AirPlay speakers in tvOS 26: Continuous operation finally allowed
Until now, you always had to re-establish contact between Apple TV devices and external wireless speakers. The next tvOS fixes the problem.
Apple TV 4K with HomePod mini.
(Image: Apple)
Many owners of Apple's multimedia box reproduce its sound via the speaker on their TV. This is often not particularly voluminous. Although it is possible to use Apple's own HomePods (series 2 and mini) for Apple TV playback without any problems, if you have an AirPlay speaker from another brand, this cannot be connected by default. Instead, you have to re-establish the connection regularly. With tvOS 26, which is expected in September, this should finally change: Apple will then allow a “permanent connection to each speaker,” as the manufacturer has announced.
Only possible wirelessly
However, “any” speaker is only half right, as it must already be able to handle AirPlay, as Apple TV devices have lacked a direct audio output (except via HDMI) for years. However, there is now a large selection on the market, so you are not forced to buy an Apple smart speaker for reasons of convenience. In practice, the permanent connection in tvOS 26 looks like this, according to testers of the current developer beta: You move to the Apple TV's system settings and can then select a “permanent speaker” there.
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This setting is then no longer forgotten by tvOS 26 and is retained even after a restart. It is unclear why Apple has only now come up with such a function, but the company naturally earns the most with its speakers, which, as mentioned, have also been the most convenient to pair up to now. Initial tests will have to show how stable the connection to third-party AirPlay speakers is. The picture on the Apple TV has, of course, been adjusted so that picture and sound match, thus compensating for the low AirPlay latency.
Other new features
tvOS 26 also brings other new features. These include call notifications directly on the TV, a new look for the FaceTime app, including Live Captions (translation as subtitles) in more languages, selection of the desired profile after waking up the device, and Apple's Liquid Glass look from the other operating systems.
In addition, lyrics can be translated on request, and you can sing along to karaoke songs using the iPhone microphone. Finally, Apple is delivering a very useful new sign-in API for tvOS apps, which should allow you to log in to services (such as streaming) without the hassle of entering a password manually.
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