tvOS 26 Adds These New Features to Your Apple TV

[fatTribble]

I wish Apple would understand that not all TV shows are serialized and people do rewatch random episodes. The indicator for whether an episode has been watched becomes meaningless. It seems lately it sometimes won’t play the next episode but gives a Rewatch Episode button. How about a Shuffle option? Just show me a random episode of this show.

The Watch List is built with the assumption that you’re currently watching a small number of shows. Give us an entire grid screen (like Paramount +) rather than the single horizontal scroll list. As @ipedro said let us order the Watch List.

This is all pretty low tech. No AI required.

 

[MrTemple]

They should just allow any iPad or iPhone game that supports controller to work on Apple TV just like they do on iPad with iPhone apps.
Not sure if this update includes this or not but profiles need to segregate more than just your Apple ID stuff when you switch.

I suspect the issue with allowing any iphone/ipad app to work is that our iOS apps are very personal and often private, while the ATV is still very much a shared device.

You're exactly right that they still have work to do to bridge that. They've resisted making a true multi-user iOS (same as tvOS) device in the past, and that's biting them a bit with the TV.

tvOS 26 is moving a bit more towards the option of actually using profiles, but it still doesn't work in that for a lot of apps you want multiple profiles that don't exactly map to an iOS account. Either becuase one person wants multiple profiles, or because you want a separate profile for when you're watching content with your family, or that your kids watch etc.

It's just not as simple as tying profiles in-app to apple ids. You'd want more privacy for some apps, and others you'd want to be able to share the app data (or some of it) across apple ids.

Maybe at least for the Games app, they can have it completely isolated. Because you're less likely to want to share game profiles...

 

[LFO8]

I just read that my Apple TV HD (2015-2022) will still receive the tvOS 26 update (any tv model from that year on). So that would be so great of no current models are dropped out!

 

[sjsharksfan12]

I was browsing through my Apple TV today (Store and just apps in general) and there was another simple thing that I'm surprised has not been added. Why can't we have an update all button? Have a tab in the App store called apps on your TV and then another tab saying apps to be updated. I have automatic app updates turned off and there is still no way to check if an app needs an update in one place? This is an issue I have with TVOS that can easily be fixed. This OS has been around for 10+ years and there are still things missing from day one that can be added and make the whole thing better. I don't think it's too much to ask that the device I watch TV on becomes a little more user friendly with each update.

Of course maybe the other streamers are like this too, but I know on Roku you can actually check each app individually and it will say if there is an update. You don't need to go into the app store to do that.

 

[Chudasiya]

Will Apple Music on TVOS 26 have AutoMix? None of the Dev Beta 1 hands-on reviews seem to mention that, but we always have music playing in our home from Apple TV, so would be great to have that. Is there a hardware deficiency that prevented them from adding crossfade and now (seemingly) AutoMix?