Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

MacRumors

macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
69,429
40,518


Apple today seeded the second public betas of tvOS 26 and watchOS 26 to Apple TV and Apple Watch users who have signed up for the public beta program. The second tvOS 26 and watchOS 26 public betas come two weeks after Apple seeded the first public betas.

General-visionOS-watchOS-and-tvOS-Betas-Feature-Redux.jpg

watchOS 26 and tvOS 26 can be downloaded through the Settings app on each device after you sign up on Apple's beta website.

The updates adopt Apple's Liquid Glass aesthetic, which is also coming in macOS Tahoe and iOS 26. Liquid Glass focuses on transparency and a more rounded look for menus and other interface elements.

watchOS 26 includes Workout Buddy, an Apple Intelligence feature meant to motivate you during your workouts. The Workout app interface has been redesigned, the Smart Stack has more actionable suggestions, the Messages app offer Live Translation and better Smart Replies, and the Phone app features like Call Screening and Hold Assist are available on the watch. Apple also brought the Notes app to the Apple Watch, so you can create notes and view existing notes right from your wrist.

watchos-26-main.jpg

tvOS 26 supports a new Apple Music Sing feature that uses the iPhone as a microphone, plus there are new lyric translation and pronunciation tools. FaceTime has been updated with incoming call notifications and contact posters, there are new aerial screen savers, and there's an option to set an AirPlay speaker as a permanent speaker for an Apple TV.

tvOS-26.jpg

watchOS 26 and tvOS 26 are set to launch this fall alongside iOS 26 and macOS Tahoe.

Article Link: Apple Seeds Second Public Betas of tvOS 26 and watchOS 26
 
For the stickler for default nerds among us… what is the normal icon user for the top shelf on a clean install of tvOS 26? And the new Sing app icon, where does it show up if you make no user changes?
 
After updating to beta2 I’m pretty darn sure I charged my watch 8 fully before I went to bed and now like 5 hours later it was empty 😳
 
After updating to beta2 I’m pretty darn sure I charged my watch 8 fully before I went to bed and now like 5 hours later it was empty 😳
Yeah. Developer beta 5 (same as PB 2) drains my AW8 battery way faster than DB4
 
We’re two public betas and 5 dev betas into this and the Games app still can’t be navigated with a controller as a games launcher as promised at WWDC2025. How difficult can it be to let the controller do what it does on Apple TV but in the Games app instead?
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.