Your Apple TV could miss out on tvOS 27 ‣ Diverse Daily

During its recent WWDC 2026 keynote, Apple announced tvOS 27, the next major software update for Apple TV devices. However, with Apple heavily focusing on Siri AI during the presentation — its upgraded Siri, enhanced by Apple Intelligence, coming with iOS 27 — tvOS 27 received very little attention, earning only a brief mention in the hour-and-twenty-minute event.

Fortunately though, Apple has released tvOS 27 in developer beta, offering a clearer picture of what’s coming and what Apple TV users can expect when the update launches later this year.

Some of the highlights include up to 30 percent faster app launches, improved Control Center performance, and a new Larger Text accessibility option. This feature increases text size throughout the tvOS interface, making menus and on-screen content easier to read.

While those performance upgrades and accessibility improvements are certainly welcome, there’s a big catch: not every Apple TV will support them. With tvOS 27, Apple is dropping support for two older Apple TV models, meaning some users will be left behind when the update arrives this fall.

tvOS 27 support is extremely limited

Only two Apple TV models support it

According to MacRumors, the upcoming tvOS 27 update will drop support for two Apple TV models: the Apple TV HD (2015) and the Apple TV 4K (1st generation, 2017).

That leaves just two Apple TV models that actually support tvOS 27: the Apple TV 4K (2nd generation, 2021) and the latest Apple TV 4K (3rd generation, 2022).

It’s not entirely clear why Apple has decided to cut off support for the 2015 Apple TV HD and the first-gen Apple TV 4K from 2017, especially since both devices supported tvOS 26. Given that tvOS 27 doesn’t appear to introduce major overhauls (at least not yet), it would’ve been nice to see those performance improvements reach older Apple TV hardware as well.

What’s coming with tvOS 27

A new Apple TV 4K could also launch later this year

An Apple TV 4K (2021) and the Siri Remote sitting on a couch arm.

So far, the list of changes coming with tvOS 27 isn’t very long, but one thing stands out right away: Siri AI is currently absent from the update.

That may not be much of a surprise, since the current third-gen Apple TV 4K (2022) doesn’t support Apple Intelligence. However, with a new Apple TV 4K rumored to launch later this year, that could change. If I had to make an educated guess, we may see a much bigger wave of tvOS 27 changes once Apple officially unveils new Apple TV hardware this fall. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has already reported that a new Apple TV is “ready to go” and that Apple is essentially waiting for Siri AI to be released before launching it.

That said, beyond Siri AI missing and a potential new Apple TV 4K coming, tvOS 27 still brings a handful of notable changes to supported devices.

Some of the highlights I’ve already mentioned include up to 30 percent faster app launches, a more responsive Control Center, and the new Larger Text accessibility option. But there are a few additional tweaks reported by FlatPanelsHD as well, including the ability to check AppleCare coverage directly in tvOS settings, Hi-Res Lossless audio support in Apple Music, a redesigned Podcasts app, and improved game controller settings.

If you want to try tvOS 27 early, you can download the developer beta now. Just keep in mind it’s still in early beta, so bugs and stability issues are to be expected. A public beta is expected later this summer, ahead of a full release in the fall, likely in September.

Overall, it’s a bit disappointing to see Apple cutting off older Apple TV models with tvOS 27, especially given how modest the changes look so far. But with a new Apple TV 4K likely on the way, there’s a good chance we won’t really see what tvOS 27 is fully capable of until later this year.