Apple today seeded the third public betas of tvOS 26 and watchOS 26 to Apple TV and Apple Watch users who have signed up for the public beta program. The third tvOS 26 and watchOS 26 public betas come a week after Apple seeded the second public betas.
watchOS 26 and tvOS 26 can be downloaded through the Settings app on each device after you sign up on Apple's beta website.
The updates adopt Apple's Liquid Glass aesthetic, which is also coming in macOS Tahoe and iOS 26. Liquid Glass focuses on transparency and a more rounded look for menus and other interface elements.
watchOS 26 includes Workout Buddy, an Apple Intelligence feature meant to motivate you during your workouts. The Workout app interface has been redesigned, the Smart Stack has more actionable suggestions, the Messages app offer Live Translation and better Smart Replies, and the Phone app features like Call Screening and Hold Assist are available on the watch. Apple also brought the Notes app to the Apple Watch, so you can create notes and view existing notes right from your wrist.
tvOS 26 supports a new Apple Music Sing feature that uses the iPhone as a microphone, plus there are new lyric translation and pronunciation tools. FaceTime has been updated with incoming call notifications and contact posters, there are new aerial screen savers, and there's an option to set an AirPlay speaker as a permanent speaker for an Apple TV.
watchOS 26 and tvOS 26 are set to launch this fall alongside iOS 26 and macOS Tahoe.
Sunday February 1, 2026 10:08 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Last year, Apple launched CarPlay Ultra, the long-awaited next-generation version of its CarPlay software system for vehicles. Nearly nine months later, CarPlay Ultra is still limited to Aston Martin's latest luxury vehicles, but that should change fairly soon.
In May 2025, Apple said many other vehicle brands planned to offer CarPlay Ultra, including Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis.
In his Powe...
Thursday January 29, 2026 10:07 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple today confirmed to Reuters that it has acquired Q.ai, an Israeli startup that is working on artificial intelligence technology for audio.
Apple paid close to $2 billion for Q.ai, according to sources cited by the Financial Times. That would make this Apple's second-biggest acquisition ever, after it paid $3 billion for the popular headphone and audio brand Beats in 2014.
Q.ai has...
Sunday February 1, 2026 12:31 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
The calendar has turned to February, and a new report indicates that Apple's next product launch is "imminent," in the form of new MacBook Pro models.
"All signs point to an imminent launch of next-generation MacBook Pros that retain the current form factor but deliver faster chips," Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said on Sunday. "I'm told the new models — code-named J714 and J716 — are slated...
Saturday January 31, 2026 10:51 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple recently updated its online store with a new ordering process for Macs, including the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro.
There used to be a handful of standard configurations available for each Mac, but now you must configure a Mac entirely from scratch on a feature-by-feature basis. In other words, ordering a new Mac now works much like ordering an...
Sunday February 1, 2026 5:42 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple is planning to launch new MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips alongside macOS 26.3, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
"Apple's faster MacBook Pros are planned for the macOS 26.3 release cycle," wrote Gurman, in his Power On newsletter today.
"I'm told the new models — code-named J714 and J716 — are slated for the macOS 26.3 software cycle, which runs from...
Apple have totally messed the current Apple TV 4K since they went from dev beta to public beta. I find 50% of the time when I turn it on the previews at the top of the page are static images and done play video, plus none of the streaming apps will play video either. You have to reboot it for it to work. I reported this to Apple when they switched to public beta and it still hasn’t been fixed. Ironic it was fine on the original dev betas. Very poor quality control by Apple!
After the last PB update to tvOS beta 26 (3) My ATV remote control (ATV 4k gen2) does not work with my Samsung S90C TV anymore.
When I turn off the ATV with the ATV remote control, my TV usually turns off as well, but now my TV says that a device is off and it needs to be plugged in. (nothing has changed on my TV and has not updated since there are no new updates and it does not have an internet connection)
My settings on the ATV are TV via IR, this is because my SONOS does not work if it is not like that. I have tried other settings but the volume does not work on the SONOS when the ATV is off. I have reset the ATV remote control but no change.
Same on my S95B. Turning off via the power button on the remote seems to turn the TV off then trigger it right back on again. I have found that turning off the Apple TV via the soft power button in control centre works fine.
