Apple Seeds Second Beta of tvOS 16.1 to Developers

Apple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming tvOS 16.1 update to developers for testing purposes, with the beta coming one week after the launch of the first beta.

apple tv 4k design blue
tvOS updates are typically minor, focusing on under-the-hood bug fixes and improvements rather than outward-facing changes. No new features were found in the first beta of tvOS 16.1.

Apple shares some information on tvOS releases in its tvOS support document, which is updated after each tvOS launch. tvOS 16 brought enhanced multiuser support, Personalized Spatial Audio when using AirPods, and Accessibility improvements.

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.

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

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro and Air Feature

Two iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air Colors Appear to Scratch More Easily

Friday September 19, 2025 10:02 am PDT by
As reported by Bloomberg today, some of the new iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air models on display at Apple Stores today are already scratched and scuffed. French blog Consomac also reported on this topic. The scratches appear to be most prominent on models with darker finishes, including the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max in Deep Blue, and the iPhone Air in Space Black. Images Credit: Consoma ...
iOS 26

iOS 26.0.1 Coming Soon, Likely With iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro Fix

Thursday September 18, 2025 9:17 am PDT by
Apple is preparing to release iOS 26.0.1, according to a private account on X with a proven track record of sharing information about future iOS versions. The update will have a build number of 23A350, or similar, the account said. It is likely that iOS 26.0.1 will fix a camera-related bug on the new iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro models. In his iPhone Air review, CNN Underscored's Henry T. ...
iPhone 17 Pro Colors

iPhone 17 Pro Max Teardown Reveals Qualcomm's Snapdragon X80 Modem for 5G

Friday September 19, 2025 7:39 am PDT by
While the iPhone Air is equipped with Apple's custom C1X modem for cellular connectivity, all of the iPhone 17 models are outfitted with Qualcomm modems still. A teardown video shared on Chinese platform Bilibili today (via Reddit) appears to confirm the iPhone 17 Pro Max is equipped with Qualcomm's Snapdragon X80 modem in particular. The same modem is likely used in the iPhone 17 and iPhone ...
iphone 17 pro max techwoven

Here Are The Best Cases You Can Buy for Your New iPhone 17 and iPhone Air

Friday September 19, 2025 6:46 am PDT by
Apple's new iPhones launch today, and there are plenty of options to choose from when it comes to protecting your new device from drops and scratches. In this article, we're taking a look at some of the best options for iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Air cases, as well as a few charging accessories. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a...
iOS 26 on Three iPhones

iOS 26's Liquid Glass Design Draws Criticism From Users

Wednesday September 17, 2025 2:56 pm PDT by
It's been two days since iOS 26 was released, and Apple's new Liquid Glass design is even more divisive than expected. Any major design change can create controversy as people get used to the new look, but the MacRumors forums, Reddit, Apple Support Communities, and social media sites seem to feature more criticism than praise as people discuss the update. Complaints There are a long...
iphone 17 pro inside

iPhone 17 Teardowns Confirm SIM and eSIM-Only Battery Capacities

Friday September 19, 2025 8:39 am PDT by
YouTube channel REWA Technology today shared an iPhone 17 Pro teardown video, offering a closer look inside the model with a SIM card tray. We are still waiting for repair website iFixit to share a more comprehensive teardown of the latest iPhone models, but this video provides a good look in the meantime. The device features various internal design changes, including larger rear camera...

Top Rated Comments

Rhodes187 Avatar
39 months ago
Crazy that Apple does bare minimum for the Photos app on the AppleTV. Here's this conduit on the perfect screen to view all your photos/videos, yet browsing them is painful. Why have they not implemented a search by date/person/location/etc etc to explore your content?
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
audiomixer Avatar
39 months ago

Hope they fixed the volume issue.
Did they? I’ll update mine in the morning and see. My current 16.1 volume conrtol is working after much fanfare.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Gator5000e Avatar
39 months ago
OK, guys. Waiting on any reports of what it does, if anything.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
izzle22 Avatar
39 months ago
Hope they fixed the volume issue.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BKDad Avatar
39 months ago
"tvOS updates are typically minor" ?

Since the tvOS 16 update this morning, my volume control doesn't work. The dedicated Apple supplied hardware volume control!

After the upgrade, it asks for additional Apple ID credentials. But, no problem. Just hold your iPad running iPadOS 16 (cruel joke) up to the Apple TV or your iPhone running iOS 16 and some magic will occur. Well, I tried with my new iPhone running iOS 16. I got to the point where it asked me to type in the secret four digit code that was on screen. So, I did. Then, it all stopped and I got a friendly message telling that whatever was going to happen didn't work right then, so try again later. I did. Nothing. Unplugged the Apple TV and tried again. Nothing. Tried a third time and still nothing. Then, I realized that this was just some sadistic joke on Apple's part. Just how could anybody enter the Apple ID information if they didn't own an iOS 16 wielding iPhone? There's no way I found to do any of it manually. I'd be pleased if somebody could show me how I'm wrong about this.

Y'know how holding down both those buttons on the remote for a few seconds used to initiate a restart? No more! (To be fair, I quit after about 8 seconds both times I tried.) This is important because of how often some apps cause the Apple TV to suddenly stutter and turn the sound into something from the original Buck Rogers serials with Buster Crabbe. Restarting is the fix. Since getting through the menus to the Setting that allows a software restart is so difficult once the stuttering begins, that means unplugging the Apple TV. Part of the Apple Health through exercise software, no doubt. Note that I've witnessed this stuttering bug through three different Apple TVs on two different TV sets, even going back to an Apple TV HD model. Even unloading each app - all video streaming apps, no games - doesn't help.

If I could roll back to the last version of tvOS, I'd do it in a second.

Over the last several updates, I haven't found anything that's worked better or provided much of anything new. Except new bugs.

I get the idea that Apple's culture is such that testing and fixing bugs is something that is frowned upon and anybody doing that work is being punished. Only cool new stuff, no matter how flaky it comes out, is worthy of putting effort into. Some friggin culture.

OTOH, we just bought a refurb iMac with an i7 processor in it that was apparently built just before Apple switched to Apple silicon for their new iMac products. Not as fast as Apple silicon, of course, but we bought it to run Windows 10 under Boot Camp. It works great with Monterey installed. Way better experience than this tvOS "upgrade." So, I'm not just being negative toward Apple.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)