Apple Releases tvOS 26.1

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Apple today released tvOS 26.1, an update to the tvOS 26 operating system that came out in September. tvOS 26.1 is available on the Apple TV 4K and the ‌Apple TV‌ HD models, but Liquid Glass is only available on the second-generation ‌Apple TV‌ 4K or later.

tvOS 26 Feature
tvOS 26 can be downloaded using the Settings app on the ‌‌‌Apple TV‌‌‌. Open up Settings and go to System > Software Update to get the new software. ‌‌‌Apple TV‌‌‌ owners who have automatic software updates activated will be upgraded to tvOS 26.1 automatically.

Apple shares release notes for tvOS in its tvOS support document when new versions are released, but no new features were found during the beta testing process.

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

Radeon85 Avatar
Radeon85
14 weeks ago
iOS 26 and 26.1 are horrible on the Apple TV 4K 2nd gen, the UI is just a laggy stuttery mess. 18 ran very smoothly in comparison. They really should have dropped liquid glass for the 2nd generation because the A12 GPU can't handle it very well whatsoever.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
F23 Avatar
F23
14 weeks ago
give us an Apple TV with M5 chip Tim, turn it into a gaming console Timmy
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Radeon85 Avatar
Radeon85
14 weeks ago
The 3rd gen Apple TV 4K is using the A15, the 2nd gen is using the much older A12, the A12 simply can't render the effects smoothly enough, the A15 shouldn't have any issues as it's significantly faster than the A12. When playing back content, there are no issues at all there, it's just the home screen UI that's stuttery and a little laggy.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
xnsys Avatar
xnsys
13 weeks ago
This Liquid Glass is so cool that you can actually see it being implemented in various menus, like in the AppleTV app, if you go up to Library menu, you can see it being drawn, like it has to work it out...
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Baritone_Guy Avatar
Baritone_Guy
14 weeks ago

iOS 26 and 26.1 are horrible on the Apple TV 4K 2nd gen, the UI is just a laggy stuttery mess. 18 ran very smoothly in comparison. They really should have dropped liquid glass for the 2nd generation because the A12 GPU can't handle it very well whatsoever.

I appreciate your report and am so happy I'd kept my ATV 4K 1st gen units on "manual update mode".

I still have an Apple TV HD so definitely no liquid glass, but it is the oldest device that can still run 26 and 26.1, the UI on that actually runs a lot smoother, a device 10 years old running the A8 CPU which is nuts. I love liquid glass, but I wish we could fully disable it on these older devices. I did try turning on "Reduce Transparency", but it does nothing to increase the performance.

Yes. Visuals should never be taking precedence over acceptable and smooth performance.
I have the current 4k and am not experiencing any of this. All my video consumption is through it including Live TV.

Maybe I am lucky.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
turbineseaplane Avatar
turbineseaplane
14 weeks ago

I have the current 4k
I think I found the key point ?

Which is why @Radeon85 said this ?


I love liquid glass, but I wish we could fully disable it on these older devices.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
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