When Apple launched its streaming service back in 2019, it was branded with a “+” at the end as a way to differentiate it from the existing Apple TV app, which also offers content from third-party providers. However, Apple on Monday announced it is rebranding Apple TV+ to simply “Apple TV,” and the first signs of this rebranding can be seen in the latest iOS beta.
A new Apple TV logo and identity
With the third iOS 26.1 beta, which was released to developers on Monday, Apple unveiled the new logo for the Apple TV app and Apple TV+. It looks very similar to the old logo, but this time with colors and a Liquid Glass effect instead of plain white characters.
The new logo can also be seen in some parts of the app to indicate that a movie is part of Apple’s streaming platform catalog. Of course, since we’re talking about beta software, the old name “Apple TV+” can still be seen in some of the app’s menus. It’s also still present in the “Entertainment” tab of Apple’s website.
Apple
The news came as a surprise early this morning when Apple published a press release announcing that “F1 The Movie” will begin streaming on December 12. At the end of the press release, the company mentions that “Apple TV+ is now simply Apple TV, with a vibrant new identity.”
There are no further details on when the new identity will go live, but presumably this will happen in the coming weeks alongside the public release of iOS 26.1.
What’s behind the name change?
It’s unclear why exactly Apple decided to drop the “+” from Apple TV. Honestly, it sounds a bit awkward to tell someone that I’m watching an Apple TV show on the Apple TV app on an Apple TV. Hopefully, the new branding will make more sense once Apple tells us the whole story.
There’s also a chance that the “Apple TV+” brand could return at some point with a different purpose. Many rumors have been suggesting that Apple is considering launching different tiers for its streaming catalog like other services. If true, “TV+” could become the top-tier ad-free plan.
Apple is rumored to announce some new products in the coming days, including the M5 iPad Pro and M5 MacBook Pro, and possibly a new Apple TV 4K. Perhaps we’ll learn more about Apple TV’s new branding along with these announcements.
