Hello,
After updating to tvOS 26.0 Developer Beta on Apple TV 4K, I noticed a new visual issue that wasn’t present in tvOS 18.5.
I’m currently using Plex version 8.45 on Apple TV.
A white glowing halo now appears around focused items that include subtle animations, such as:
- Selecting a movie poster from the library
- Highlighting cast member images
This visual effect is distracting, especially on dark backgrounds like those used in Plex. It seems to be part of a new system-wide focus effect introduced in tvOS 26.
This behavior wasn’t present in the previous tvOS versions, and it noticeably affects the visual clarity of the interface.
Can this be suppressed or customized by the Plex app? Or is it enforced by the system?
I’d appreciate any insights from the dev team or other users experiencing the same issue.
Thank you.
1 Like
It’s day one of a tvOS developer beta. I don’t think Plex is interested in allocating any of their precious time and resources on brand-spanking-new dev beta, especially with any non-devs running a dev beta, like myself.
Sure, it’s a dev beta, that’s exactly when observations like this matter most.
What I reported isn’t a bug. It’s a visual design shift in the focus system introduced by tvOS 26. Ignoring it now just delays the inevitable need to address how it affects UI elements, especially in apps with dark themes like Plex.
Also, whether someone is a developer or not is irrelevant. The effect is visible to any user, and early feedback is part of why betas exist in the first place.
App behavior under upcoming OS versions is a valid concern, not a waste of time.
And frankly, this isn’t your place to decide what’s worth reporting or not.
3 Likes
Thanks for report @hossainmq . The team is not currently testing against that build of tvOS but they will keep that in mind when they start.
2 Likes
That always concerns me. That’s how we end up with builds that have significant issues when new versions of OSes are released. While I’m not expecting that anyone should frenetically devote all their resources to finding workarounds to potential bugs in tvOS early β, I would have expected that someone at least took a quick look at it to make sure it wasn’t a bug in Plex itself…
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Exactly, that’s the core of the point I raised.
I’m not saying major resources need to be allocated, just that early awareness of system behavior changes can help avoid issues when the final release rolls out.
A small visual detail today can easily turn into a UX problem later on.
Appreciate that someone sees the bigger picture.
2 Likes
Issue resolved in the latest Apple TV update
tvOS 26.0 (23J5306g)
The white focus halo no longer appears, looks like Apple adjusted the system-level focus behavior.
Thanks to everyone who engaged in the discussion.
2 Likes
