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

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)

Popular Stories

iPhone SE 4 Vertical Camera Feature

iPhone SE 4 Production Will Reportedly Begin Ramping Up in October

Tuesday July 23, 2024 2:00 pm PDT by
Following nearly two years of rumors about a fourth-generation iPhone SE, The Information today reported that Apple suppliers are finally planning to begin ramping up mass production of the device in October of this year. If accurate, that timeframe would mean that the next iPhone SE would not be announced alongside the iPhone 16 series in September, as expected. Instead, the report...
iPhone 17 Plus Feature

iPhone 17 Lineup Specs Detail Display Upgrade and New High-End Model

Monday July 22, 2024 4:33 am PDT by
Key details about the overall specifications of the iPhone 17 lineup have been shared by the leaker known as "Ice Universe," clarifying several important aspects of next year's devices. Reports in recent months have converged in agreement that Apple will discontinue the "Plus" iPhone model in 2025 while introducing an all-new iPhone 17 "Slim" model as an even more high-end option sitting...
Generic iPhone 17 Feature With Full Width Dynamic Island

Kuo: Ultra-Thin iPhone 17 to Feature A19 Chip, Single Rear Camera, Semi-Titanium Frame, and More

Wednesday July 24, 2024 9:06 am PDT by
Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today shared alleged specifications for a new ultra-thin iPhone 17 model rumored to launch next year. Kuo expects the device to be equipped with a 6.6-inch display with a current-size Dynamic Island, a standard A19 chip rather than an A19 Pro chip, a single rear camera, and an Apple-designed 5G chip. He also expects the device to have a...
iPhone 16 Pro Sizes Feature

iPhone 16 Series Is Less Than Two Months Away: Everything We Know

Thursday July 25, 2024 5:43 am PDT by
Apple typically releases its new iPhone series around mid-September, which means we are about two months out from the launch of the iPhone 16. Like the iPhone 15 series, this year's lineup is expected to stick with four models – iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max – although there are plenty of design differences and new features to take into account. To bring ...
icloud private relay outage

iCloud Private Relay Experiencing Outage

Thursday July 25, 2024 3:18 pm PDT by
Apple’s iCloud Private Relay service is down for some users, according to Apple’s System Status page. Apple says that the iCloud Private Relay service may be slow or unavailable. The outage started at 2:34 p.m. Eastern Time, but it does not appear to be affecting all iCloud users. Some impacted users are unable to browse the web without turning iCloud Private Relay off, while others are...

Top Rated Comments

xpxp2002 Avatar
18 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)
Michael Scrip Avatar
18 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)
xpxp2002 Avatar
18 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)
melapple Avatar
18 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)
Devnul0 Avatar
18 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)
tomnavratil Avatar
18 months ago
Hopefully they fix the annoying bug where you can't control the soundbar or HDMI CEC-connected sound device in general via the volume buttons (even after trying to learn it over and over).
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)