Apple Seeds tvOS 14.6 Release Candidate to Developers - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Apple Seeds tvOS 14.6 Release Candidate to Developers

by

Apple today seeded a release candidate version of an upcoming tvOS 14.6 update to developers for testing purposes, with the new beta coming one week after Apple seeded the third beta.

apple tv 4k design clue
Designed for the fourth and fifth-generation Apple TV models, the tvOS 14.5 developer beta can be downloaded onto the ‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌Apple TV‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌ via a profile that's installed using Xcode.

Other than new releases, tvOS updates are often minor in scale, focusing on under-the-hood bug fixes and improvements rather than major outward-facing changes. The tvOS 14.6 update adds support for new Apple Music features, including Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos and Lossless Audio.

Spatial Audio offers an immersive audio experience that makes it sound like music is coming from all around you, while Lossless Audio will provide higher-quality songs that sound exactly like they do when artists record them in the studio.

At launch in June, thousands of tracks will feature Spatial Audio support, and more than 20,000 songs will support Lossless Audio. By the end of the year, 75 million songs will support it.

Related Roundup: Apple TV
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Don't Buy)
Related Forum: Apple TV and Home Theater

Popular Stories

General visionOS watchOS and tvOS Betas Feature Redux

Apple Releases First watchOS 26.5, tvOS 26.5 and visionOS 26.5 Betas

Monday March 30, 2026 10:38 am PDT by
Apple today provided developers with the first betas of upcoming watchOS 26.5, tvOS 26.5, and visionOS 26.5 betas for testing purposes. The software comes a week after Apple launched the 26.4 versions of each platform. The software updates are available through the Settings app on each device, and because these are developer betas, a free developer account is required. There's no word on...
Read Full Article • 4 comments
Cape Fear 2026

Apple TV Teases New 'Highly Anticipated' Psychological Thriller Series

Tuesday March 31, 2026 6:31 am PDT by
Apple today released a teaser trailer for Cape Fear, a new "highly anticipated" psychological thriller series starring Amy Adams, Patrick Wilson, and Javier Bardem. The first two episodes of the 10-episode limited series will premiere on Apple TV on Friday, June 5, and one new episode will follow every Friday through July 31. In the series, Apple says a storm is coming for happily married...
Read Full Article • 18 comments
apple tv 4k new orange

Apple Says Three More Products Are Now 'Vintage' or 'Obsolete'

Tuesday March 31, 2026 10:36 am PDT by
Apple today added the MacBook Air (13-inch, 2017) to its "vintage" products list, meaning the device is now only eligible for repairs at Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers if parts remain available. The MacBook Air (13-inch, 2017) was the final MacBook Air model released before Apple redesigned the laptop and gave it a Retina display in 2018. Apple also added all iPad...
Read Full Article • 47 comments

Top Rated Comments

Realityck Avatar
Realityck
65 months ago

Thank you. That does help me understand the difference.

Though, isn’t Apple advertising that the Apple TV will play (Dolby atmos) Apple Music w/ Spatial Audio through AirPods? And the same isn’t true of Dolby atmos movies (on Apple TV thru AirPods)… so it still feels like a discrepancy exists. No?
With their press release ('https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2021/05/apple-music-announces-spatial-audio-and-lossless-audio/') they are not associating it with Apple TV, the only mention is at the bottom of the PR with about Apple Music which is represented on all five of Apple's software platforms.

I made a comment earlier I thought that tvOS could support lossless audio from Apple Music, as it a digital streaming receiver outputting audio over HDMI to a AVR for example. But the comment about comparing Apple’ Spatial Audio to Microsoft Windows/Xbox 3D gaming audio environment Dolby Atmos for Headphones suggests that its possible you might see it more utilized for Apple Arcade rather then Apple Music. Now that Apple has removed the ATV4K control with accelerometer and gyroscope, is there another gaming control in the works for gaming or just use third party controllers?

Apple fans that are hoping that film/TV content that offer Dolby Atmos audio tracks that are outputted as only stereo for headphones, have hope that Apple Spatial Audio could be used with ATV4K, but then that is not related to Apple Music and so far no beta is encompassing that yet. So yes you have a continuing discrepancy. :)
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
EricNau Avatar
EricNau
65 months ago

Weird, right? Boo.
Weird indeed. And terribly confusing.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
J
JSL1
65 months ago

Every time I see that new remote... :p
Can't wait 'til Friday!
Just posted News, FAQs, User Guides and Tips & Tricks for the new Siri remote on AVSforum.
Includes video of the new Siri remote.
https://www.avsforum.com/threads/new-apple-siri-remote-2021-owner’s-thread-faq-posts-1-6.3196795/#post-60722298 ('https://www.avsforum.com/threads/new-apple-siri-remote-2021-owner%E2%80%99s-thread-faq-posts-1-6.3196795/#post-60722298')

Attachment Image
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
srbNYC Avatar
srbNYC
65 months ago

The tvOS 14.6 update adds support for new Apple Music features ('https://www.macrumors.com/2021/05/17/apple-music-spatial-audio-announced/'), including Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos and Lossless Audio.
...but not for any TV offerings?
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
EricNau Avatar
EricNau
65 months ago

Apple’ Spatial Audio is the company’s answer to Dolby Atmos for Headphones, designed for the AirPods Pro true wireless earbuds and AirPods Max over-ear headphones. This version of spatial audio is really dynamic EQ which is tied by the movement of your head, making it sound like 2 channel audio is coming from all over your room position. :)
Thank you. That does help me understand the difference.

Though, isn’t Apple advertising that the Apple TV will play (Dolby atmos) Apple Music w/ Spatial Audio through AirPods? And the same isn’t true of Dolby atmos movies (on Apple TV thru AirPods)… so it still feels like a discrepancy exists. No?
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BWhaler Avatar
BWhaler
65 months ago
I’m afraid to look. Did they finally fix the Library?
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments