Hands-On With the New tvOS 13 Update for Fourth and Fifth-Generation Apple TV

Apple in June unveiled new versions of iOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS, but the TV update, tvOS 13, hasn't received much coverage, so we thought we'd go hands-on with the software so MacRumors readers know what to expect when tvOS 13 launches this fall.

tvOS updates are always more minor in scale than other software updates, but tvOS 13 brings a decent number of new features worth checking out.


After installing tvOS 13, the first thing that's noticeable is a new Home screen. The updated Home screen does away with the top menu bar and the Watch Now screen that used to be front and center, replacing it with icons that include Apple TV, the App Store, iTunes movies, iTunes TV shows, and Apple Music.

Watch Now is now only accessible within the TV app rather than being available right when you turn the ‌Apple TV‌ on. Instead of displaying Watch Now content, highlighting the TV app on the Home screen offers up a "What to Watch" interface with content recommendations.

tvos13interface
Highlighting the ‌App Store‌ brings up app recommendations, and the same is true for Movies and TV shows. The ‌Apple Music‌ icon shows "Today's Video Hits" with autoplay silent video.

Apps are able to play full-screen video previews right on the Home screen, which is similar to how content autoplays in Netflix when you're browsing through available TV shows and Movies.

tvOS 13 brings a new Picture-in-Picture mode, designed to let you watch TV shows or movies while you're navigating through the rest of the tvOS 13 operating system. Controls at the bottom of the picture-in-picture interface allow for returning to full screen, pausing content, and closing the picture-in-picture window.

tvos13pictureinpicture
Multiple users are supported in tvOS 13, so more than one profile is available on the ‌Apple TV‌. Each member of the family can sign into their own ‌Apple TV‌ profiles to get customized Watch Now lists, content recommendations, and ‌Apple Music‌ playlists. Switching between profiles can be done through the new Control Center. The Control Center includes the time and date, easy access to search, a Now Playing widget, AirPlay controls, a sleep feature, and an option to switch between users.

tvos13controlcenter
There's a new ‌Apple Music‌ feature that displays scrolling lyrics synced in time with the music that's playing, and Apple has added a new Wireless Audio Sync option that uses the iPhone's microphone to calibrate audio synced to ‌Apple TV‌, such as through a speaker system.

tvOS 13 gets the ‌Apple TV‌ ready for Apple Arcade, Apple's upcoming subscription gaming service. As part of ‌Apple Arcade‌ preparations, Apple has added support for the Xbox Wireless Bluetooth Controller and the PlayStation DualShock 4 Controller, allowing gaming controllers many people already have at home to be used with ‌App Store‌ games.

There are also new screensavers in tvOS 13, which were created by the BBC Natural History Unit, aka the team behind the "Blue Planet" series. These new screensavers showcase the deep ocean around the world, showing off under-the-sea creatures and scenes. The new screensavers don't appear to be active in the beta, but will be available when tvOS 13 launches.

tvos13screensavers
Right now, tvOS 13 is available to both developers and public beta testers, and Apple is planning to launch it in the fall after a few months of beta testing to work out bugs and refine features.

For more on what's coming in tvOS 13, make sure to check out our tvOS 13 roundup.

Related Roundup: Apple TV
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Don't Buy)

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro 34ths Perspective

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 10 New Features

Sunday March 23, 2025 10:00 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of March 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
maxresdefault

Apple Releases iOS 18.4 With Priority Notifications, Ambient Music, New Emoji and More

Monday March 31, 2025 10:03 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4, the fourth major updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating system updates that came out last year. iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 come two months after Apple released iOS 18.3 and iPadOS 18.3. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to...
top stories 2025 03 29

Top Stories: WWDC 2025 Announced, iPhone 17 Pro and iOS 19 Rumors, and More

Saturday March 29, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
Apple's big developer event is a little over two months away, and rumors about what we can expect to see in Apple's next major operating system updates are becoming increasingly frequent. A public release of iOS 18.4 is also imminent with a number of updates and improvements, although we won't be getting the major Apple Intelligence Siri upgrades that had reportedly been planned for this...
Magic Mouse Green

What to Expect From the Magic Mouse 3

Saturday March 29, 2025 10:15 am PDT by
Apple is reportedly working on a new Magic Mouse. Below, we recap what to expect. The two key rumors for the Magic Mouse 3 so far include a relocated charging port, along with a more ergonomic design. It was briefly rumored that the Magic Mouse 3 would also feature voice control, but that was misinterpreted information. Relocated Charging Port While the Magic Mouse switched from...
iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Expected Next Week - Here Are the Release Notes

Friday March 28, 2025 2:01 pm PDT by
With the second release candidate of iOS 18.4 that Apple seeded out today, the company finally provided us with release notes that give a full rundown on what to expect. There's an Apple Vision Pro app, new Apple Intelligence features for notifications and additional language support, plus an Apple News Food feature for Apple News+ subscribers, and several updates that should improve the...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature Homescreen

Six Things to Know About Apple's Upcoming Foldable iPhone

Friday March 28, 2025 3:54 pm PDT by
We've been hearing rumors about a foldable iPhone for almost a decade now, but it looks like we might finally see the device come to fruition in 2026. We're going to be waiting many more months for the foldable iPhone, but so far we're hearing good things. Apple wants to make it creaseless. It's taken Apple multiple years to design a foldable iPhone that it's satisfied with because Apple ...
iOS 19 visionOS UI Elements

Apple Codename Provides Clue About iOS 19's Rumored New Design

Sunday March 30, 2025 6:40 am PDT by
Multiple sources have claimed that iOS 19 will introduce a new design with more translucent buttons, menus, notification banners, and more, and there is now another clue that points towards this glass-like appearance. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today said the new design project is codenamed "Solarium" internally. A solarium is a room with glass walls that allow in plenty of sunlight, so this...
macOS Sequoia Feature

Apple Releases macOS Sequoia 15.4 With Mail Categorization and More

Monday March 31, 2025 10:04 am PDT by
Apple today released macOS Sequoia 15.4, the fourth major update to the macOS Sequoia operating system that launched in September. macOS Sequoia 15.4 comes two months after the launch of macOS Sequoia 15.3. Mac users can download the ‌‌macOS Sequoia‌‌ update through the Software Update section of System Settings. It is available for free on all Macs able to run macOS 15. With...

Top Rated Comments

Sethal Avatar
75 months ago

Apps are able to play full-screen video previews right on the Home screen, which is similar to how content autoplays in Netflix when you're browsing through available TV shows and Movies.
One of the worst features about Netflix and they bring it system wide to Apple TV. Fantastic.
Score: 44 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mryingster Avatar
75 months ago
One of the worst features about Netflix and they bring it system wide to Apple TV. Fantastic.
My thoughts exactly. I want an option to disable this system-wide.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Frankied22 Avatar
75 months ago
That autoplay when browsing garbage needs to be removed ASAP. I absolutely hate that in Netflix. I want to just browse for what I want to watch and if you leave the selection on one thing for a second too long suddenly its blaring some trailer garbage in my face.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iDento Avatar
75 months ago
Feature request: passcode for switching between multiuser profiles.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Jimmy James Avatar
75 months ago
One of the worst features about Netflix and they bring it system wide to Apple TV. Fantastic.
Agreed. It distracts me from making my decision and presents my kids with shows I don’t necessarily want them to watch. Not a single redeeming benefit to my viewing.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Braderunner Avatar
75 months ago
I want new ATV hardware! o_O
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)