tvOS 26 has added five new ways to customize your Apple TV 4K
Source: 9to5Mac
We’re still waiting for a new Apple TV 4K to launch, but tvOS at least keeps improving, including with five new settings in tvOS 26 for customizing your Apple TV.
1. Disable individual aerial screen savers
Apple TV’s aerial screen savers are one of my all‑time favorite features. In tvOS 26, Apple lets you customize them more than ever.
Inside the Settings app, navigate to Screen Saver → Aerials and open the new Choose Aerials option. Previously you could only opt out of whole categories; now you can individually enable or disable any aerial Apple offers.
So if you like some of the Underwater screen savers but have nightmares about others, you can keep only your favorites enabled.
2. Subtitle styles
tvOS has long offered the ability to customize the look of subtitles, but it was buried in Accessibility settings where most people never found it.
In tvOS 26.4, Apple added a new and much easier option. Subtitle styles can now be changed right from the video player.
When you tap the subtitle icon in tvOS’s standard video player, you’ll see a menu option to select a new style. Styles include Classic, Large Text, Outline Text, and Transparent Background.
If those options aren’t enough, you can also click through to the Settings app for even more controls.
3. Profiles on startup, or not
Apple has beefed up its Profiles feature in tvOS this year, with tvOS 26.2 offering welcome changes that make Profiles easier to create and more useful than ever.
tvOS 26 also lets you customize whether the Profiles screen appears at startup. If you don’t use the feature and want to skip that step, you can disable it from the Settings app.
4. Continuous Audio Connection
If you like to fine‑tune audio settings, tvOS 26.4 added a new option: Continuous Audio Connection.
Apple TV uses a Dolby MAT connection for seamless transitions across formats. Older receivers might indicate Atmos, but the original audio will play as intended.
Users have reported that this feature works especially well with Sonos speakers, though it has broader applications. To enable Continuous Audio Connection, go to Settings → Video and Audio → Audio Format → HDMI Output.
5. Use AirPlay speaker as default audio output
Historically, tvOS offered exclusive benefits for HomePod and HomePod mini owners, allowing those speakers to serve as the default audio output for Apple TV.
In tvOS 26, that capability has been extended to any AirPlay‑enabled speaker. Whether you use a Sonos system, Bose, or any other third‑party speaker that supports AirPlay, you can select it as the default audio output, eliminating the need to reconnect manually via Control Center.
What new settings and features in tvOS 26 have been your favorites? Let us know in the comments.