A forthcoming version of Apple’s streaming television operating system will not be supported by the first generation of the company’s hardware to feature a Siri-enabled voice remote control, according to a listing reviewed by The Desk.
On Monday, Apple published guidelines for app developers who distribute software in its Apple App Store for phones, tablets and smart TVs, warning that the company’s forthcoming streaming TV operating system, called tvOS 27, will not support the Apple TV HD released in 2015 and the Apple TV 4K released two years later.
Those devices will continue to receive software and critical support updates from Apple, but will be limited to running tvOS 26 from this fall onward. Only the second-generation and third-generation Apple TV 4K devices — which feature a newer-model, all-aluminum Siri remote with additional physical buttons in place of the much-criticized smooth trackpad on the prior remote — will support tvOS 27, as will new models of the Apple TV that are expected in the near future.
The new streaming operating system is expected to bring a handful of advanced features, including reduced app storage use, a refreshed Podcasts app experience and functions powered by new flavors of Apple’s artificial intelligence software and Siri smart assistant.
Apple’s older-generation streaming hardware that is currently supported will still run Apple’s own TV apps and those of third parties, including Netflix, Hulu, Disney Plus and YouTube, for at least a few more years. But the devices won’t receive new features from Apple going forward.
The new tvOS 27 is expected to be released between September and October.
