Apple TV YouTube App Rolling Out 4K Support

One of the new tvOS 14 features highlighted by Apple was support for watching 4K videos in the YouTube app, but when tvOS 14 launched, Apple TV 4K users quickly noticed that support wasn't available.

youtube4kvideo
That appears to be changing, as there are reports on Reddit (via FlatpanelsHD) that support for 4K YouTube videos is starting to roll out. Multiple users have reported seeing 4K playback options in the YouTube app on tvOS 14, tvOS 14.0.1, and tvOS 14.2.

4K support has not yet rolled out to all users, however, as in our tests, we were not able to access 4K YouTube content and continued to have a 1080p limitation. While 4K content appears to be available, those with access are still not able to enable HDR, and 4K videos are limited to 30 frames per second.

It's unclear if the lack of HDR is temporary or a limitation on the 4K ‌Apple TV‌, and it's also not known when 4K content will be available for all. It seems to be rolling out though, so there may not be too much longer to wait. YouTube in September said that ‌Apple TV‌ 4K would support 4K YouTube playback "soon."

Related Roundup: Apple TV
Tag: YouTube
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Caution)

Top Rated Comments

LegCortex Avatar
47 months ago
The most annoying part of all this is that YouTube was serving full native 4K videos during the iOS/iPadOS 14 betas, but now UHD is restricted to HDR videos for some godforsaken reason. Makes me wonder what kind of BS they have in store for tvOS.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MacStreamer Avatar
47 months ago
I wish YouTube would offer a $4.99 plan for an ad-free YouTube only experience. I have no desire to pay $11.99.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Realityck Avatar
47 months ago

You need the top HDMI cables for this to work.
If you can watch 4K Dolby Vision streaming, your already good enough! :p
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
aaronhead14 Avatar
47 months ago
Glad progress is being made. But at the same time, it feels kinda pointless if HDR isn’t supported...
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sonamo Avatar
47 months ago
And it's doing it without the T2 chip!! ?
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
caliguy Avatar
47 months ago
They need to fix scrubbing on video playback. It's so awful not to have an inertia or ability to easily skip forward/backward 30sec.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 15 Pro FineWoven

Apple Reportedly Stops Production of FineWoven Accessories

Sunday April 21, 2024 6:03 am PDT by
Apple has stopped production of FineWoven accessories, according to the Apple leaker and prototype collector known as "Kosutami." In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Kosutami explained that Apple has stopped production of FineWoven accessories due to its poor durability. The company may move to another non-leather material for its premium accessories in the future. Kosutami has revealed...
maxresdefault

Apple Announces 'Let Loose' Event on May 7 Amid Rumors of New iPads

Tuesday April 23, 2024 7:11 am PDT by
Apple has announced it will be holding a special event on Tuesday, May 7 at 7 a.m. Pacific Time (10 a.m. Eastern Time), with a live stream to be available on Apple.com and on YouTube as usual. The event invitation has a tagline of "Let Loose" and shows an artistic render of an Apple Pencil, suggesting that iPads will be a focus of the event. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more ...
iOS 17 All New Features Thumb

iOS 17.5 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Sunday April 21, 2024 3:00 am PDT by
The upcoming iOS 17.5 update for the iPhone includes only a few new user-facing features, but hidden code changes reveal some additional possibilities. Below, we have recapped everything new in the iOS 17.5 and iPadOS 17.5 beta so far. Web Distribution Starting with the second beta of iOS 17.5, eligible developers are able to distribute their iOS apps to iPhone users located in the EU...
Apple Vision Pro Dual Loop Band Orange Feature 2

Apple Cuts Vision Pro Shipments as Demand Falls 'Sharply Beyond Expectations'

Tuesday April 23, 2024 9:44 am PDT by
Apple has dropped the number of Vision Pro units that it plans to ship in 2024, going from an expected 700 to 800k units to just 400k to 450k units, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Orders have been scaled back before the Vision Pro has launched in markets outside of the United States, which Kuo says is a sign that demand in the U.S. has "fallen sharply beyond expectations." As a...
Provenance Emulator

PlayStation and SEGA Emulator for iPhone and Apple TV Coming to App Store [Updated]

Friday April 19, 2024 8:29 am PDT by
The lead developer of the multi-emulator app Provenance has told iMore that his team is working towards releasing the app on the App Store, but he did not provide a timeframe. Provenance is a frontend for many existing emulators, and it would allow iPhone and Apple TV users to emulate games released for a wide variety of classic game consoles, including the original PlayStation, SEGA Genesis,...
apple vision pro orange

Apple Vision Pro Customer Interest Dying Down at Some Retail Stores

Monday April 22, 2024 2:12 am PDT by
Apple Vision Pro, Apple's $3,500 spatial computing device, appears to be following a pattern familiar to the AR/VR headset industry – initial enthusiasm giving way to a significant dip in sustained interest and usage. Since its debut in the U.S. in February 2024, excitement for the Apple Vision Pro has noticeably cooled, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Writing in his latest Power On...