Apple TV is lastly getting a characteristic that Roku customers have had for years

tvOS 26 launched several major updates to the Apple TV expertise earlier this yr, together with the Liquid Glass redesign, a revamped Apple TV app, new display screen savers, and enhancements to the profile system.

If I needed to choose my favourite characteristic of tvOS 26, it could undoubtedly be the updates Apple made to profiles. Now, whenever you flip in your Apple TV, a display screen seems prompting you to pick a profile, much like how streaming companies like Netflix do it. Earlier than this variation, switching profiles in your Apple TV required manually opening the Management Middle, which was simple to neglect. Whereas it is an additional step every time you flip in your Apple TV, I consider it is value it for extra personalised suggestions.

That stated, though switching profiles is now extra handy and accessible, one problem that has at all times been related to profiles on Apple TV is that they require being linked to an Apple ID. This implies in the event you needed to create a correct visitor profile in your Apple TV, you continue to could not do it with tvOS 26, as it could have required having an extra Apple ID past your most important one. Nevertheless, that is about to vary.

With the upcoming tvOS 26.2 replace, Apple is lastly permitting customers so as to add profiles to their Apple TV without having to hyperlink them to an Apple ID (by way of MacRumors). This implies if you wish to create a correct visitor profile for others to make use of in your Apple TV, corresponding to for roommates, relations, or your youngsters, you may quickly be capable to. And for fogeys particularly, it appears Apple has gone the additional mile to make this tremendous helpful for teenagers.

Apple can also be including a Youngsters Mode with tvOS 26.2

The replace continues to be in beta

Credit score: Apple / Pocket-lint

Apart from eradicating the necessity for an Apple ID when creating profiles with tvOS 26.2, Apple has additionally added an choice to test a field throughout profile creation that designates the profile as for teenagers. This routinely restricts the content material out there on that profile within the Apple TV expertise to PG by default, guaranteeing that if in case you have a baby who incessantly makes use of your Apple TV, they’ll solely see age-appropriate content material.

Apple additionally lets you modify the TV present ranking primarily based in your kid’s age, so you’ll be able to set it to decrease or increased ranges, like TV-G or TV-14. Nevertheless, you may nonetheless want to make use of parental controls to dam entry to apps outdoors of Apple TV.

So to sum it up, with tvOS 26.2, Apple has primarily created a manner so that you can arrange a visitor mode and youngsters mode in your Apple TV. And based on MacRumors, whenever you create further profiles in your Apple TV, these profiles might also seem on the Apple TV app on third-party units, corresponding to good TVs.

It is also value noting that you could nonetheless create profiles in your Apple TV linked to an Apple ID. Apple now merely provides you the choice to take action with out one with tvOS 26.2. Moreover, in the event you create a profile with out an Apple ID and later determine you wish to hyperlink it to 1, you are able to do that.

tvOS 26.2 is presently in beta and is predicted to be out there someday in mid-December, so you will not have to attend lengthy to make use of these new profile options. Personally, I am simply glad Apple has lastly added a correct solution to create a visitor profile on Apple TV. This has been a characteristic Roku TV has had for a very long time, so with the ability to do it on an Apple TV quickly will likely be an enormous plus for individuals who share their machine loads.