Apple has released the tvOS 18.1 release candidate to its customers with a compatible Apple TV, as well as those with a HomePod. The system is shared between the two devices. In both cases, the new features are meager, Apple having focused on iOS 18.1 and macOS 15.1 with Apple Intelligence.
On Apple TV
The tvOS 18.1 release candidate is compatible with Apple TV 4K (1st and 2nd generation) and Apple TV HD. The new version can be retrieved in the settings then “System” and “Software updates”.
tvOS software updates are generally small in scale compared to other operating system updates, and primarily focus on small improvements rather than externally visible changes.
Normally, tvOS 18.1 adds support for robot vacuum cleaners in Home, new screensavers for movies as well as support for the 21:9 aspect ratio when the Apple TV is connected to a projector.
On HomePod
The software for the HomePod and HomePod mini is also based on tvOS 18.1, and it’s unclear what Apple has changed to date. We will update the article accordingly.
In the meantime, go to the Home app then to your HomePod to update it.
