Apple Seeds Ninth Beta of Upcoming tvOS 13 Update to Developers [Update: Public Beta Available]

Apple today seeded ninth beta of an upcoming tvOS 13 update to developers, one week after seeding the eighth beta and more than two months after unveiling the tvOS 13 software at the Worldwide Developers Conference.

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

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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 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.

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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.

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Top Rated Comments

grobik Avatar
75 months ago
Hopefully this brings some stability. This has been the buggiest tvOS beta I’ve seen yet. Which is completely understood given the feature set. Would like to see some HomeKit love in this one.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
NtDs90 Avatar
75 months ago
Apple just get the NFL. And see if it can be set up like MLB.TV or the NHL app. The current NFL app sucks. AppleTV+ would then be worth the cost to me. The only show that I see maybe worth watching on ATV+ so far is Space Snoopy. So get the NFL!
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sandler77 Avatar
75 months ago
I rarely see the PiP icon. Is this only available to Apple supplied videos or is this a feature that can be added by third party providers?
It shows up when you start media in the AppleTV app. If you watch the same movie or tv show from those apps, no PIP icon at all.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)