "teams of all sizes" are creating Liquid Glass experiences. The gallery features examples of Liquid Glass in apps for iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac. Apple...
Apple Logo Spotlight

Report: Apple to Launch These New Products in 2026

Sunday November 2, 2025 5:34 am PST by
Apple is planning to launch at least 15 new products in 2026, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman outlined what to expect from Apple in 2026 in the latest edition of his "Power On" newsletter. He said the company is heading "into one of its most pivotal years in recent memory," with the rollout of major new Apple Intelligence features, intense regulatory pressure on the App Store,...
iOS 26

Apple Releases iOS 26.1 With Liquid Glass Toggle, Slide to Stop Alarm, New Apple Intelligence Languages and More

Monday November 3, 2025 1:11 pm PST by
Apple today released iOS 26.1, the first major update to the iOS 26 operating system that came out in September, iOS 26.1 comes over a month after iOS 26 launched. ‌iOS 26‌.1 is compatible with the ‌iPhone‌ 11 series and later, as well as the second-generation ‌iPhone‌ SE. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones over-the-air by going to Settings > General >...
apple watch se 3 always on

Apple to Remove iPhone-Apple Watch Wi-Fi Sync in EU With iOS 26.2

Thursday November 6, 2025 4:37 am PST by
Apple in iOS 26.2 will disable automatic Wi-Fi network syncing between iPhone and Apple Watch in the European Union to comply with the bloc's regulations, suggests a new report. Normally, when an iPhone connects to a new Wi-Fi network, it automatically shares the network credentials with the paired Apple Watch. This allows the watch to connect to the same network independently – for...
airtag purple

Apple's Website Lists AirTag 4-Pack at Shockingly Low Price [Updated]

Friday November 7, 2025 6:40 am PST by
Apple's online store in the U.S. is suddenly offering a pack of four AirTags for just $29, which is the same price as a single AirTag. This is likely a pricing error, and it is unclear if orders will be fulfilled. Apple has not discounted the AirTag four-pack in any other countries that we checked. Delivery estimates are already pushing into late November to early December, suggesting...

Top Rated Comments

iGeneo Avatar
82 months ago
Would love to install this one, but feedback thus far is that it has been a disaster. Interested to hear if beta 5 brings it anywhere near usable.
Disaster? I've been running it for several weeks on two AppleTV's without issue. I did read where the trailers app will crash, but I rarely us that anyhow..

It is VERY usable
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
PastaPrimav Avatar
82 months ago
Disaster? I've been running it for several weeks on two AppleTV's without issue. I did read where the trailers app will crash, but I rarely us that anyhow..

It is VERY usable
Thanks. Unfortunately too many other people feel otherwise.

Far too often people who use 1 app or 1 flow pattern report "everything working fine".
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
christian.terra Avatar
82 months ago
Thanks. Unfortunately too many other people feel otherwise.

Far too often people who use 1 app or 1 flow pattern report "everything working fine".
Not sure what apps you use, but I use Netflix, Hulu, HBO Go, Prime Video, YouTube and DirectTV Now, as well as photos at times. The only app that gives me problems is DTNow, which isn't surprising as even on release versions of TVOS it was buggy. Haven't had a single issue that wasn't fixed with a restart. I airplay to my homepods too and works the same as it did on 12.4.

I don't use the TV app or any other Apple app so can't comment on those. I'd say it's decent for every day use.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DaveOP Avatar
82 months ago
Thanks. Unfortunately too many other people feel otherwise.

Far too often people who use 1 app or 1 flow pattern report "everything working fine".
This works both ways. As nearly everyone in this thread has said, this beta has been working fine for me as well. Netflix, Youtube, Youtube TV, Hulu, Apple apps, CNN, Twitchy, I could go on and on, all seem to work fine. I have had no issues since the first Beta. You don't need to jump in, but you don't need to be condescending to other posters either or call their experiences bogus.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iGeneo Avatar
82 months ago
Thanks. Unfortunately too many other people feel otherwise.

Far too often people who use 1 app or 1 flow pattern report "everything working fine".
That's hardly the case... I use 7-8 apps on a very regular basis.

Music, TV, Philo, TwiT, Photos, Netflix, Prime, Podcasts, Hulu

Zero crashes... Music was slow to get Lyrics on first launch, no issues otherwise.

Can you cite threads here? I'd like to see what I've been missing.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)