Apple rolls out third developer beta of tvOS 17.1

Apple has started to distribute the third developer beta of tvOS 17.1 to testers.

Developers participating in the beta can acquire the latest builds via the Apple Developer Center, or by updating any Apple TV set-top boxes that are already running the beta. Public beta versions generally arrive soon after the developer counterparts, and the public can sign up to test them via the Apple Beta Software Program when they become available.

The third developer beta of tvOS 17.1 follows after the second, released on October 3, which in turn took over from the first, which Apple provided to testers on September 27.

The new beta is build number 21K5064a, replacing the second build, number 20K5054e.

While iOS and watchOS updates typically include more visible features, tvOS instead sticks to what could be considered background, performance improvements, and bug fixes. Features do surface, but far less regularly than Apple's other operating systems.

AppleInsider and Apple strongly advise users don't install beta operating systems, or beta software in general, on to "mission-critical" or primary devices, as there is the chance of issues that could result in the loss of data. Testers should instead use secondary or non-essential hardware and ensure they have sufficient backups of their critical data at all times.

Find any changes in the new betas? Reach out to us on Twitter at @AppleInsider or @Andrew_OSU, or send Andrew an email at andrew@AppleInsider.com.