Apple TV is getting user profiles on iPhone and iPad for the first time, and optional sign language support on select movies and shows, as part of iOS and iPadOS 27.2, which is expected to arrive next week.
The profile feature isn't new to Apple's ecosystem. It has existed in tvOS for a while, letting different members of a household keep separate watch histories and recommendations on the big screen. What's new is that it's finally coming to the phone and tablet versions of the Apple TV app. Apple is currently the only major streaming service that doesn't let iPhone and iPad users switch between profiles, a gap that's closed once 27.2 lands.
Profiles created on one device will sync automatically to the rest, so playback history, show queues and recommendations stay consistent whether someone's watching on a Mac, an iPad or an iPhone. Parents can also set up a profile for a child that only surfaces age-appropriate content, rather than relying on a single shared account for the whole household.
New faces, and new accessibility options
Apple has padded out the profile picture options too. Characters from kids' shows including The Snoopy Show, Frog and Toad, and Stillwater are now available as avatars, alongside whatever generic icons already existed.
The second change is a step past the usual subtitle toggle. IOS 27.2 adds official support for sign language on select titles, with users able to turn on American Sign Language (ASL) or British Sign Language (BSL) as an overlay. The setting lives in the Settings app, under Apps, then TV, then Sign Language.
It isn't clear yet how many titles will actually support the feature when it ships. Apple hasn't published a list, and sign language interpretation tracks have to be produced separately for each piece of content, so the initial catalog is likely to be limited rather than catalog-wide. Still, it's a feature none of Apple's streaming rivals currently offer in the same form, and it puts Apple TV slightly ahead on accessibility even as its content library remains smaller than Netflix's or Amazon's.
Neither change affects what Apple TV costs. The service remains $14.99 a month on its own, or comes bundled at a discount through Apple One alongside Apple Music, iCloud+ and the rest of Apple's subscription stack.
IOS and iPadOS 27.2 haven't been given a specific release date beyond "next week," and Apple hasn't said whether the profile sync and sign language options will need a companion tvOS or macOS update to work fully across every device in a household. That detail, along with the actual list of sign-language-enabled titles, should become clearer once the update is live.
SDFiled by The Software Desk
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