At Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference in early June 2026, the tech giant behind the iPhone, iPad and Mac presented the latest upcoming versions of its various operating systems. While many were set to benefit from significant new AI features – like iOS 27 – other systems like tvOS 27 are expected to receive their own upgrades. tvOS 27 will bring several new features to Apple TV devices, some of which are designed to make your Apple TV even better. However, the basics boil down to a more refined overall experience and improved AirPlay connectivity with other Apple devices. There will also be other potential changes that we’ll learn more about once we can actually get our hands on tvOS 27, as Apple hasn’t spent much time on the TV-based operating system.
One important thing we learned, however, is that with the release of tvOS 27, two of the company’s older Apple TV devices – the 2015 Apple TV HD and the 2017 Apple TV 4K (1st generation) will not support the new operating system when it is released. They will of course still be able to use tvOS 26 and all the important features it brought. And that means you’ll be able to continue watching the best Apple TV+ shows on your old devices. However, they will no longer receive updates from Apple in the future.
What it really means
As we noted above, you’ll still be able to use your old Apple TV devices, at least for the immediate future. It’s unclear how long this will last, and devices won’t receive any of the updates that come with tvOS 27. Additionally, if Apple chooses to change more significant things, like the version of the operating system needed to run apps offered by Apple TV devices, those older devices could also see reduced support in the future. Of course, it’s not entirely unexpected to see Apple dropping support for some of its older devices. This is just a natural part of the process for Apple and any other technology manufacturer.
Apple is also expected to release a new 4th generation of the Apple TV 4K later this year, so it makes perfect sense to phase out some of the older devices. Especially considering how much streaming technology has changed since 2015 when the Apple TV HD was first released. The good news is that 2nd and 3rd generation Apple TV 4K devices will continue to function normally and will continue to receive improvements and new features with tvOS 27.
