Apple Seeds tvOS 15.5 Release Candidate to Developers

Apple today seeded the release candidate version of an upcoming tvOS 15.5 update to developers for testing purposes, with the software coming one week after the release of the fourth beta.

Apple TV tvOS 15 Feature
Developers can download the new tvOS 15.5 update by downloading a profile onto the ‌Apple TV‌ using Xcode.

tvOS updates are typically minor in scale, focusing primarily on under-the-hood bug fixes and improvements rather than major outward-facing changes.

Though we don't often know what's new in tvOS during the beta testing process, we let MacRumors readers know when new updates are available so those who are developers can download it upon release.

As of now, we have not found new features in tvOS 15.5 and there's no word on what might be in the update beyond bug fixes and under-the-hood performance improvements.

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

Popular Stories

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 ...
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....
All Screen iPhone 2027 Feature 1

Apple to Hide Selfie Camera Under Display of 20th Anniversary iPhone

Monday November 10, 2025 1:55 am PST by
Apple will conceal the front-facing camera under the screen of its 2027 iPhone, a Chinese leaker said today, corroborating reports that Apple's 20th anniversary iPhone will have no visible cutouts in the display. Weibo-based account Digital Chat Station said Apple's development of under-screen camera technology was progressing as planned for adoption in 2027, one year after it will...
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...
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...
Early Black Friday Deals 1

The Best Early Black Friday Apple Deals on AirPods, Apple Watch, iPad, and More

Saturday November 8, 2025 6:16 am PST by
We're officially in the month of Black Friday, which will take place on Friday, November 28 in 2025. As always, this will be the best time of the year to shop for great deals, including popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more. In this article, the majority of the discounts will be found on Amazon. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When ...
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 ...
Apple fitness plus feature

Future of Apple Fitness+ 'Under Review'

Sunday November 9, 2025 5:30 am PST by
The future of Apple Fitness+ is "under review" amid a reorganization of the service, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In the latest edition of his "Power On" newsletter, Gurman said that Apple Fitness+ remains one of the company's "weakest digital offerings." The service apparently suffers from high churn and little revenue. Nevertheless, Fitness+ has a small, loyal fanbase that...
iphone black friday gold

The Best Early Black Friday iPhone Deals

Monday November 10, 2025 10:18 am PST by
Cellular carriers have always offered big savings on the newest iPhone models during the holidays, and Black Friday 2025 sales have kicked off at AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and more. Right now we're tracking notable offers on the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air. For even more savings, keep an eye on older models during the holiday shopping season. Note: MacRumors is...
2024 iPhone Boxes Feature

Apple Adjusts Trade-In Values for iPhones, iPads, Macs, and More

Thursday November 6, 2025 11:12 am PST by
Apple today updated its trade-in values for select iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch models. Trade-ins can be completed on Apple's website, or at an Apple Store. The charts below provide an overview of Apple's current and previous trade-in values in the U.S., according to its website. Maximum values for most devices either decreased or saw no change, but the iPad Air received a slight bump. ...

Top Rated Comments

Realityck Avatar
46 months ago

YouTube HDR playback support please. Please. Please. If it's something Google needs to do, then do it. Please.
Support of reading metadata from Amazon for auto mode switch too. FILMMAKER MODE. :)
Thats only on ATV4K 2nd gen. The ATV 4K 1st gen A10X Fusion SoC doesn't support hardware decoding of VP9 videos.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Realityck Avatar
46 months ago

2nd gen Apple TV 4K supports YouTube HDR, but with a caveat. YouTube doesn't support tvOS's Match Dynamic Range feature. So to watch, you need to change Apple TV's Video Format setting to HDR (HDR10), then flip it back to SDR when you want to watch non-HDR contents.

I've reported this bug to Google earlier, as I am sure others have, but it remains unfixed.

To be fair, some of Apple's own features and apps don't support Match Dynamic Range either -- Photos and screensavers.
I have it connected to a LG OLED. If I set the 2nd gen 4K to its default 4K@60Hz HDR with last few betas. It correctly switches to Dolby Vision automatically and doesn't have any issues with YouTube working SDR to HDR10 automatically. Just don't set the ATV4K 2nd gen to have a GUI using 4K Dolby Vision at all. I have both match dynamic range and frame rate set to auto.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
B/D Avatar
46 months ago

Which is why Apple needs to add bitstream passthrough, so our soundbars & AVRs can decode the audio. Period.
Very true. I agree. I think it wont happen though, because of Siri and other system sounds that Apple want to have mixed unto the audio stream.

I hope I´m wrong.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
B/D Avatar
46 months ago
Is EARC still in beta?.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Realityck Avatar
46 months ago

Exactly my point. NO. That method is an archaic delivery schema for data. Leave "normally" in the past where it belongs.

We don't want to do that anymore a la HDMI 2.1 & its features: QMS, QFT, VRR via FRM (24.95Hz or 30/60Hz for YouTube), etc.

The way forward isn't the "normally" way.

Cease with the pre-HDMI 2.1 way of thinking, that's not the direction the industry is headed. Apple needs to catch up because it's clearly not pushing the envelope.
Why is it a archaic delivery schema for the bitstream? The AVR is nothing more the a HDMI repeater, it does nothing to the video data, and is a far superior decoder for the audio going to amp driving your speakers. They have AVRs that are now 8K capable pass through. You trust the audio quality more from the source to TV and back to AVR?

Is this coming from the gaming perspective because you mentioned QFT? Lets also remember Apple is notorious slow on supporting HDMI standards, so everyone talks about HDMI 2.1 on a ATV 4K so we need to wait for the next ATV4K to see if its added.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
InauguralHobbit Avatar
46 months ago

Why is it a archaic delivery schema for the bitstream? The AVR is nothing more the a HDMI repeater, it does nothing to the video data, and is a far superior decoder for the audio going to amp driving your speakers. They have AVRs that are now 8K capable pass through. You trust the audio quality more from the source to TV and back to AVR?

Is this coming from the gaming perspective because you mentioned QFT? Lets also remember Apple is notorious slow on supporting HDMI standards, so everyone talks about HDMI 2.1 on a ATV 4K so we need to wait for the next ATV4K to see if its added.
Not at all from the gaming perspective. QMS because because I don't wish to wait 3 full-count seconds when playing media in Dolby Vision / HDR10--switching from SDR. QFT for the same reason, but in regard to switching from 59.95Hz to 24.95Hz for films & 30/60Hz for YouTube content.

And an HDMI 2.1 port ('https://www.apple.com/apple-tv-4k/specs/') is already on the 2021 2nd-Gen ATV 4K. These features can be & should be implemented via firmware within tvOS. This is no longer a hardware issue.

I prefer perma-MAT > PCM for 5.1 & MAT for Atmos. It's an annoyance dealing with pops & crackles when changing from 5.1 to Atmos content & vice versa, and it can't be good for the channel drivers in sound systems over time.

But I believe we're at an impasse. We simply believe one method is superior to the other. Connecting directly to a soundbar/AVR may have had the upper-leg pre eARC & HDMI 2.1, but now with bigger bandwidth pipelines for faster & larger data transfer that is no longer the case--or shouldn't be.

The software needs to be perfected & implemented. That will take time, I presume.

HDMI 2.1 bandwidth limits support QMS & QFT without the need for any of the gaming (120Hz) aspects. That aside, Apple really pushed this ATV in its marketing throes for Apple Arcade, so it's honestly a matter of Apple holding to their word of updating their software capabilities.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)