Apple Releases tvOS 12.1 Update for Fourth and Fifth-Generation Apple TV

Apple today released tvOS 12.1, the second update to the tvOS 12 operating system designed for the fourth and fifth-generation Apple TV models. tvOS 12.1 comes just over a month after the release of tvOS 12.0.1 and six weeks after the September launch of tvOS 12.

tvOS 12.1 can be downloaded over the air through the Settings app on the Apple TV by going to System -> Software Update. Apple TV owners who have automatic software updates turned on will be upgraded to tvOS 12.1 automatically.

appletv4k2
It's not clear what new features or bug fixes are included in the tvOS 12.1 update. We didn't find any major new changes during the tvOS 12.1 beta testing period, and Apple doesn't provide release notes for tvOS releases, so there's not often a lot to go on.

If we discover what's new in tvOS 12.1, we'll update this post with additional information.

tvOS 12.1 follows the tvOS 12 update, which introduced support for higher-quality Dolby Atmos sound, zero sign-on, and new aerial screensavers created in collaboration with the International Space Station.

Related Roundup: Apple TV
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Don't Buy)

Popular Stories

Apple Wallet ID Illinois

Apple Plans to Expand iPhone Driver's Licenses to These 7 U.S. States

Wednesday December 24, 2025 8:40 am PST by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Apple Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, and then use it to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. The feature is currently available in 13 U.S. states and Puerto Rico, and it is expected to launch in at least seven more in the future. To set up the...
iPhone Top Left Hole Punch Face ID Feature Purple

iPhone 18 Pro Launching Next Year With These 12 New Features

Tuesday December 23, 2025 8:36 am PST by
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are not expected to launch for another nine months, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we have recapped 12 features rumored for the iPhone 18 Pro models. The same overall design is expected, with 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch display sizes, and a "plateau" housing three rear cameras Under-screen Face ID Front camera in...
iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Adds These 8 New Features to Your iPhone

Monday December 22, 2025 8:47 am PST by
Earlier this month, Apple released iOS 26.2, following more than a month of beta testing. It is a big update, with many new features and changes for iPhones. iOS 26.2 adds a Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics in Apple Music, and more. Below, we have highlighted a total of eight new features. Liquid Glass Slider on Lock Screen A new slider in the Lock...
maxresdefault

Where's the New Apple TV?

Monday December 22, 2025 11:30 am PST by
Apple hasn't updated the Apple TV 4K since 2022, and 2025 was supposed to be the year that we got a refresh. There were rumors suggesting Apple would release the new Apple TV before the end of 2025, but it looks like that's not going to happen now. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said several times across 2024 and 2025 that Apple would...
maxresdefault

10 Mac Apps Worth Trying in 2026

Wednesday December 24, 2025 9:27 am PST by
2026 is almost upon us, and a new year is a good time to try out some new apps. We've rounded up 10 excellent Mac apps that are worth checking out. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Alt-Tab (Free) - Alt-Tab brings a Windows-style alt + tab thumbnail preview option to the Mac. You can see a full window preview of open apps and app windows. One Thing (Free) -...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature Iridescent Search

Samsung Developing 'Wide Fold' With iPhone Fold-Like Design Ahead of Apple's 2026 Launch

Tuesday December 23, 2025 11:55 am PST by
Samsung is working on a new foldable smartphone that's wider and shorter than the models that it's released before, according to Korean news site ETNews. The "Wide Fold" will compete with Apple's iPhone Fold that's set to launch in September 2026. Samsung's existing Galaxy Z Fold7 display is 6.5 inches when closed, and 8 inches when open, with a 21:9 aspect ratio when folded and a 20:18...
iOS 26

iOS 26.3 Brings AirPods-Like Pairing to Third-Party Devices in EU Under DMA

Monday December 22, 2025 3:20 pm PST by
The European Commission today praised the interoperability changes that Apple is introducing in iOS 26.3, once again crediting the Digital Markets Act (DMA) with bringing "new opportunities" to European users and developers. The Digital Markets Act requires Apple to provide third-party accessories with the same capabilities and access to device features that Apple's own products get. In iOS...
iphone fold 3d print

Have a 3D Printer? You Can Make Your Own iPhone Fold Dummy

Tuesday December 23, 2025 1:31 pm PST by
Apple is working on a foldable iPhone that's set to come out in September 2026, and rumors suggest that it will have a display that's around 5.4 inches when closed and 7.6 inches when open. Exact measurements vary based on rumors, but one 3D designer has created a mockup based on what we've heard so far. On MakerWorld, a user named Subsy has uploaded a 1:1 iPhone Fold replica (via Macworld), ...
iPhone Fold Vertical Feature

Why Apple's Foldable iPhone May Be Smaller Than Expected

Tuesday December 23, 2025 5:21 am PST by
Apple's first foldable iPhone, rumored for release next year, may turn out to be smaller than most people imagine, if a recent report is anything to go by. According to The Information, the outer display on the book-style device will measure just 5.3 inches – that's smaller than the 5.4-inch screen on the ‌iPhone‌ mini, a line Apple discontinued in 2022 due to poor sales. The report has led ...

Top Rated Comments

smithrh Avatar
94 months ago
The problem is not with the article/MacRumors, but rather with Apple who discloses almost nothing, next to nothing, and many times nothing at all.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GIZBUG Avatar
94 months ago
“It's not clear what new features or bug fixes are included in the tvOS 12.1 update.”

I wish the articles on here, like this, gave readers relevant information....
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
NM Bound Avatar
94 months ago
Dear Apple,
Thanks for nothing. I've invested a lot of money over 3 decades in your products and ecosystem including several Apple TV's. I'm pretty sure I don't understand or utilize many of the outstanding features you engineer into your consumer infrastructure which includes the latest and greatest TV OS upgrade. I might buy an Apple Watch now that I can see the value of monitoring personal health reports I can forward to my physician; I'm getting old and there could be life-extending benefit from understanding issues and events linked to my heart and/or falling down which the watch will record.

But every few months when your firm has an opportunity to reveal 'THE NEXT BIG THING' in the Apple universe, it quickly disappoints, underwhelms and serves one more marketing opportunity to hawk products like so many seasonal runway model events in the personal lifestyle clothing world. And of course, when I really need to make a fashion statement, I end of buying a shirt at Walmart because it's cheap and functional.

But I digress...
NM Bound
Las Cruces, NM
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mefisto Avatar
94 months ago
Let's see if this, in combination with iOS 12.1 stops the constant notifications for keyboard entry on my phone! It would be nice if that's the case.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BuffaloTF Avatar
94 months ago
12.0 didn't introduce Zero Sign On. We're still waiting for that.

Let's see if this, in combination with iOS 12.1 stops the constant notifications for keyboard entry on my phone! It would be nice if that's the case.
That's a feature, not a bug.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
M.Rizk Avatar
94 months ago
A very much doubt it's a feature that the phone wants me to start typing while watching a show on Netflix, for example. Or just scrolling though the home screen. Or just launching an app, any app. Or wanting me to type something in the middle of the night while I'm asleep in the other room.

But maybe I've misunderstood the feature.

edit: Damnit, it happened again. While watching TV on another input than the one the aTV is on.
I have had the Apple TV 4k for a month and never got such a notification unless there was a text field on screen. Weird.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)