That $299 Apple TV You Were Thinking of Buying Might Be a Waste of Money if Siri Is the Only Reason You Wanted to Upgrade

Apple’s new $299 Apple TV 4K comes with a faster chip and upgraded hardware, but one of its biggest selling points won’t require buying a new streaming box.

Apple has confirmed that Siri AI is coming to the second- and third-generation Apple TV 4K through tvOS 27.2, giving existing owners access to the same conversational assistant announced alongside the fourth-generation model.

There’s a catch, though. You’ll need a compatible iPhone or iPad for it to work.

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Siri AI on older Apple TVs requires another Apple device

The updated Siri can help users find movies and shows through natural-language searches, answer follow-up questions, and use personal information from a paired device.

For example, you could ask Siri to play a show a friend recommended in Messages without remembering its name.

But older Apple TV models can’t process Apple Intelligence locally. Instead, they depend on a compatible iPhone or iPad with Siri AI enabled.

Apple says the Home app’s designated home owner must have an Apple Intelligence-capable iPhone or iPad running the latest software. Siri AI must also be enabled and set to a supported language.

At launch, the feature will support English in eight countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, India, New Zealand, Singapore, and South Africa.

Without a qualifying iPhone or iPad, owners won’t be able to activate Siri AI on their Apple TV.

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What you’re missing by keeping your old Apple TV

The fourth-generation Apple TV 4K includes an A19 chip and built-in far-field microphones, letting you speak to Siri without picking up the remote.

Older models lack those microphones, so a software update won’t add the same hands-free functionality.

But supported second- and third-generation devices will still have the core conversational Siri AI features, making the new hardware less compelling for anyone primarily interested in the assistant.

That’s particularly relevant given Apple’s recent pricing changes. The new Apple TV 4K starts at $299, up from the previous generation’s $129 starting price before its June increase.

Siri AI support for existing Apple TV 4K models is coming in beta with tvOS 27.2. Apple has already released developer and public betas, but hasn’t announced when the final update will arrive. The fourth-generation Apple TV 4K ships November 13.