Your Apple TV box may miss tvOS 27 – only two generations supported
Apple is halting ongoing support for a couple of Apple TV models, halving the compatible devices. New hardware is rumoured to be arriving soon.
Fresh off the knowledge that Apple is cutting off the last Intel-based Macs and four generations across three models of Apple Watch from the 2026 software updates, there’s also bad news for Apple TV owners.
Following the launch of the tvOS beta version for developers, it has become apparent that two Apple TV models will not be eligible to update beyond tvOS 26. They are the Apple TV HD fourth-generation model from 2015 (model A1625). Furthermore, the first-generation Apple TV 4K from 2017 (model A1842) will also miss out on tvOS 27.
That leaves only two iterations of the hardware that survive into the new software era. The second-gen Apple TV 4K from 2021 (model number A2169, and the third-generation Apple TV 4K model from the following year (models A21843 and A2737). If you’re not clear which generation you have, head to Settings > General > About to see the model number.
tvOS 27 is expected to be released to consumers this autumn and looks like a rather modest update on paper. There’s a redesigned podcast app, smoother app launches, faster AirPlay connectivity, and smart downloads. Everyday users will be able to test the beta from July and more features could follow during the release cycle.
It’s not clear yet whether the new Siri AI app is coming to the Apple TV yet. It has been speculated that Apple has a new version of the Apple TV hardware ready to roll for months while Apple gets its ducks in a row for the new Siri assistant, powered by Google Gemini. The company didn’t mention any Apple TV-specific Siri features during Monday’s WWDC keynote address.
Chris Smith
