Apple Releases tvOS 18.6

Tuesday July 29, 2025 10:11 am PDT by Juli Clover

Apple today released tvOS 18.6, the latest version of the tvOS operating system. tvOS 18.6 comes 11 weeks after the launch of tvOS 18.5, and it is available for the Apple TV 4K and ‌Apple TV‌ HD models.

tvOS 18 Feature
tvOS 18.6 can be downloaded using the Settings app on the ‌‌Apple TV‌‌. Open up Settings and go to System > Software Update to get the new software. ‌‌Apple TV‌‌ owners who have automatic software updates activated will be upgraded to the new version of tvOS automatically.

Apple shares full release notes for tvOS in its tvOS support document, which is updated after each new version of tvOS comes out.

Apple has also released a new version of the HomePod Software 18.6 for the ‌HomePod‌ and HomePod mini. ‌HomePod‌ software is based on tvOS. According to Apple's release notes, the ‌HomePod‌ software update includes performance and stability improvements.

Related Roundup: Apple TV

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

Related Forum: Apple TV and Home Theater

Popular Stories

Apple Releases tvOS 26.5

Monday May 11, 2026 10:02 am PDT by Juli Clover

Apple today released tvOS 26.5, the fifth update to the tvOS operating system that came out last fall. tvOS 26.5 is available for the Apple TV 4K, and it comes over a month after Apple released tvOS 26.4. tvOS 26.5 can be downloaded using the Settings app on the ‌‌Apple TV‌‌. Open up Settings and go to System > Software Update to get the new software. ‌‌Apple TV‌‌ owners who...

• 28 comments

General visionOS watchOS and tvOS Betas Feature Redux

Apple Releases First watchOS 26.6, tvOS 26.6 and visionOS 26.6 Betas

Tuesday May 26, 2026 10:03 am PDT by Juli Clover

Apple today provided developers with the first betas of upcoming watchOS 26.6, tvOS 26.6, and visionOS 26.6 betas for testing purposes. The software two weeks after Apple launched the 26.5 versions of each platform. The software updates are available through the Settings app on each device, and because these are developer betas, a free developer account is required. There's no word on...

• 4 comments

Apple Previews New tvOS 27 Feature

Wednesday May 20, 2026 1:02 pm PDT by Joe Rossignol

Apple has announced that "Larger Text" support is coming to tvOS, allowing users to increase the on-screen text size to make it easier to read. "Larger Text" lets you adjust the size of text in supported apps, with the option already available on other devices like the iPhone, iPad, and Vision Pro. This was one of the new accessibility features that Apple previewed earlier this week, with ...