Apple Releases tvOS 16.4 for Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Apple Releases tvOS 16.4 for Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD

by

Apple today released tvOS 16.4, the fourth major point update to the tvOS 16 operating system that came out last September. Available for the Apple TV 4K and ‌Apple TV‌ HD, tvOS 16.4 comes two months following the release of tvOS 16.3.

apple tv 4k red image
The tvOS 16.4 update can be downloaded over the air through the Settings app on the ‌‌‌‌‌Apple TV‌‌‌‌‌ by going to System > Software Update. ‌‌‌‌‌Apple TV‌‌‌‌‌ owners who have automatic software updates turned on will be upgraded to ‌tvOS 16.4 automatically.

tvOS updates are often minor in scale, focusing on internal bug fixes and improvements rather than outward-facing changes. The 16.4 update adds a Dim Flashing Lights option that is meant to dim the display when there are flashes of light or strobe effects.

This update adds Dim Flashing Lights, an accessibility option to automatically dim the display of video when flashes of light or strobe effects are detected, and includes performance and stability improvements.

Apple shares information on tvOS releases in its tvOS support document, which is updated after each tvOS launch.

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

Popular Stories

Where is the New Apple TV Feature

Next Apple TV's Chip Revealed in Latest Leak

Tuesday September 8, 2026 10:19 am PDT by
The next Apple TV 4K will be equipped with an A19 or A19 Pro chip, according to evidence in Apple's code uncovered by MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris. In particular, the device's model identifier points towards the A19 generation of chips. Accordingly, the next Apple TV would have 8GB or 12GB of RAM, up from 4GB in the current 2022 model with the A15 Bionic chip. Other rumored upgrades for...
Read Full Article • 135 comments
iOS 27 Feature Cool

Apple Releases New iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, and tvOS 27 Public Betas

Monday August 31, 2026 2:13 pm PDT by
Apple today released the sixth public betas of iOS 27, iPadOS 27, tvOS 27, and macOS Golden Gate, allowing anyone with a compatible device to download and test the new software. The sixth betas come a week after Apple seeded the fifth betas and a few hours after the eighth developer betas. You can get started by signing up on Apple's beta website and then opting in to the public beta by...
Read Full Article • 25 comments
Apple TV Remote Icon

iOS 27 to Upgrade Apple TV Remote App in Two Ways

Thursday September 10, 2026 2:33 am PDT by
Apple has updated the design of the virtual Apple TV Remote for the iOS 27 Release Candidate, which was released yesterday, and there are two new features that have been added to the iPhone app's interface. First up, Apple has added a new button to the top-right corner of the Remote UI with a glyph showing four squares. Pressing the button pops out an app menu similar to the Apple TV home...
Read Full Article • 30 comments

Top Rated Comments

X
xpxp2002
45 months ago

I hope you didn't buy the poverty version without the ethernet port.
The elimination of the Ethernet port on the Apple TV is one of the most infuriating and consumer-unfriendly "upsell" tactics I've seen Apple do to date.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
M
melapple
45 months ago
Guys, we’ve always complained about large tv libraries taking forever to load in the movies app well, guess what, I have not yet updated my 3rd gen Apple TV HD to today’s release but I’m happy to report that my 700 plus movies library loads in about 3 secs (vs about 30 prior to today). They must have changed something server-side
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Michael Scrip Avatar
Michael Scrip
45 months ago

The elimination of the Ethernet port on the Apple TV is one of the most infuriating and consumer-unfriendly "upsell" tactics I've seen Apple do to date.
On the other hand... the difference between the "normal" Apple TV and the "good" Apple TV is only $20.

In my mind that's gotta be the least-offensive upsell that Apple has ever offered. :p

For $20 you get an Ethernet port, a Thread radio, and double the storage. That's really not bad.

Though I gotta wonder why Apple even made the "normal" version in the first place. If they only offered the "good" model at $149, that's still cheaper than the previous generation which started at $179.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
X
xpxp2002
45 months ago
Ever since tvOS 16.2, my TV won't turn on using HDMI-CEC and makes weird static noises when I turn it on manually after the Apple TV turns it off.

Hopefully this finally fixes it.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Devnul0 Avatar
Devnul0
45 months ago
I've only occasionally been able to control my Yamaha receiver via HDMI-CEC and the ATV remote volume buttons since 16 came out. Setup is a TiVo and the ATV going HDMI into the TV, the TV doing the input selection, then HDMI out to the receiver for eArc and CEC. For a while I thought the magic was to ensure that the TV had selected the ATV as the input before I turned on the ATV, but even that proved unreliable. The ATV remote power button wouldn't turn on the system any more, and holding the power button would turn off only the ATV not the TV or stereo.
I hope this update makes it all work again like it did with 15.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nutmac Avatar
nutmac
45 months ago
Isn't new HomeKit architecture also a part of this (and HomePod's) update? I guess Apple will need to flip the switch on their server.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments