tvOS 27 is a relatively small but valuable update to Apple TV, with improvements to Podcasts, downloads, performance, and accessibility. Unfortunately, tvOS 27 leaves two older Apple TV models behind, clearly shifting the focus to the more recent Apple TV 4K 2nd generation and newer.
Although tvOS 27 did not receive attention during the keynote, some concrete improvements have been made that can significantly improve your user experience. In this article we have clearly listed all known innovations so far, including information about support and availability, so that you know exactly what to expect as soon as the update is released. this fall is available.
tvOS 27 puts the finishing touches
tvOS 27 mainly focuses on three main thrusts: user interface refinement, more advanced media features, and improved accessibility. Impressive, visible functions such as in previous versions will be omitted for the time being. As with iOS, iPadOS and macOS, tvOS focuses primarily on optimizing the software, resulting in significant improvements in responsiveness and performance.
Faster apps and animations
Apple emphasizes that app launches and animations in tvOS 27 feel significantly smoother and faster. These improvements are especially noticeable when switching between apps or starting a game. This increases overall responsiveness, resulting in faster loading times and a smoother interface.
Hi‑Res Lossless audio for Apple Music
In tvOS 27, Apple Music finally adds support for Hi-Res Lossless audio, which now plays music in much higher quality than before. This upgrade uses audio formats with a higher sample rate and bit depth (up to 24-bit/192 kHz), providing greater detail, depth and more accurate music reproduction, provided you have the right audio equipment, such as a compatible AV receiver or DAC.
Faster AirPlay connections
With tvOS 27, Apple claims that AirPlay connections from other Apple devices will be established faster. This is interesting if you often send photos, videos or screen displays to Apple TV, for example from iPhone, iPad or Mac.
Smart downloads
tvOS 27 introduces smart downloads that simplify offline content management on Apple TV. This includes automatic app downloads and cleanups that take into account app usage and available storage. This is especially useful for Apple TV models with limited storage capacity, as it prevents you from having to constantly manually delete old apps to make room for new ones.
Renewed Podcasts app
One of the most notable innovations is the updated Podcasts app on Apple TV. Apple promises a fresher interface that better reflects the Podcasts experience on iPhone and iPad, with cleaner navigation and easier access to your library. The Apple TV is therefore an excellent platform to listen to your long podcasts, now that the Podcast app also supports videos.
Larger text and more readable interface
An important accessibility innovation is the new option for larger text in the tvOS settings. This allows you to scale up the text size of menus, descriptions, and other interface items, similar to the larger text settings on iPhone and iPad.
The function uses Apple’s Dynamic Type system, so that all apps that correctly support this technology automatically scale. This is especially nice for users with reduced vision or if you sit at a greater distance from the television.
Other innovations in tvOS 27
- Live transcription for video without subtitles: This feature allows Apple TV to automatically convert narration in movies or home videos to closed captions, completely locally on the device (only in English)
- Made for iPhone hearing aids work better with Apple devices, including Apple TV. They can easily switch between devices, just like AirPods, so audio from Apple TV goes directly to the hearing aid without complicated pairing.
- In the settings there is a section for AppleCare coverage of your Apple TV. Here you can quickly see whether your AppleCare is active and how long the coverage remains.
- With the Remote app for iPhone you can now easily control your Apple TV from your iPhone
Availability tvOS 27
The tvOS 27 update is only available for the Apple TV 4K 2nd generation from 2021 or newer models. The Apple TV HD and the first generation of Apple TV 4K cannot install the software update and are limited to an older version of tvOS 26 without the Liquid Glass design.