One of the tvOS 14 features that's meant to be included in the update is support for 4K videos for the first time, but as many MacRumors readers have noticed, 4K video content is not available after updating to the tvOS 14 update released earlier this week.
Selecting a 4K video on a 4K Apple TV upgraded to tvOS 14 limits the video playback to 1080p, which is the same playback quality that was available before.
Apple's Apple TV 4K website continues to say that 4K support for YouTube videos is a feature that's supposed to be included in tvOS 14, but it is missing in the release version of the software.
It's not clear what's going on, but there have been many upset Apple TV owners complaining on Twitter. Some users have said that 4K playback was working as expected with YouTube during some of the betas, but functionality was erratic, so perhaps there are bugs that need to be worked out.
It may be that YouTube needs to push an app update for the feature to work, and YouTube's Twitter support team seems confused. Just yesterday, a TeamYouTube account said that 4K resolution YouTube can't be delivered to the Apple TV 4K because it does not support VP9, so it seems YouTube's own staff is confused by the feature.
Appreciate the details – we can't deliver 4K resolution bc Apple TV 4K model (5th generation) does not support VP9 at this time. But we appreciate your suggestion and we're actively making improvements based on user input. More details in this article: https://t.co/fOEOLtX5X0
— TeamYouTube (@TeamYouTube) September 16, 2020
Update: YouTube deleted the original tweet from its support staff, and has clarified that Apple TV 4K will support 4K playback "soon."
Sorry about the back and forth -- jumping in to clarify that Apple TV 4K will support 4K playback soon. Stay tuned for an update here.
— TeamYouTube (@TeamYouTube) September 18, 2020
Thursday December 11, 2025 8:49 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple seeded the second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to developers earlier this week, meaning the update will be released to the general public very soon.
Apple confirmed iOS 26.2 would be released in December, but it did not provide a specific date. We expect the update to be released by early next week.
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Macworld's Filipe Espósito today revealed a handful of features that Apple is allegedly planning for iOS 26.4, iOS 27, and even iOS 28.
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Apple has ordered 22 million OLED panels from Samsung Display for the first foldable iPhone, signaling a significantly larger production target than the display industry had previously anticipated, ET News reports.
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Apple today released iOS 26.2, the second major update to the iOS 26 operating system that came out in September, iOS 26.2 comes a little over a month after iOS 26.1 launched. iOS 26.2 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 >...
Thursday December 11, 2025 10:31 am PST by Juli Clover
The AirTag 2 will include a handful of new features that will improve tracking capabilities, according to a new report from Macworld. The site says that it was able to access an internal build of iOS 26, which includes references to multiple unreleased products.
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Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below.
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Thursday December 11, 2025 4:02 pm PST by Juli Clover
Apple is working on a smart home hub that will rely heavily on the more capable version of Siri that's coming next year. We've heard quite a bit about the hub over the last two years, but a recent iOS 26 code leak provides additional insight into what we can expect and confirms rumored features.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.
Macworld claims to have access to an ...
Another annoyance: full 4K support was available in the YouTube app during the iOS and iPad OS betas, but now it’s limited to HDR videos for no discernible reason. I really have to believe this issue is on YouTube’s end.
[LIST=1] * YouTube uses a non-standard video codec created and owned by Google (yes, it's open, but still narrower support). * Users get upset at Apple because their devices don't support it.
VP9 is a direct competitor to H.265, which AppleTV *does* support!
Yes, Apple should support VP9, but YouTube should also deliver in H.265. The same argument can be made on both counts. So be upset with YouTube for not supporting an established standard!
I'm starting to wonder if it's Google that's blocking Apple from allowing 4K streaming in favor of using Google's products to view it. Very odd this keeps going on.
This is a mess. Apple and Google have been having this spat for YEARS now. I wish they'd work together on this. I get that they're competitors, but it's kind of like politics; most people aren't going to switch sides, we all love our devices and want to keep them so it's best to just work with each other for the common good.
