Every year, Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference gives us a first look at what’s coming next to the company’s many operating systems. But missing from today’s keynote, apart from a single graphic listing all current Apple OSes next to a big “27,” was any mention of tvOS.
The whole structure of this year’s WWDC was different, with features delineating the presentation structure instead of sections for each OS update. But there were still major mentions for macOS 27, iOS 27, and iPadOS 27. They’re getting Siri AI, customizable transparency options for Liquid Glass, and some new child safety features. Even visionOS was included with new Siri AI features. tvOS was conspicuously absent, including from Apple’s website.
In a recent announcement of upcoming accessibility features, Apple mentioned larger text support is coming to tvOS, allowing those with low vision to increase onscreen text size (Amazon announced its version of this for the Fire TV Stick HD in April). But I was expecting that to be a precursor to more reveals during WWDC as opposed to an utter absence.
My hope was a more integrated Apple Home experience with the Apple TV 4K, where it could act as the hub for your entire smart home. Right now it’s possible to view camera feeds or activate different scenes that are set up, but it’s more limited than the interaction you can get on an iPad or iPhone. And it’s far behind the TV integration from Amazon Alexa or Google Home.
The main limitation is the hardware. A new Apple TV has been rumored for a couple of years, since the most recent Apple TV 4K came out in 2022. And according to Mark Gurman, the new Apple TV is basically ready to go, which could be good news. To support Siri AI, or even Apple Intelligence, the Apple TV needs to be more powerful (the A15 Bionic chip in the Apple TV originally came out nearly five years ago). The effect is being felt across Apple’s lineup, with older Watches, iPads, and even some Macs being aged out. So a new device that can run the features highlighted during WWDC and bring Apple TV up to the same level as Amazon and Google is sorely needed.
There’s a chance something interesting will show up when a tvOS 27 public beta update becomes available. As I write this, other OS 27 public betas are becoming available, including iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 (and a waitlist for Siri AI). So far, though, my Apple TV 4K’s software updates page sits dormant. And without a current Apple TV that is actually capable of running the new Siri, we’ll likely be waiting until the end of the year for anything significant to come for tvOS.