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Good news, Apple TV fans: the big tvOS free upgrade at WWDC today is claimed to work on all models going back 10 years

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Your Apple TV isn't going to be obsolete any time soon

Apple TV 4K Gen 2 and Gen 3 side by side against black background
(Image credit: Future)
  • tvOS 26 said to come to the 2015 Apple TV HD and later models
  • "Dramatic" visual changes may not be so dramatic on Apple TV
  • More gaming features are coming, and most likely AI too

Apple's WWDC 2025 event begins today, and you can read about all of the last-minute rumors in our WWDC liveblog. One certainty is that Apple execs will use so many superlatives that you'll develop a twitch whenever you hear the word "incredible". But it's going to be an interesting event because Apple is expected to show off significant upgrades to all of its operating systems.

iOS 26 is going to be the star, because of course the iPhone is Apple's most important product. But we'll also be getting upgrades to the other OSes, including tvOS, and there's good news on that front: a new report says Apple expects to bring tvOS 26 to Apple TV models going back a decade.

What Apple TV models will get tvOS 26?

The news of supported devices comes via MacRumors and a super-secret X account with "a proven track record for upcoming software updates". MacRumors says it has "high confidence" that the source is correct, and if that's the case, then tvOS is coming to all of these Apple TV models:

  • Apple TV HD (2015)
  • Apple TV 4K (1st generation, 2017)
  • Apple TV 4K (2nd generation, 2021)
  • Apple TV 4K (3rd generation, 2022)

If you're wondering where tvOS 20 to 25 went, they don't and won't exist: Apple is changing its numbering system so all of its operating system versions are in sync, so that means iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS 26, watchOS 26, visionOS 26 and tvOS 26 are all coming this year (and no, you haven't missed a year, it's still 2025).

We're expecting to see a visual refresh across all of those systems, with what's been described as a "liquid glass" interface; the difference may be less dramatic on tvOS than on iPhone, as Apple has been quietly tweaking the tvOS interface in recent months.

We don't yet know what else could be coming to tvOS 26, but more AI-powered features are likely, and Apple has already announced a new cross-platform Games app. We'll hopefully find out more later today, June 9.

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Carrie Marshall
Carrie Marshall

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Writer, broadcaster, musician and kitchen gadget obsessive Carrie Marshall has been writing about tech since 1998, contributing sage advice and odd opinions to all kinds of magazines and websites as well as writing more than twenty books. Her latest, a love letter to music titled Small Town Joy, is on sale now. She is the singer in spectacularly obscure Glaswegian rock band Unquiet Mind.

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