Apple has opened the tvOS 27 public beta to everyone, and if you have a compatible Apple TV 4K, you can install it today. This tutorial walks through enrolling at beta.apple.com and getting the update onto your Apple TV. Before starting, confirm your hardware: tvOS 27 requires an Apple TV 4K (2nd generation, 2021) or newer. The Apple TV HD (2015) and the original Apple TV 4K (2017) are no longer supported; tvOS 27 compatibility covers the full list of supported devices.
The public beta is equivalent to the third developer beta, which means it has already had several weeks of testing and refinement and is more stable than the first developer beta that shipped June 8. It is still beta software, however, and bugs can occur. If this Apple TV sits in your main living room and outages would be genuinely annoying, consider waiting a few more weeks until the build stabilises further.
- Sign up for the Apple Beta Software Program. On any browser, go to beta.apple.com and sign in with your Apple Account. If you have never enrolled before, click Sign Up and agree to the terms. Enrollment is free.
- Enroll your Apple TV in the public beta profile. Once signed in at beta.apple.com, find the tvOS section and click Enroll Your Apple TV. This links your Apple Account to the public beta program for tvOS. You do not need to download or sideload any profile manually; the enrollment is handled account-side.
- Open Settings on your Apple TV. From the Apple TV home screen, navigate to the Settings app and select System.
- Enable beta updates. Inside System, go to Software Updates, then toggle on Get Beta Updates. Your Apple TV needs to be signed in with the same Apple Account you used to enroll at beta.apple.com. If the toggle does not appear, confirm the accounts match.
- Check for the tvOS 27 update. Still inside Software Updates, select Update Software. The Apple TV will check Apple’s servers. The tvOS 27 public beta should appear as an available update. If it does not show up immediately, wait a few minutes and check again; propagation can take a short while.Tip: iOS 27 users can also trigger this update from their iPhone. Open the Home app, find your Apple TV, and look in the Software Update section. You can download and install the update from there without the Apple TV needing to be actively in use.
- Download and install. Select the tvOS 27 beta update and confirm the download. The Apple TV will download the update, install it, and restart automatically. The process typically takes ten to twenty minutes depending on your connection speed. Leave the Apple TV connected to power throughout.
- Confirm the installation. After the restart, go to Settings > System > About and verify the software version shows tvOS 27.
The most visible changes in tvOS 27 are the redesigned Podcasts app with sidebar navigation and Smart Downloads, Hi-Res Lossless Audio in Apple Music, faster app launches, and quicker AirPlay connections. Dynamic Type support for larger text is also included. Siri AI is not part of this first public beta; Apple is expected to add it before the final release in September 2026.
If at any point the beta causes problems and you want to revert, the only way back to tvOS 26 is a full restore via Apple Configurator 2 on a Mac. There is no over-the-air downgrade path, which is the main reason to think twice before installing on your primary Apple TV.
