Apple Seeds First Beta of tvOS 16.5 to Developers - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Apple Seeds First Beta of tvOS 16.5 to Developers

by

Apple today seeded the first beta of an upcoming tvOS 16.5 update to developers for testing purposes, with the beta coming a day after the launch of tvOS 16.4.

Apple TV 2022 Feature Orange
Registered developers are able to download the tvOS 16.5 update by downloading a profile on the Apple TV using Xcode.

tvOS updates are usually minor, focusing on internal bug fixes and improvements rather than notable outward-facing changes. There is no word as of yet what's included in the tvOS 16.5 update, but we'll update this article if we find anything new.

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

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)
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

S
_Spinn_
45 months ago
I wish Apple would let us update the Apple TV from the Home app.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
M
munpip214
45 months ago
Bitstream please! (I know it will probably never happen 😭)
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Surf Monkey Avatar
Surf Monkey
45 months ago

Update? You can't even turn it on/off from the Home app.
Exactly. This is another example of an obvious, GAPING hole in Apple’s software platform right now. The ability to control an ATV via Home should have been added years ago. The commands should be easy to send over wi-fi, yet Apple neglects this simple functionality… while hyping their fundamentally broken smart home strategy. You can’t even turn it on and off via shortcuts. Lame.

Tim Cook’s Apple simply isn’t interested in the software side and it’s severely damaging the whole Apple experience.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
S
sparky672
45 months ago

I wish Apple would let us update the Apple TV from the Home app.
Update? You can't even turn it on/off from the Home app.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Realityck Avatar
Realityck
45 months ago

Glad I am reading this. No reason to change from Google (my house) or Fire stick (parents) if Apple have degraded this into a bug-ridden advertising mess. I already endure that. Don't need to pay 3x as much for the privilege.
None of the streaming apps show any advertisement unless time taking about within the Apple TV app that acts as Apple TV + access also. There is no advertisement mess if you use this as a streaming digital receiver. The only way you will get ads is your using a low-cost subscription like Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max w/ads or free registered used that ads are part of the playback like Tubi.

Some confusion comes from the digital streaming receiver ID is Apple TV 4K. Then you have the Apple TV app. Then you have Apple TV + VoD (paid subscription)
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Surf Monkey Avatar
Surf Monkey
45 months ago

Homekit is still buggy after 16.4 release. It's really sad.
It’s more than HomeKit. The TV app is broken too. For shame, Apple. These updates have consistently failed to address obvious problems while choking the TV app’s interface with egregious ads for Apple TV shows and movies.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments