Release record
Release notes
Editorial synthesis with inline references and a source ledger when citations are available.
tvOS 18 added InSight to supported Apple TV+ playback, presenting scene-aware information about performers, characters, and music. [1]It also improved dialogue clarity and automatic subtitles, added Portraits screen savers and FaceTime Live Captions, redesigned Fitness+, and expanded SharePlay control in Music.[2]
The tvOS 18 SDK increased on-demand resource limits, changed several framework behaviors, and documented migration work such as moving legacy in-app purchases to StoreKit 2.[3]
Source ledger
Sources are linked to the claims they support. Publication and access dates are shown when available.
Apple Support · Apple · 2026-07-29 · tvOS 18 — InSight
Apple Support · Apple · 2026-07-29 · tvOS 18
Apple Developer · 2026-07-29 · App Store, StoreKit, and framework notes
Documented & observed
Source-linked features, fixes, known issues, removals, and community-observed behavior recorded across this version’s appearances and verified builds.
Release changes
Features, fixes, removals, and regressions first observed in this release record.
feature · introduced
Supported Apple TV 4K models gained a personal-photo screen-saver style and faster category switching.
Recorded at Public
enhancement · changed
Eligible Apple TV 4K models gained live call captions and a less repetitive camera-connection workflow.
Recorded at Public
feature · introduced
tvOS began surfacing subtitles automatically in common situations where dialogue may have been missed.
Recorded at Public
feature · introduced
InSight added a contextual layer to eligible movies and series and provided a path to save identified music.
Recorded at Public
enhancement · changed
The release refreshed workout navigation and made collaborative living-room music sessions easier to join and control.
Recorded at Public
enhancement · changed
Dialogue enhancement expanded beyond its earlier output constraints on supported Apple TV 4K models.
Recorded at Public
Milestones
Every recorded channel appearance in chronological order. Open an appearance for any available build, scope, notes, and sources.
Developer beta
Developer beta
Developer beta
Developer beta
Developer beta
Developer beta
Developer beta
Developer beta
Release candidate
Public release
The public tvOS 18 release added contextual information for Apple TV+ content, clearer speech and smarter subtitles, new screen savers, FaceTime captions, and redesigned fitness and music experiences.
Historical context
Pace, intervals, and duration compared with earlier releases on the same platform.
Historical avg for major releases
96 days, 9.9 milestones
Based on 10 previous tvOS .0 releases
Cycle vs. platform average
98d (avg: 57d)
41 days longer than the tvOS average
Duration ranking
#6 of 50
Middle of the pack tvOS beta cycles
Longest gap in this cycle
15 days
Between Beta 3 and Beta 4