It looks like tvOS 26.4 will be available to everyone at the end of March – here are three changes coming to your Apple TV then.
tvOS 26.4 brings 3 changes to your Apple TV
Currently, tvOS 26.4 is available as beta 2 and includes the following changes:
1. Subtitle adjustments
The first change in tvOS 26.4 is that it makes it easier to change the appearance of the closed captions in the Apple TV app. The options for adjusting subtitles are now directly in the video player. When you turn captions on or off in the Apple TV app, you’ll see a new Style menu option. You can set subtitles to one of the following styles:
- Classic
- Large Text
- Outline Text
- Transparent Background
There is also a button called ‘Manage Styles’. This allows you to create a custom subtitle style yourself. Any app that uses the default tvOS video player will benefit from this feature. However, many streaming apps opt for their own video player, so the AppleTVapp is probably the main place you’ll see this change.
2.Continuous Audio Connection
Another change in tvOS 26.4 is the handy new ‘Continuous Audio Connection’ feature. You can find this option as follows:
- Open the Settings app;
- Click on ‘Video and Audio’;
- Under the heading ‘HDMI Output’, select ‘Audio Format’;
This feature may have been added to improve compatibility with Sonos speakers, but the effect is broader than that. Apple describes the option as follows:
“Apple TV uses a Dolby MAT connection for seamless transitions across formats. Older receivers might indicate Atmos, but the original audio will play as intended.”
“Apple TV uses a Dolby MAT connection for seamless transitions between formats. Older receivers may indicate Atmos, but the original audio will play as intended.”
If you’re having trouble with your Apple TV’s audio settings, turning on Continuous Audio Connection may help.
3. No more iTunes apps for movies and TV shows
The slow migration of iTunes apps to the TV app is finally coming to an end with a change to tvOS 26.4. The new software update removes the Movies and TV shows apps. Almost all the basic functions of these apps have been available in the TV app for years. However, there is one feature that users may miss: the Wish List feature.
Recently, Apple started informing iTunes users that the Wish List feature will be discontinued soon. The recommended solution is to save those Wish List items to the Watchlist of the TV app. The Watchlist isn’t quite the same, but if you have any Wish List items saved in iTunes, now is a good time to save those items elsewhere.
Release tvOS 26.4
As mentioned, tvOS 26.4 will probably be available to everyone in the second half of March, at the same time as iOS 26.4. In the meantime, more test versions will be released, which may contain even more features. Don’t want to miss any of that? Then sign up for our daily or weekly newsletter so you always stay informed!
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