tvOS 26 is here, but only newer Apple TVs get the full experience

Summary

• Apple’s current-generation set-top box, the Apple TV 4K (2022), recently received a software update to tvOS 26.
• A number of older Apple TVs also received tvOS 26, but with a catch: the Liquid Glass redesign and the Karaoke Mode are limited to certain models only.
• Here’s the lowdown on which models benefit from Apple’s slick new visual redesign, and which models are left in the dust.

Alongside its version 26 release of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and visionOS, Apple pushed out tvOS 26 to compatible Apple TV models earlier this week. As with its other platforms, tvOS 26’s headlining feature is a top-down visual overhaul, with a new Liquid Glass design language freshening up interface elements across the entire system.

As it turns out, however, tvOS 26 and Liquid Glass are not one and the same. Only second-generation and third-generation Apple TV 4K models are outfitted with Apple’s all-new software aesthetic, leaving other tvOS 26-clad Apple TVs behind. For reference, the first-generation Apple TV 4K is compatible with tvOS 26, as is every Apple TV HD unit going as far back as 2015.

…in all likelihood, Liquid Glass would stutter and lag on these older streaming systems.

Apple never mentioned this particular compatibility sore point out loud on stage, but it’s not surprising. Liquid Glass’ real-time light reflections and liberal use of refractive elements is impressive, but it’s also computationally taxing. The A10X Fusion chip dates back to 2017, and the Apple TV HD’s A8 processor is a relic from 2014 — in all likelihood, Liquid Glass would stutter and lag on these older streaming systems.

Thankfully, the rest of the tvOS 26 suite of features is available across all compatible Apple TV models, save for the Apple Music Sing karaoke mode that requires the third-generation model and at least an iPhone 11 or third-generation iPhone SE. Other cross-model features within tvOS 26 include a redesigned Apple TV app, revamped display profiles, Contact Posters for FaceTime, new Aerial screensavers, and more.

The Apple TV 4K is due for a refresh

Apple’s current set-top box hardware is getting long in the tooth

Apple TV set-top boxes never receive as much fanfare as, say, the latest iPhones, but they’re a well-established product category within Apple’s hardware portfolio nonetheless. The latest Apple TV (and the only model currently being sold directly by Apple) is the third-generation 4K model, which was released all the way back in November 2022.

A lot has changed in tech in the nearly three years since the release of the last Apple TV, and it’s high time the company refreshed the product for the modern age. September’s iPhone 17 keynote came and went without any mention of TV streaming hardware, leaving me to wonder if there will be yet another Apple hardware event sometime before the end of the calendar year.

…a new Apple TV 4K would naturally ship with tvOS 26 out of the box, complete with Liquid Glass.

In any case, rumors point towards a fourth-generation Apple TV 4K shipping with an A17 Pro chipset, out-of-box support for Apple Intelligence AI features, and newer Bluetooth 5.3 and Wi-Fi 7 connectivity standards. These inclusions would certainly go a long way in future-proofing the device, while unlocking the potential for true AAA video gaming and other more powerful software applications.

Of course, a new Apple TV 4K would naturally ship with tvOS 26 out of the box, complete with Liquid Glass and all the other perks introduced by Apple in this particular software release. Even with Liquid Glass coming to second-generation and third-generation models, I still think the out-of-box tvOS 26 experience would lend this theoretical fourth-generation Apple TV a distinct identity of its own.