Apple has seeded the eighth beta of its upcoming tvOS 18 update to developers and public beta testers. The update comes one week after the seventh beta release.
The tvOS 18 beta is compatible with the Apple TV 4K (1st and 2nd generation) and the Apple TV HD. The new beta can be downloaded to a compatible Apple TV with the proper profile installed, which can be done by downloading it onto the Apple TV using Xcode.
Public beta testers who have signed up for Apple’s beta testing program can install the tvOS 18 public beta by opening up the Settings app on Apple TV, clicking on the “Software Updates” section under “System,” and then toggling on the “Get Public Beta Updates” option.
tvOS 18 brings a new InSight feature to the TV app, providing real-time information about actors, music, and more in Apple TV+ shows and music, much like the X-Ray feature in Amazon Prime Video. Viewers can also see InSight information on their iPhone when using it as an Apple TV remote.
Enhance Dialogue gets smarter with tvOS 18, leveraging machine learning and computational audio to deliver greater vocal clarity over music, action, and background noise on Apple TV 4K. In addition to HomePod speakers, users can now enjoy Enhance Dialogue when listening through built-in TV or HDMI-connected speakers, AirPods, and other Bluetooth-connected devices, and when playing supported content on iPhones and iPads.
Subtitles will now show up automatically when relevant, such as when the TV’s volume is muted, a show or movie is rewound, or when the language of a show doesn’t match the device language.
tvOS 18 also brings 21:9 support for playing movies and shows on projectors, and offers new screen savers like Portraits, TV and Movies, and even Snoopy.
As usual, MacTrast and Apple both warn users to not install any betas on their daily driver Apple TV, especially early betas of new operating systems. Instead, only install betas on a device set aside for testing purposes.
