Apple Releases tvOS 13 With Multi User Support, Control Center, Ocean Screensavers and More

Apple today released tvOS 13, the latest operating system designed for the fourth and fifth-generation Apple TV models. tvOS 13 comes after several months of beta testing.

tvOS 13 can be downloaded over the air through the Settings app on the ‌Apple TV‌ by going to System -> Software Update. ‌Apple TV‌ owners who have automatic software updates turned on will be upgraded to tvOS 13 automatically. Apple has also released an ‌Apple TV‌ Software 7.4 update (actually version 8.4.3) for the third-generation ‌Apple TV‌.

tvos13
The tvOS 13 update brings 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, once developers have implemented support.

Multiple users are supported 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.

tvos13controlcenter
tvOS 13 brings Apple Arcade, Apple's new gaming service that's already available for the iPhone. ‌Apple Arcade‌ will offer unlimited access to more than 60 new and exclusive games, for one $4.99 per month subscription fee.

tvos13applearcade
For ‌Apple Arcade‌, 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.

game controllers ps4 xbox
Sign in with Apple, a feature also available on the ‌iPhone‌, iPad, and coming to Macs, is included in tvOS 13. With tvOS 13, apps that support Sign in with Apple will let you sign in with your Apple ID rather than requiring you to create a user name and password.

signinwithapple
Apple can even obscure your real email address and provide a fake one, which keeps your data and information safer than ever.

There are new under the sea themed screensavers created in partnership with the BBC Natural History Unit, which also created "Blue Planet."

tvos 13 underwater
With a new Picture-in-Picture feature, you can continue to watch TV shows or movies while using a different app, adjusting settings, or otherwise navigating through the tvOS 13 operating system.

For more on what's new in the tvOS 13 update, make sure to check out our tvOS 13 roundup.

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

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Available Next Month With These 8 New Features

Tuesday November 11, 2025 9:48 am PST by
Apple released the first iOS 26.2 beta last week. The upcoming update includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, including a new Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics in Apple Music, and more. In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 26.2 will be released to all users in December, but it did not provide a specific release date....
m1 chip slide

Five Years of Apple Silicon: M1 to M5 Performance Comparison

Monday November 10, 2025 1:08 pm PST by
Today marks the fifth anniversary of the Apple silicon chip that replaced Intel chips in Apple's Mac lineup. The first Apple silicon chip, the M1, was unveiled on November 10, 2020. The M1 debuted in the MacBook Air, Mac mini, and 13-inch MacBook Pro. The M1 chip was impressive when it launched, featuring the "world's fastest CPU core" and industry-leading performance per watt, and it's only ...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, and AirPods 4

Thursday November 13, 2025 11:35 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3, the AirPods 4, and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 firmware is 8B21, all up from the prior 8A358 firmware released in October. There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods 4 with ANC, and AirPods Pro 3...
iphone pocket%402x

Apple Debuts iPhone Pocket, a Limited Edition iPod Sock-Style Accessory

Tuesday November 11, 2025 1:23 am PST by
Apple has teamed up with Japanese fashion house ISSEY MIYAKE to launch iPhone Pocket, a 3D-knitted limited edition accessory designed to carry an iPhone, AirPods, and other everyday items. The accessory is like a stretchy pocket, not unlike an iPod Sock, but elongated to form a strap made of a ribbed, elastic textile that fully encloses an iPhone yet allows you to glimpse the display...
homepod mini colors

New HomePod Mini Coming Soon With These Features

Tuesday November 11, 2025 7:30 am PST by
Apple is expected to announce a new HomePod mini imminently, headlining with new chips. Here are all of the new features we're expecting. The second-generation HomePod mini is highly likely to contain a more up-to-date chip for more advanced computational audio and improved responsiveness. The current HomePod mini is equipped with the Apple Watch Series 5's S5 chip from 2019. Apple is likely ...
ios 26 digital id passport wallet

Apple Announces Launch of U.S. Passport Feature in iPhone's Wallet App

Wednesday November 12, 2025 9:15 am PST by
Apple today announced that iPhone users can now create a Digital ID in the Apple Wallet app based on information from their U.S. passport. To create and present a Digital ID based on a U.S. passport, you need: An iPhone 11 or later running iOS 26.1 or later, or an Apple Watch Series 6 or later running watchOS 26.1 or later Face ID or Touch ID and Bluetooth turned on An Apple Account ...
homepod mini thumb feature

New HomePod Mini, Apple TV, and AirTag Were Expected This Year — Where Are They?

Wednesday November 12, 2025 11:42 am PST by
While it was rumored that Apple planned to release new versions of the HomePod mini, Apple TV, and AirTag this year, it is no longer clear if that will still happen. Back in January, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple planned to release new HomePod mini and Apple TV models "toward the end of the year," while he at one point expected a new AirTag to launch "around the middle of 2025." Yet,...
Tesla Charging

Tesla Working to Add Apple CarPlay Support to Vehicles

Thursday November 13, 2025 8:31 am PST by
Tesla is working to add support for Apple CarPlay in its vehicles, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports. Tesla vehicles rely on its own infotainment software system, which integrates vehicle functions, navigation, music, web browsing, and more. The automaker has been an outlier in foregoing support for Apple CarPlay, which has otherwise become an industry standard feature, allowing users to...
CarPlay Pinned Messages

iOS 26.2 Adds New CarPlay Setting

Thursday November 13, 2025 6:48 am PST by
iOS 26 extended pinned conversations in the Messages app to CarPlay, for quick access to your most frequent chats. However, some drivers may prefer the classic view with a list of individual conversations only, and Apple now lets users choose. Apple released the second beta of iOS 26.2 this week, and it introduces a new CarPlay setting for turning off pinned conversations in the Messages...
iphone air thinness

iPhone Air Sales Are So Bad That Apple's Delaying the Next-Generation Version

Monday November 10, 2025 11:41 am PST by
The thin, light iPhone Air sold so poorly that Apple has decided to delay the launch of the next-generation iPhone Air that was scheduled to come out alongside the iPhone 18 Pro, reports The Information. Apple initially planned to release a new iPhone Air in fall 2026, but now that's not going to happen. Since the iPhone Air launched in September, there have been reports of poor sales...

Top Rated Comments

pooryou Avatar
80 months ago
I don’t want “Netflix-like” forced video previews!

Sure hope we can disable that nonsense.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Solomani Avatar
80 months ago
Xbox and DualShock controller support for Apple TV! A step in the right direction, Apple.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Rigby Avatar
80 months ago

Did you check under Accessibility? Sometimes they hide stuff like that there.
You, Sir, are a genius. ;) Under Accessibility/Motion the video previews can be turned off. The apps still rotate through still images, but that’s less annoying.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Rigby Avatar
80 months ago
Just updated one of my ATVs and encountered the first UI annoyance already: in the previous version, the "top shelf" of the TV app on the home screen would show the first few entries of may watch list. Now it shows some random movie poster fullscreen in the background (essentially an ad), so I can no longer directly jump to an item on the watchlist. Is there any way to configure this? Not a fan of the new home screen so far.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
unfunfionn Avatar
80 months ago
I've been on the public beta for a couple of months. When I first saw the top shelf ads, I thought it can't be serious, but surely they'll make it optional by the GM. Turns out they were serious and they didn't listen. I'm sure some users will like this feature, but there is an ethical concern that makes me a little worried. This is a €200 device, the premium device in this market, and they're putting advertisements on the home screen. As long as that content is stuff you have to spend additional money on, they're ads. I was already annoyed that my Samsung TV makes it impossible to remove TV Plus (and keeps pinning it to my Home menu no matter how often I remove it), but it mostly stays out of the way. The tvOS ads are far worse.

But honestly it annoys me with the Music app more than the TV app. The TV app was barely useful to begin with. Its only useful feature for me was Up Next in the top shelf. Now it can just go into a folder and die. But I use Music heavily and instead of having a shortcut into albums I deliberately added to my library, I get video previews for Taylor Swift, the Jonas Brothers and Ariana Grande. I don't listen to any of those artists and have no intention to. They're not recommendations based on my listening behaviour either.

It's business goals being brute-forced onto a paying customer base. Yes, worse things can happen in an OS update, but this approach feels quite concerning.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gaspitsjesse Avatar
80 months ago

So we’re going to lose all of the birds eye videos? I love the NY and Dubai videos! And I can’t tell you how much time I’ve spent waiting to see the Santa Monica amusement pier. Or wondered why the light over France is a different color than that over England.
I really wish Apple would let us pick and choose (up to ten?) Aerials screensavers to cycle, rather than get completely random ones, often times overwriting one's favorites.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)