How to Sign Up for Apple’s tvOS Public Betas

Apple makes it easy to sign up for public betas, separately, on macOS, iOS, and tvOS. Here’s how to do it for tvOS. The first thing to know is that you need to sign on to Apple’s beta test web page with the same Apple ID that you’re using with the selected device. In this how-to, I’ll focus on tvOS.

Sign Up With Apple

In this example, I’m logging in on to Apple with Safari on a Mac. Also, it’ll be helpful to already have your TV and Apple TV (4K) up and running.

1. Go to Apple’s beta web page, beta.apple.com.
2. Click on “Sign up” to start.
3. Enter your Apple ID credentials and click “Sign in.”
4. If you’re using two-factor authentication, an authorization code will be sent to your trusted device.
5. Once signed on, select the tab for the OS of interest. In this case, tvOS. (See photo above.)
6. Scroll down. Under the “Get Started” section, click on “can enroll your Apple TV.”
7. Sign out.

On the Apple TV (4K)

1. Navigate to the Settings app on your Apple TV.
2. Go to the System page, then Software Updates.
3. Set “Get Beta Updates” to On. (See photo above.)
4. Select “Update Software.” Having signed up at Apple, above, you should now see that (beta) updates are available.
5. Install the update as you would a normal release version.
6. To see which version is installed when done, look under the Apple TV icon on the left side of the “Software Updates” page. (See photo below.)

If you want to turn off the beta updates, just set “Get Beta Updates” to Off. There’s no need to go back to beta.apple.com to opt out. Finally, Apple has a helpful FAQ.