tvOS 26 added five new ways to personalize your Apple TV 4K

We’re still waiting for a new Apple TV 4K to launch, but tvOS at least continues to improve, including five new settings in tvOS 26 to personalize your Apple TV.

#1: Disable Individual Air Screensavers

Apple TV’s overhead screensavers are one of my all-time favorite features. And in tvOS 26, Apple lets you customize them more than ever.

In the Settings app, go to the Screen Saver menu and open Antennas to find a new option: “Choose Antennas.”

Previously, you could disable certain categories of screensavers. But in tvOS 26, you can now enable or disable all Apple Air Deals individually.

So if you like some underwater screensavers, but have nightmares about others, you can keep only your favorites enabled.

#2: Subtitle Styles

tvOS has long offered the ability to customize the appearance of subtitles, but this has been buried in the accessibility settings where most people have never found it.

In tvOS 26.4, Apple added a new, much simpler option. Subtitle styles can now be edited directly from the video player.

When you click the subtitle icon in the standard tvOS 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 into the Settings app for even more controls.

#3: Profiles at startup, or not

Apple has beefed up its Profiles feature in tvOS this year, with tvOS 26.2 delivering welcome changes that make Profiles easier to create and more useful than ever.

tvOS 26 also lets you customize whether or not the Profiles screen appears at startup.

I enjoy seeing profiles as soon as my Apple TV 4K turns on. But if you don’t use the feature and want to skip this step, you can turn it off from the Settings app.

#4: Continuous Audio Connection

If you’re the type of user who likes to manipulate audio settings to dial in your setup, tvOS 26.4 added a new option: “Continuous Audio Connection.”

Here’s how Apple describes the toggle:

Apple TV uses a Dolby MAT connection for smooth transitions between formats. Older receivers may say Atmos, but the original audio will play as expected.

Users have reported that this feature works particularly well with Sonos speakers, but also has broader applications. To enable continuous audio connection, go to Settings ⇾ Video & Audio ⇾ Audio Format ⇾ HDMI Output.

#5: Use AirPlay speaker as default audio output

Historically, tvOS has provided exclusive benefits to HomePod and HomePod mini owners. These speakers have long been able to serve as the default outputs for Apple TV audio.

However, in tvOS 26, this capability has expanded to any AirPlay-enabled speaker.

Whether you want to use a Sonos, Bose, or any other third-party speaker, as long as it supports AirPlay, you can select it as your default audio output. This should avoid having to constantly reconnect manually via the Control Center.

Which new settings and features in tvOS 26 were your favorites? Let us know in the comments.

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